Selena

March 31, 1995 - that was the day all young Latina girl heart’s were broken.  Our hero, our idol had been murdered, and for many girls like me, who were Mexican American and of elementary age were left with no one else to admire.  Selena was one of the top Tejano performers, in fact, she was named the “Best selling Latin artist of the decade” by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits.  It was such a tragedy that at the peak of her career and the brink of a new start in English music, she would be fatally shot, by the former president of her fan club. 

I’ll never forget that day.  I was attending Ben Milam Elementary School and my mom had picked me up from school.  She told me what happened and at that point, word had already spread that she had been killed.  At first, I didn’t believe it, but it was all over the radio station.  I didn’t say much, just looked out the window and began to shed a tear.  Selena was everything to me at the time.  My parents had raised my sister and I on Tejano music and I knew Selena’s music as far back as I can remember.  I even saw her live, I believe it was in Fair Park.  She was wearing a black bustier with rhinestones and a black cap to match and a blazer over.  My dad put me on his shoulders and maneuvered through the audience so I could get as close as possible.  I knew every single lyric (even though I didn’t speak much Spanish) and I knew every dance move.  To credit Selena, she taught me so much of everything.  I learned how to dance because of her, I probably ended up learning more Spanish because of her and I had dreams because of her.  Of course, at that age, and that time, every little girl’s dream was to be Selena.  I know I was one of them.  She was the only Mexican-American woman that we had to look up to.  She embraced her culture and she stayed humble and driven.  Selena laid a path for all of us to be someone in life. 

I had every cassette and later on I had every CD.  I even had my parents purchase a microphone stand for me at Trader’s Village because I was so determined I would be the next Selena (even with no sense of singing talent).  My cousins, sister and I would hold Selena contests and we would rate each other on who impersonated Selena the best.  When Selena passed, I begged my mom to purchase every magazine and newspaper that had Selena on it.  I created a binder with all my clippings, and reread every word a million times.  And you know, Selena she gave us all the same homecoming, Quinceanera and prom hairstyle. She set trends even before they were created with her outfits that she personally helped create and style, her hairstyles, her makeup and even her business adventures of a clothing line, perfume, salon and boutique. That kind of success was unheard of for a Mexican American, much less a woman.  Selena taught us that the impossible was possible.

Aside from Selena’s success, she visited local schools to talk to students about the importance of education.  She also donated her time to civic organizations such as D.A.R.E.  Her dedication to stay true to herself and help others is what won her loyal fans.  To this day, the generation of Selena still longs for the days when Selena was alive.  We all know she would have kicked butt in the English music industry.  We would have all supported her.   

This picture has been circulating over social media and it’s so true, “Selena did it first.”  I love that she has inspired not only the Latin culture, but every culture.  She was ahead of the gang, and while she only lived 23 short years, she really did it all and she did it first.