I have been in Los Angeles and London this week and now am flying to Saudi Arabia. I had four unforgettable experiences which I need to share with you.
Los Angeles—I went to witness the signing of a bill by the California Legislature that authorizes a statue near Union Station in Los Angeles to commemorate the Mexican Repatriation of 1930-38. During the height of the Great Depression in the U.S., President Herbert Hoover issued an unprecedented order that mandated all Federal contractors to fire their Mexican employees. Police round-ups, psychological warfare to terrorize local Mexicans, and a monthly train from Union Station to Mexico were shocking reminders that America was prioritizing its white citizens. One million Mexicans were sent “home” though 60 percent had been born in the U.S. and many of them only spoke English. California State Senator Lena Gonzalez told the story of her great-uncle, who was kicked out of the country at age 12, only to return during World War II as a laborer. He then volunteered for the U.S. Army during the Korean War and lost his life for his country in battle in 1953. Martin Cabrera, a successful Chicago businessman, told of his grandfather who was sent back to Mexico as a young teen, only to return to work in the GM plant in Detroit, then the GE plant in Chicago during World War II. His grandfather rarely discussed the expulsion, focused instead on the opportunity given him in America. Cabrera became the first donor for the statue, giving $50,000. All credit to my stepdaughter Tamara for finding this unknown shame in U.S. history and Senator Josh Becker of California for his steadfast advocacy of the legislation.
Later that night my wife Claudia was honored as one of Time magazine’s twenty Latino Leaders in the U.S. for 2024. She gave an emotional address, saying that she had always been a happy Mexican until she came to the U.S., where she discovered the term Hispanic. She and the other honorees described the struggle for acceptance and recognition, the stereotyping, and the determination to succeed. Over 300 companies have signed the Hispanic Promise, to hire and promote Latinos, a tribute to her initiative and drive.
The next day I visited the Nova Exhibition, which commemorates the horrific events of October 7 in Israel. Organized by our client Scooter Braun, it is a searing one-hour descent into the hell of mass murder of innocent young people who were enjoying a rave in the middle of the desert. Survival was arbitrary, with a right or left turn determining escape or doom. There are pieces of clothing and shoes collected from the site. Photographic evidence of mutilated young women turned my stomach. A young rabbinical student was outside, and we said Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.
London—I spent Saturday with Lord Michael Heseltine, owner of Haymarket, the publishing house that runs PRWeek. I have known him for 30 years. In fact, he credits me with the decision to open PRWeek in the U.S. He said that I told him he needed to come to the U.S., a much bigger market that was ready for the Haymarket level of journalism. Of course, he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I asked you to buy $15,000 of advertising and you said yes.” Heseltine has served as deputy prime minister of the UK under John Major and was also in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He is credited with the privatization of council houses, the public housing stock of the U.S. He was very critical of his Tory party’s decision to pursue Brexit, which was an “own goal” that reduces the country’s competitiveness. He said that the small shopkeepers were tired of rules from Brussels, but that the benefits of being the region’s money center and integrated into the manufacturing supply chain more than offset the disadvantages. He predicted that the UK would find a way back to the EU, even as a Common Market. He was deeply concerned about America pulling back from its NATO responsibilities under a second Trump Administration. He was much more positive about Hong Kong, which he found busy and prosperous, with Chinese capital replacing European and American investment. His restoration of Thenford House, a 400-acre property built in the late 1700s, is simply stunning. He and his wife Ann are evidence of the benefit of an outdoor life, both fit and focused in their early 90s.
As I reflect upon the events, conversations and interactions of the past week, I'm reminded of John Donne’s poem No Man Is an Island, which captures the essence of humanity and the idea that we are all connected and depend on each other. It’s a notion that could use some reinforcing in today’s world.
No Man Is an Island
No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main...
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
Richard Edelman is CEO.
