By Beth McGuire
When the first group of Wells Fargo employees was invited to a presentation co-sponsored by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) and Century 21, attendees expected nothing out of the ordinary—a talk on Latino demographics, perhaps, or tips on helping Hispanic families qualify for a mortgage.
What they didn’t expect was a poignant, inspiring experience.
“The Hispanic market opportunity is a huge priority for Wells Fargo, and Jerry’s live performance of ‘53 Million and One’ illustrates the Hispanic experience in America better than anything we’ve ever seen,” says Brad Blackwell, executive vice president, Wells Fargo Mortgage. “The feedback from our employees has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s an experience we are happy to replicate.”
Scripted by NAHREP co-founder Gary Acosta, and performed by veteran California REALTOR®, past NAHREP president and one-time Mariachi singer Jerry Ascencio, ‘53 Million and One’ tells the powerful story of one immigrant family—Ascencio’s—who came to America poor and undocumented in the late 1960s, and struggled to find social and financial well-being and a piece of the American Dream.
Much like Billy Crystal’s “700 Sundays” or Mike Tyson’s “Undisputed Truth,” the one-man performance blends pathos, humor and flashes of brilliance to tell a familiar story.
“It’s a rags-to-riches story that speaks to every American who has roots outside of this country,” says Ascencio, who was a year old when his parents brought him across the border from Mexico into Southern California. “It’s an immigrant story, an entrepreneurial story, a story that belongs to every family who came to this country from China, from Mexico, from Europe, from Vietnam, from any place else in the world—and let’s be real, how many Americans don’t have foreign roots?”
The production describes how, from a small, rented house in California’s San Fernando Valley, Ascencio’s father, Javier, plied his trade as a gas station attendant while studying to prepare for more lucrative work as an automotive repairman. His mother, Maria, did part-time factory work to help provide for the family. In rare off-hours, Javier, a musician and singer who played a variety of instruments, began to supplement income by playing local gigs as a Mariachi singer/musician. He instilled his love of music in Jerry, who often tagged along.
Despite their willingness to work hard, the family could not afford to buy a home.
When he was 15, and an unfocused student, Jerry was sent to extended family in Mexico in the hope that he might apply himself and study for a good-paying job. But American opportunity was top of mind for Jerry, who returned to California two years later at the age of 17, happy to work three jobs at once to contribute to the family pot.
“I worked days in a fiberglass factory,” recalls Ascencio. “I also worked the graveyard shift at a local gas station—and in between, whenever we got a gig, I worked with my father singing in a Mariachi band.”
Then his mother watched a talk show on Telemundo where one of the guests was a successful real estate entrepreneur. “You can do this,” she told
From:: Real Estate News
