1 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 1: From Futuro Media. It's Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa and 2 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: today Anything for Selena, dear listener, Today we have something 3 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: super super special for you. It's an episode from our 4 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: newest podcast, Anything for Selena, and this is a collaboration 5 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: between Futuro Studios and wbu R in Boston. The podcast 6 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: is a deep dive into Selena Quintania's lasting impact on 7 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:43,480 Speaker 1: Latino identity and American belonging, hosted by journalist Maria Garcia. 8 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: And I'm gonna hand things over to Maria right now. 9 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 2: If I was somehow asked to say only one thing 10 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: about the place I'm from, it would be that it 11 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 2: has this un forgettable smell. When it rains. It's slightly floral, 12 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 2: but mostly it's this very specific, cool, earthy desert aroma. 13 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 2: And there's usually a calm, clear breeze which carries these 14 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 2: concentrated little pockets of fragrance. 15 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 3: Oh my god, there it is. 16 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 2: The smell comes from the creosote bush, a resilient plant 17 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 2: that thrives only in this particularly arid landscape. Especially after 18 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 2: a thunderstorm, the creosoap bush releases a bunch of these 19 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 2: oil compounds into the air, stuff found in citrus rosemary pines, 20 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 2: and it just smells like the earth. Exhales Creosot can 21 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 2: live for thousands or tens of thousands of years. It's 22 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 2: one of the oldest living things on the planet. And 23 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 2: here this ancient brush grows at the foot of the 24 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 2: Franklin Mountains and the valley they nessl below. Cutting through 25 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 2: the desert valley is the Rio Grande, dividing two cities 26 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 2: and two countries, al Paso, Texas to the north and 27 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 2: Sudethwattas in Mexico to the south. This story, my story, 28 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 2: long before I became a journalist and moved to the 29 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 2: East coast, begins here. 30 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 3: Well, I remember seeing Opasso from the hill where Mamonina lived. 31 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 2: This is my brother Jesse. Well, actually his name is Jesusilias, 32 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 2: but it goes by Jesse. He was five when I 33 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 2: was born in Suethwattas, just a few miles from the border. 34 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 2: One of his very first memories is looking across the 35 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:56,959 Speaker 2: border to the US. 36 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 3: We could see Utube, we could see the building's a highway. 37 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 3: We could see the other side. 38 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 2: My parents could see the other side too. In Mexico, 39 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 2: we lived in a Vessigna. These tenements studio apartments, all 40 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 2: connected through the same courtyard. Something like ten families shared 41 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 2: one bathroom outside. My dad, like a lot of folks, 42 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 2: already crossed the border practically every day to odd jobs 43 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 2: in El Paso, like at an egg factory. He and 44 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 2: my mom had to quit school by the age of 45 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 2: thirteen to help their families. The other side of the 46 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 2: border looked safer, quieter, the kind of place that could 47 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 2: afford my brother and I the life our parents couldn't have. 48 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 2: When I was three, my parents took all the money 49 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: they saved and moved us across the border to a small, 50 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 2: refurbished trailer in the most rural, undeveloped outskirts of El 51 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 2: Paso County. The land was dry and flat, untouched. 52 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 3: And I remember getting off the car seeing those huge 53 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 3: tumbleweeds and under there usually there's snake pits. You know, 54 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 3: there's snakes, And when we first moved out here, there 55 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 3: was always you know, there was always snakes coming out. 56 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 2: One of my earliest memories ever is the smell of 57 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 2: creosot bush here. 58 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 3: We were ecstatic as a family, you know, we loved 59 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 3: the trailer nocentemosnaos. 