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Peso Pluma Surprises CUNY’s First Mexican-American Graduation as Latin Music Delivers More Uplifting Wins
Peso Pluma surprised CUNY’s first Mexican-American graduation ceremony, while Eduardo Galán debuted a Venice art show and Coca-Cola Music Hall went phone-free.
Peso Pluma’s surprise appearance at City University of New York’s first systemwide Mexican-American graduation ceremony was the kind of moment that lands hard because it is bigger than celebrity. Held on Saturday, May 2, at the Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx, the event brought together nearly 200 graduates from 14 CUNY institutions and, for a lot of families in the room, made the day feel unmistakably historic.
Organized by the CUNY Mexican Studies Institute with student input and led by Dr. Lizbeth de la Cruz Santana, assistant professor of Black and Latino Studies, the ceremony was built to honor Mexican-American students and the people who got them there. “This graduation marked a historic milestone as the first CUNY-wide commencement dedicated to honoring Mexican-American students and their families,” Dr. De La Cruz Santana tells Billboard Español. “Inviting Peso Pluma reflected a broader effort to celebrate the contributions of Mexican and Mexican-American communities across New York City and the United States.”
She also pointed to the longer struggle that gives a day like this its weight. “For decades, Mexican-American students faced segregation and unequal schooling in states like California, Texas, and Arizona. Landmark moments like Mendez v. Westminster and the East Los Angeles Walkouts demanded access, dignity, and representation.”
For the students and their families, Peso Pluma’s arrival clearly hit that nerve. Graduate Rachelle Campos-Suarez said, “I couldn’t believe it when I saw him walk out!” She added, “To witness such a historic moment for our community, our culture, and future generations was very emotional and unforgettable.”
Michelle Cruz, an alumna and student organizer, described the day as a recognition of everyone who helped along the way. “This celebration did not only honor the graduates but our parents and many others that helped and accompanied us along the way,” she said. “It is also serves as a statement for spaces like the higher education systems that says ‘We belong here too.’”
Venezuelan artist Eduardo Galán opens a show in Venice
Elsewhere, Venezuelan multidisciplinary artist Eduardo Galán reached a new milestone this week on the visual side of his career. Galán, who was featured as a musician in Billboard’s On the Radar Latin column in October 2022, opened his own exhibition in Venice, Italy, on May 6 at the Kokonton Gallery. Titled The Circle of Love, the show arrived alongside the preview of the 61st Venice Art Biennale.
Galán described the work as an attempt to sit with time, change, and permanence all at once. “This body of work explores the relationship between time, transformation, and that which endures. Through materials such as cement, Japanese paper, and 24k gold, I sought to create works that feel both fragile and eternal at the same time — deeply inspired by the textures, scars, and beauty of Venice,” he tells Billboard Español. “For me, this exhibition represents something deeply personal: the moment when music, painting, and life finally began to speak the same language.”
The exhibition remains on view through May 24.
Puerto Rico’s Coca-Cola Music Hall goes phone-free
In Puerto Rico, Coca-Cola Music Hall marked another first by becoming the island’s first venue to use a phone-free system, debuting it during comedian Marcello Hernández’s performance last month. The setup was used again on Friday, May 8, for actor and comedian Chris Tucker, and the idea is straightforward enough: lock away the screens so the room stays with the show.
“This type of experience is designed to allow the audience to fully enjoy the show, keeping their attention on the stage and ensuring that the content is exclusively for those who purchased tickets to the event,” Arleene Pérez, general manager of Coca-Cola Music Hall, said in a press release.
Fans are asked to place phones and smart devices into special locked pouches when they enter, with access only in designated areas. The system drew some initial concern, but Hernández’s show reportedly went smoothly. “The audience quickly adapted to the system, and we had no issues,” Pérez said. “On the first night, the turnaround time for attendees to receive their phones was 16 minutes, and on the second night it was 13 minutes.”
