Thanks, Jenni Rivera

The Latino community in Los Angeles is mourning the sudden demise of singer Jenni Rivera. She was much more than a singer; she became an example and a model to follow for generations of immigrant and Mexican-American women who struggle daily to provide for their families.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants who was born in Long Beach faced the obstacles of being a teen mother and the pain of domestic and sexual abuse at the hands of her first partner. However, she managed to study business administration, her other passion next to music. That is how this single mother of five was able to get ahead.

Much will be written about her musical talent and how she patiently struggled for years to go from her first recording in 1993, with help from her family, to becoming “The Diva of Banda” as well as one of the most popular artists and a box-office hit in Los Angeles.

It is a tragedy that death struck her at the top of her career. Her image will remain frozen in time, just like her voice. Today the person makes room for the legend of the Los Angeles singer who reached the heart of the people.

Nevertheless, her great popularity is also due to her image as a woman with guts. Her temperament at times was cause for scandal and gossip in show business, both in her private life as well as on the stage.

That character is what she exuded during sold-out shows in the largest and most important theaters in Los Angeles. There, the artist connected with the adoration of an audience that sang her songs because they felt she was one of them, sharing their feelings, joy, disappointment and anger.

We think Jenni leaves a major legacy as a public figure. There will be those who hate banda music and others who are tired of the Rivera clan’s scandals. But none of this can cloud the value of the singer who, as a small-town woman, defended women against domestic violence every chance she got. Without a doubt, she set an example for perseverance in the face of adversity.

We thank Jenni Rivera for her humility, which she never lost in the face of fame and for her generosity, which led her to share her most intimate suffering to help other women in the same situation. That is why she is and always will be the “great lady.”