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Award-winning singer-songwriter Alexander Acha has been named Mr. Amigo 2023 by the Mr. Amigo Association, which broke the news during a noon ceremony at the Brownsville Fine Arts Museum on Friday.
The official announcement and poster unveiling was hosted by the Mr. Amigo Association, the Mexican Consulate and the city of Brownsville. Graciela Salazar, the association’s president, described Acha as a “passionate music enthusiast shown through his beautiful songwriting talent, production abilities and gifted singing.”
She said Acha will be in Brownsville for Mr. Amigo festivities the first weekend of August on dates coinciding with the United Nations International Week of Friendship.
Festivities scheduled are the sponsors-only Bienvenida (Welcome) on Aug. 3, Hands Across the Border at 10 a.m. on Aug. 4 at Gateway International Bridge, the President’s Awards Gala at 8 p.m. on Aug. 4, the Walk of Fame at 10 a.m. on Aug. 5 at Linear Park, and the Brownsville-Matamoros International 10K Run starting at 7 a.m. on Aug. 6.
The Mr. Amigo Association’s mission is to further international friendship and goodwill between the United States and Mexico. Each year the association’s selection committee bestows the Mr. Amigo title on a Mexican citizen, male or female, known for championing improvement in quality of life for the Hispanic community and serving as a role model for citizens of both countries.
The recipient must also have “contributed to the friendship and understanding of the United States and Mexico and … excelled in their profession, exemplifying the highest standards in their personal and professional life,” according to the organization.
Former Mexican president Miguel Aleman Valdes was the first Mr. Amigo, so designated in 1964.
Raul Alexander Acha Aleman-Johnson, a Latin Grammy award winner and the son of Mexican pop singer Emmanuel, is the 58th recipient of the honor.
He was born in Mexico City in 1985 and began singing and playing percussion at age 5. By the age of 15, he was playing guitar and receiving vocal training at Berklee College of Music. Acha continued his musical studies at Fermatta Music University Center in Mexico City.
He has produced movie soundtracks, including the big-screen production of “Tepeyac,” and worked with producer Jorge Aragon.
Acha also appeared as a panelist on “La Academia,” Mexico’s version of “The Voice,” and has performed alongside his famous father for Emmanuel’s “MTV Unplugged” album.
Acha is heavily involved in social initiatives, serving as spokesman for Sanofi, a French multinational healthcare company, and Red Familia, an organization that links groups that defend and promote the institution of family through various activities.
Mr. Amigo honorees include Cantinflas (1965), Raul Velasco (1973), Vicente Fernandez (1977), Juan Gabriel (1983), Lucia Mendez (1987), Juan Manuel “Mijares” Moran (1995), Aida Cuevas (2002), Lucero (2006), Arturo Elias Ayub (2018), Julio Cesar Chavez (2019) and Bianca Marroquin (2022).
The Mr. Amigo Association is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization.