60 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 2: Basically, we still went to Wattis every weekend. There was 61 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 2: always a cousin's birthday party, or a baby shower or 62 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 2: an anniversary. In Mexico, we made home videos at these 63 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 2: big family parties, a bunch of kids speaking Spanglish and 64 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 2: staying up way late. I remember what is always being loud, 65 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 2: like fun loud. We danced into the early morning hours 66 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 2: at either of my grandmother's houses. A root of cousins 67 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 2: eating street tacos, glistening in the dark amber of the 68 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 2: Mexican street lamps. This was my early life, Mexico on 69 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 2: the weekend, the States during the week. Soon I started school. 70 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 2: On the first day of first grade, my teacher called 71 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 2: me Mary. My actual name is Maria Elena, a name 72 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 2: passed down for my grandmother. My mom says no one 73 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 2: ever asked her if changing my name from Maria Elena 74 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,839 Speaker 2: to Mary it was okay. She just kind of found 75 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 2: out in an open house Bussie with we a lopink 76 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 2: house when my teacher started talking about Mary may La 77 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,840 Speaker 2: Maestro this Lama made Mary and she was like, who's 78 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 2: that were? Mary? Mary? Oh, it didn't really even occur 79 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 2: to my mom. To object. We were new, she didn't 80 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 2: speak English, we were undocumented, so she was like, Okay, 81 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 2: I guess they'll call her Mary. My name, something I 82 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 2: didn't really think about much before, soon became a source 83 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 2: of ridicule. Whenever a substitute teacher said my real name Maria, 84 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 2: kids laughed. Some of them would even say ew a 85 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 2: Mexican name. I remember what it felt like as shame 86 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 2: took form inside of me. In the third grade, a 87 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 2: classmate found some paperwork in the school office that said 88 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 2: I was born in Watts. He confronted me like I 89 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 2: was hoarding a shameful secret. He told me he'd found 90 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 2: me out who I really was, that I was from Watts. 91 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 2: I panicked. I said, there must have been a mistake. 92 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 2: The kid who confronted me he was white, the son 93 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 2: of a wealthy farmer who employed seasonal Mexican workers. Kids 94 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 2: like him were at the top of the elementary school hierarchy, 95 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 2: favored by teachers, popular often cruel, at the bottom, where 96 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 2: the kids of the Mexican farm workers employed by this 97 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 2: boy's dad. My school was predominantly Latino, but there was 98 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 2: a pecking order that rewarded kids who were the most 99 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 2: assimilated these moments of shame, of lying. They feel like 100 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 2: some of the oldest wounds in me. But I thought 101 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 2: I needed to be Mary. Mary wasn't born in Mexico. 102 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 2: She didn't listen to Spanish music. She listened to TLC 103 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 2: and Brandy and Boys to Men. She spoke English perfectly. 104 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 2: She was American. And here's the thing. I became Mary, 105 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 2: or at least partially did. I became more articulate in 106 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 2: English because of school. I started fumbling my Spanish. Kids 107 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 2: in Mexico called me a bocha, a Mexican American who 108 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 2: debased the Spanish language with their crass, working class Spanglish. 109 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 2: So I was increasingly feeling out of place in Mexico 110 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 2: two in subtle but painful ways, and I felt a rejection, 111 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 2: a stigma in both countries. I was always toggling between 112 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 2: these two places, Mary and Maria Spanish at home English 113 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 2: in the world. These two realities never came together. That 114 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 2: was just life. I grew up believing that dividing yourself 115 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 2: into was completely normal, that I had to switch depending 116 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 2: on what side of the border I was in to 117 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 2: seven eight year old me, My entire life up until 118 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 2: that point had been defined by the border, and this 119 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 2: line of separation between Mexico and the US, between Mary 120 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 2: and Maria. It wasn't just on a map. It felt 121 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 2: like the border divided me from the inside to And 122 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 2: then something changed my life. I saw a completely new 123 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 2: way of being. I discovered Selena Republica Mexicana, Theresa Corcos 124 00:09:46,160 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 2: Christie Slena. I know I had heard her music before 125 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 2: and been vaguely aware of her, but I specifically remember 126 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 2: the first time I really saw Selena on TV. I 127 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 2: must have been about seven. She had this cascade of 128 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 2: black hair, red lips, brown skin. She sang like she 129 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 2: felt every single word of her songs, like the music 130 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 2: emanating from her body. People just loved her. I loved her. 131 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 2: She usually wore these skin tight pants or a mini 132 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 2: skirt with an embellish bra or boostier, sometimes peeking out 133 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 2: from a leather jacket or sea through blouse. There were 134 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,840 Speaker 2: a lot of rhinestones and hoop ear rings. 