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Commonwealth TimeS COMMONWEALTHTIMES.ORG
commonwealthtimes.org VOL. 71, NO. 6 SEPT. 24, 2025
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FEATURES
While some Richmonders celebrate Hispanic heritage,
others lament loss of freedoms YENNI JIMENEZ ACOSTA Contributing Writer HECIEL NIEVES BONILLA Assistant News Editor Nelie Ceron-Cruz, a fourth-year business student at VCU, found out in May her father had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, through a phone call by her sister. “That’s when she told me, she was like, ‘Oh, Dad got caught, like Dad got detained,’” Ceron-Cruz said. “I didn’t really start thinking about it until I started driving to work; ‘my dad, like my dad’s really gotten taken away from me.’” Her father works in construction. An ICE raid on his workplace resulted in two vans’ worth of people detained, including him.
A woman hangs a “papel picado,” or traditional Mexican banner at the VMFA’s Family Day sharing traditional Latin American art, music and dance on Sept. 13. Photograph by Sandra Sellars, © 2025 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH Continued on page 9 SPECTRUM
STAFF EDITORIAL
VCU Muevelo has been feeling the rhythm since 2009
Why we’re publishing articles in Spanish now
SAANVI VOOTLA Contributing Writer Dance, one of the most universal forms of expression, can transcend borders and unite people on a deeper, spiritual level. Muevelo at VCU, a vibrant Hispanic and Latin American dance collective, has been bringing that power to the Richmond community by offering transformative performances, dynamic showcases and interactive workshops that invite everyone to experience Latin American heritage’s rhythm and culture for over 15 years. Muevelo has been on the map since 2009, with the goal to teach Latin dances to not only the VCU student body, but the greater Richmond community. Muevelo held its first workshop of the fall semester on Sept. 26, focusing on the Latin American dance style of salsa. Individuals from all cultural backgrounds filled the studio, eager to be immersed in the art. “Our goal, since 2009, is to better enrich the community regardless of race or ethnicity or anything like that,” Muevelo president Emerson Hernandez said. “I think it’s a great way to engage students and community members outside of VCU to join these workshops.” Julien Buentello, the workshop coordinator, led his first event with an uplifting and welcoming attitude, allowing everyone to learn at their own pace and be fully immersed in Latin culture. “I think the workshops are great for people who haven’t done it before and people who just want to start something new,” Buentello said.
OPINIONS
THE COMMONWEALTH TIMES STAFF
Participants learn to salsa in pairs. Photos by Landon Walker.
The Commonwealth Times began publishing select news articles in Spanish in August — a change that was made to meet the needs of our audience at a time when the government won’t. The CT’s first Spanish-language article covered an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, protest at city hall. The event advocated for immigrants — many of whom are members of Richmond’s Spanish-speaking community. Our article was the only coverage written in the language they speak most comfortably.
SALSA WORKSHOP
NEWS IN SPANISH
Continued on page ##
Continued on page 11
VCU free speech ranking
Renaissance faire
ICE profiling
see NEWS page 2
see SPECTRUM page 7
see OPINIONS page 13