BELatina’s Weekend Recap: Artemis 1, Bad Bunny’s VMAs Performance, Selena Quintanilla y más

BELatina’s Weekend Recap: Artemis 1, Bad Bunny's VMAs Performance, Selena Quintanilla y más latine

Hi, everyone!

It’s Monday again and we are ready to tackle this week. After all, the Latino community has kept news outlets extremely busy over the weekend. 

From Biden’s Student Relief Plan to Bad Bunny’s performance at the VMAs, here’s a breakdown of the latest and greatest from our comunidad. 

Let’s get to it!

NASA’s attempt at its latest moon mission was suspended 

NASA attempted to carry out a moon mission using Artemis 1. Everyone fascinated by space and science was excited to see this come to fruition. This morning, however, NASA announced that it was suspending the launch due to an engine leak. Everyone waiting at Cape Cape Canaveral for the spectacular view of a rocket taking off was left feeling disappointed. Nonetheless, these types of decisions are important for the safety of anyone involved in the mission. Though the mission will not be human-led, it will send three mannequins with sensors; Latinos make up part of the project. Diana Trujillo, among others, is pivotal to Artemis 1’s success. NASA may attempt the launch again as early as September 2, 2022.

Bad Bunny takes over the Big Apple

Bad Bunny is currently living his best life and taking fans along with him, palm trees and all. Not only did he hit a home run with his VMA performance broadcast live from Yankee Stadium over the weekend, but he also won the VMA’s Artist of the Year Award. He became the first non-English-language performer to do so. Did we expect otherwise? 

“From my heart, I don’t have words to describe what I feel and the pride of receiving this at the Yankee Stadium,” he said during his acceptance speech, delivered all in Spanish. “I always knew that I could become a huge artist without changing my culture, my slang, and my language. I am Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, from Puerto Rico to the world.”

Bad Bunny sang his hit track ‘Titi me Pregunto’ and sparked some controversy over his latest kissing sprees, including his male and female dancers on stage. Some say he’s queerbaiting while others celebrate his ability to combat machista ideals. It can also be a nod to Madonna’s Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera’s VMA moment in 2003. 

 

The Latino Community Fund of Georgia “Estamos Aquí” Campaign 

The Latino Community Fund of Georgia posted a campaign in hopes of opening the door for Latinos to share their journey and their vibrant culture. Most recently, the campaign’s message was amplified with a music video named, “Estamos Aquí” (“We Are Here.”) It was directed by Samantha Ramirez-Herrera, the founder of OffThaRecord, an Atlanta-based agency. The video stars a Mexican-American rapper based in Georgia named Victor Mariachi and features working Latinos wearing Lucha Libre masks to emphasize the culture’s independence and honor.

LCF Georgia is hosting a festival on September 8th at Historic Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta. 

Six of the 43 Mexican students, who disappeared in 2014, were kept alive

BELatina’s Weekend Recap: Artemis 1, Bad Bunny's VMAs Performance, Selena Quintanilla y más latine
Credit: Wiki Commons/ By PetrohsW – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

A new report sheds some light on the tragic situation in 2014 where 43 students from Ayotzinapa, Mexico were abducted and went missing. 

The Mexican Truth Commission found evidence that six of the 43 students were kept alive in a concrete base underground until eventually being executed by the order of then Col. José Rodríguez Pérez.

Interior Undersecretary, Alejandro Encinas, made comments on the allegations.

“Allegedly the six students were alive for as many as four days after the events and were killed and disappeared on orders of the colonel, allegedly the then Col. José Rodríguez Pérez.”

There is currently a lot of tension between the government and the parents of the students – and rightfully so. According to Aljazeera, the Truth Commission confirmed that it was a “state crime.” Many questions, including what happened to all of the students, remain unanswered. 

Biden’s “Student Loan Debt Relief” will greatly impact Latino students

BELatina’s Weekend Recap: Artemis 1, Bad Bunny's VMAs Performance, Selena Quintanilla y más latine

No bigger news came out of the White House this week than the announcement of President Joe Biden‘s student loan debt relief plan. It is estimated that the plan will impact over 40 million borrowers nationwide. It will provide individuals making less than $125,000 per year cancellation of up to $10,000 in federal loans. For lower-income students who received Pell Grants, the loan relief can be up to $20,000. 

Research by Excelencia Education states that nearly 50 percent of Latino students attending full-term college receive Pell Grants to help pay for their schooling. It is definitely a win for a lot of Latino students who are concerned about accruing thousands of dollars in debt. School debt doesn’t just impact students. It can perpetuate a cycle of financial challenges that can disrupt the possibility of future investments, like home ownership.

Selena Quintanilla is back on the charts! 

Selena Quintanilla’s “Como Te Quiero Yo a Ti’ Album Re-Release belatina news
Credit: kindpng.com/ Katrina Brown

After much anticipation, Selena Quintanilla’s “Moonchild Mixes” was released on August 26th. The album features remixes of beloved songs such as, “Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti”.

The entire album is produced by the Quintanilla family, and consists of 13 songs; it totals 43 minutes and 32 seconds of pure musical genius.

The last official Selena Quintanilla album was released in 2012, making it 10 years since fans have been able to listen to new music from the Mexican-American legend. 

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