Latino USA

This graduation ceremony is not like the rest. Here, when students walk on stage to get their diplomas, announcers call the students' names, and also the names of their parents. We went to the 50th Annual Chicano/Latino Commencement Celebration at Fresno State, which is the largest, bilingual, bicultural affinity graduation celebration in the country. We go to the heart of California’s Central Valley to bring you the story of three graduates, and their families. We explore what it means to earn a degree and honor those who made it possible to get one. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 2000’s David Archuleta broke into stardome on American Idol, capturing the hearts of millions. But behind the scenes he was grappling with his sexuality and faith.  “I felt like if people found this out about me, they would know how dirty I was,” he told Maria Hinojosa when talking about what the Mormon Church made him feel, early on, when he began to realize he could be gay. In a new memoir, David reveals his journey to fame and how he has worked to embrace his authentic self. Listen to this intimate conversation about his journey and what his faith looks like today. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two years after her untimely death, Cecilia Gentili remains a legendary trans icon. As International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia approaches, we celebrate it by revisiting our conversation with Gentili.  In 2022 she spoke to Latino USA about her memoir, “Faltas,” written as a series of letters to people in her hometown in Argentina.  Cecilia goes back to her youth, growing up in the 1970s and 80s, a time when few people in her community understood her gender expression. She also recalls the people who healed her, like her grandmother, and others who hurt her. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.