Why We Must Keep Building

Over the past few weeks, it seems the attacks on Hispanics have intensified. People are being harassed in public spaces—at schools, places of worship, worksites, and businesses. They are being handcuffed and dragged away, with the sweat of a hard day’s work still fresh on their brows.

Let me be clear: these are not just attacks on “the undocumented” or on so-called “criminals.” These are attacks on anyone who looks or sounds a certain way. Anyone with the wrong shade of brown skin, or an accent that doesn’t quite fit the mainstream narrative. Whether someone grew up on the other side of town—or the other side of the border—they’re being targeted. And while I cannot personally confirm the existence of a “bounty” system for undocumented immigrants, the stories surfacing in the media and across social platforms make it feel chillingly plausible.

I hope it’s not true. Because if it is, it echoes a dark history—where minorities were once hunted, persecuted, and prosecuted. It calls to mind the internment camps of World War II, the systemic targeting of Black Americans during the Jim Crow era, and other shameful chapters in our nation’s past.

If you don’t see the hate being stirred up by current immigration enforcement practices, it’s not because it doesn’t exist—it’s because you choose not to see it.

We may not be a civil rights organization, but we are an organization that stands for what’s right. And this—this is not right.

So, what do we do?

How long will this last? Will reason and compassion ever take center stage again? I wish I had the answers. But what I do know is this:

we cannot let the darkness define us.

I came across a quote recently about Robin Williams. It described him as someone who gave the world light—even while carrying his own darkness. That stuck with me. Because that’s what we have to do. We have to carry our anger, our sadness, and even our distrust—not as weights that drag us down, but as fuel that propels us forward.

In the face of this, our greatest act of resistance is to rise above it, not just with words, but with strategy, skill, and ownership.

We owe it to ourselves—and to those who no longer have the chance—to keep building. To build businesses. To build legacies. To build wealth. To build respect.

And the way we do that is by mastering every part of the construction industry—from the job site to the boardroom. It’s not just about swinging a hammer. It’s about understanding how to estimate jobs, read blueprints, manage contracts, secure financing, lead teams, negotiate terms, and grow companies. We must educate ourselves on bonding, safety compliance, procurement, public-private partnerships, and bidding strategy. These are not optional skills—they’re the tools of ownership and leadership.

We must transition from workers to decision-makers, from laborers to leaders, from subcontractors to prime contractors. We need to know the business of construction as well as we know the craft.

This is our moment—not just to survive, but to rise.

And that journey starts with learning. Whether it’s at a local chamber event or a national event, like NHCA @ AVANCE Global, happening this September in San Diego, we need to gather and grow as a community.

Quitting and crying is not acceptable! #GRIT