135 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 3: Thretfley Selena, you got it, take it away, Yes. 136 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 2: And her dance moves. She do these elaborate twirls and 137 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 2: sway her hips so rhythmically. She shimmied her shoulders like 138 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:50,559 Speaker 2: my cousins in Mexico. Other times she'd like bust out 139 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 2: the Roger Rabbit or even the Moonwalk. 140 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 4: Know that just at that. 141 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 2: She sang bouncy Mexican cumbias like the ones I Danced 142 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 2: and what Is on the Weekends, but hers had a 143 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 2: modern synthesizer sound to them. But then she would switch 144 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 2: it up and sing these traditional Mexican mariachi songs that 145 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 2: my parents loved and mac and then bam, she'd sing 146 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 2: a song in English that sounded like something I would 147 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 2: hear on my top forty station with R and B influences. 148 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 5: Eurois on them. 149 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 2: She was this force on stage and off stage. She 150 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 2: was always joking and being silly. She never seemed to 151 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 2: take herself too seriously. I remember someone asking her what 152 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 2: she'd do if she wasn't a famous singer, and she 153 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 2: was like, I don't know, work at a fast food joint. 154 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,520 Speaker 2: Chippians stookas and Senorita. 155 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,840 Speaker 6: No Sam rahnd water Berg. 156 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 2: To seven year old me in nineteen ninety three, it 157 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 2: felt nothing short of revolutionary to see a Mexican American 158 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 2: woman with working class roots take pride in who she 159 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 2: was and have the world love her for it. When 160 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 2: I discovered her, Selena was in her early twenties and 161 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,560 Speaker 2: already a total star. She'd been singing since she was nine, 162 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:58,120 Speaker 2: touring Texas cities. I remember seeing her on TV winning 163 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 2: at the Tihano Music Awards. Who that is so call? 164 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 4: I like to thank every one of you who had 165 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 4: supported Selena Zina's for many, many years. It has been such 166 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:11,559 Speaker 4: a long time since we've been in the music business. 167 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 2: I would see her in commercials on Texas TV stations. 168 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 4: Can't be Wanted Again from Coca Cola Classic, It's that 169 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 4: be that coming you away. 170 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 2: I remember people constantly talking about how she would be 171 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 2: a mainstream crossover star once she finished recording an English 172 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 2: album she was working on. But honestly, this wasn't the 173 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 2: most impressive thing to me. What completely blew my mind 174 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 2: was that she had crossed over into Mexico, the Mexico 175 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 2: where kids made fun of me for not speaking Spanish perfectly, 176 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 2: for not being the type of Mexican that people thought 177 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 2: I should be my home country, that sometimes felt like 178 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 2: it was slipping away from me. But here was Selena, 179 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 2: Queen of all porcas, and Mexico loved her. 180 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: Selena Borgo and Dolana. 181 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 2: When I would mess up my Spanish, I felt this 182 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 2: pang of humiliation and panic. But Selena was messing up 183 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,240 Speaker 2: Spanish all the time, and she did it with joy. 184 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 4: Well, likes saying that he. 185 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 2: That is said rock When she sang her Spanish sounded 186 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 2: just fine, but she didn't learn to speak it until 187 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 2: she was an older teenager. Here was Selena saying stuff wrong, 188 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 2: translating out loud, struggling for words in Spanish and sometimes English. 189 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 7: Just like me. 190 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 6: It's just like a cute name, like hi, Peffy, what 191 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 6: do you do? 192 00:15:55,080 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 4: Pupfi? You know, like a garino, like a Gomez, garm likeation. 193 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 2: Like when you know you. Selena switched between Spanish and English, 194 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 2: Mexican and American in the public eye, and there were 195 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 2: no cruel jokes, no shame in her accent, just adoration. 196 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 2: She'd declare herself a proud Mexican. To me, it was 197 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 2: as if she told Mexico, I don't sound like you, 198 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 2: but this heritage is mine to claim to. It's never 199 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 2: too late to get close to your roots, She'd say. 200 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 2: Her identity as a Mexican American wasn't some novel detail 201 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 2: people would find out about her no. It was central 202 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 2: to her presentation as an artist and as a person. 203 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:05,200 Speaker 2: She was ex blicitly Mexican American, and just the way 204 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,959 Speaker 2: she looked really made an impression on me. Growing up 205 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:13,320 Speaker 2: on Univision and Mexican programming, all I mostly saw on 206 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 2: television were these Mexicans with fair skin and often with 207 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 2: blonde hair and light colored eyes. I remember watching Selena 208 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 2: on Mexican shows and thinking, she's looks more Mexican than 209 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 2: the host, and most people in Mexico probably thought the 210 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 2: same thing, too. Oo, dummy, shout out to you if 211 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,440 Speaker 2: you recognize this, that lenovela opened from your childhood. Selena 212 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 2: made cameos as herself on this hugely popular Mexican show. 213 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 2: Her halting Spanish, contrasting the heavily enunciated sound of mostly 214 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 2: white Mexicans around found her. 215 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 7: Was thatsnos o sibandi. 216 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 2: She was just magnetic different, and by nineteen ninety four, 217 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 2: when I was nine, it seemed like she was on 218 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:25,040 Speaker 2: top of the world. 219 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 3: The Grammy goes to. 220 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 4: Live Selena. 221 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 7: Okay. 222 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,439 Speaker 2: Selena won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Album 223 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,879 Speaker 2: for a live record of her music. That night, she 224 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 2: wore this beautiful white gown with her black hair and 225 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 2: an elaborate updu i'ld. 226 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 4: Like to thank my band Bozinos, my father Abraham, my 227 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 4: brother who's the producer of my music, and also my sister. 228 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 4: Thank you for all the support. And I also like 229 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 4: to thank all the my Latin family. Thank you for 230 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 4: having faith and me. 231 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 3: I love you. 232 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:55,679 Speaker 4: Thank you. 233 00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 2: She was an international star, filling major state ages in 234 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 2: Mexico and other parts of Latin America. After a performance 235 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,439 Speaker 2: in New York City, the New York Times Culture the 236 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 2: undisputed queen of the fastest growing genre in the country. 237 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 8: Well, it's like a. 238 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:14,080 Speaker 2: Dream con true. 239 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:15,879 Speaker 4: I mean, there's been a lot of hard work that 240 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 4: we put into it, but you know what, when you 241 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 4: get hard work, you get success. 242 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 9: And I couldn't believe someone like me was making it 243 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,640 Speaker 9: one of ours, those of us in the middle who 244 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 9: felt like we weren't enough enough. 245 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 2: To be fully Mexican or fully American. But Selina was 246 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 2: enough in both places, and that meant that maybe I 247 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:55,439 Speaker 2: could be enough. Coming up, we go to March thirty first, 248 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:58,920 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety five, star faded away. 249 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,920 Speaker 4: Today Tae Hano, the Queen Selena has been gunned down 250 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:03,399 Speaker 4: in Corpus Christie. 251 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 2: The day that changed my life and the country forever. 252 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 1: Hey, we're back. We've been listening to anything for Selena. 253 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:04,400 Speaker 1: It's a collaboration between wbu R and Futuro Studios, hosted 254 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: by journalist Maria Garcia, and Maria is going to pick 255 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 1: up the story now. 256 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 2: I don't remember if I went to school on March 257 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 2: thirty first, nineteen ninety five. The day feels like a 258 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:21,359 Speaker 2: patchwork of images etched in my memory. It's hard to 259 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 2: remember the order of things. I just see these vignettes, 260 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,959 Speaker 2: these split second moments, and I remember this pit in 261 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 2: my stomach again. 262 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 8: Recapping our top story to Hanna Recording star and South 263 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 8: Texans Selena Quitania was shot and killed in Corpus Christy today. 264 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 5: The person who bar I was. 265 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 2: At home in the trailer, seeing my mom glue to 266 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 2: the TV. He's been twenty four in just two weeks, 267 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 2: tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. I'd never seen her 268 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,879 Speaker 2: cry for someone who wasn't our family, and initially I 269 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 2: felt frozen. Star faded away Today Tejano music queen Selena 270 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 2: has been gunned down in Corpus. 271 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 6: CHRISTI we'll take. 272 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 2: Family members in Mexico and the States called us crying 273 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:08,000 Speaker 2: in shock, asking if we were watching the news on TV. 274 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 8: Corpus Christy police converged on this motel around eleven thirty 275 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 8: this morning and quickly surrounded a red pickup truck inside 276 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,879 Speaker 8: the woman suspected of shooting to death to Hano music 277 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:19,640 Speaker 8: star Selena Kiritania Perez. 278 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,680 Speaker 2: Details poured in Selena had been shot by the president 279 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 2: of her fan club. Her name was Yolanda Saldivar. I 280 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 2: remember seeing her face on the news and feeling my 281 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,919 Speaker 2: body fill up with a novel kind of rage. 282 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 8: The suspect in the shooting has been holding police at 283 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 8: bay for hours, sitting in. 284 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 4: A pickup truck in the parking lot and holding a 285 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 4: gun to her head. 286 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,199 Speaker 2: When my dad came home from work that Friday, we 287 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 2: watched the TV together. It got dark. I wept, my 288 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 2: mom held me. 289 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 1: The standoffs ended after ten hours of very intense negotiations. 290 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 4: The suspect, lands Salivar. 291 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 2: Came out of the truck. 292 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 5: The police officers. 293 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 2: Mused, I just broke out in tears and I couldn't 294 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 2: believe it, and I still can't believe it. 295 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 5: I'm still in chalk. 296 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:15,480 Speaker 2: Suddenly, girls like me and people like my family were 297 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:20,360 Speaker 2: everywhere on TV, crying for her, on the street, hearing 298 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:21,639 Speaker 2: ourselves on the news. 299 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,680 Speaker 6: Fans who did not know her felt as if they did, 300 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 6: and their pain reflected the loss of a good friend. 301 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 7: And you know, it just hurts. 302 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 5: She's a good person. 303 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 2: People said. The scale of the morning felt like the 304 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 2: Kennedy assassination, and to me it felt seismic. We didn't 305 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:52,280 Speaker 2: care if others understood our grief. We understood it. We 306 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:53,719 Speaker 2: knew Selena mattered. 307 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 1: Selena wanted to become a household name, and earlier this 308 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,760 Speaker 1: year in a most tragic incident, and got her wish. 309 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 3: Selena. 310 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 2: We played her music loud, We cried for her loud. 311 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:11,959 Speaker 2: We were finally fully ourselves out loud. I couldn't articulate 312 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 2: this at that time. I hadn't intellectualized it, but I 313 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 2: felt it. This shift inside of me, an urgency to 314 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 2: stop hiding, to stop succumbing to shame, to stop dividing 315 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 2: myself into Selena was proud of her heritage. She didn't 316 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:36,080 Speaker 2: hide who she was. How could I. Since Selena has 317 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 2: stayed with me, she's been this constant, almost mythic like 318 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,919 Speaker 2: source of inspiration and resilience in my own life. I 319 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 2: played her music after many hard days as a reporter 320 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 2: along the border in my twenties. I wore a T 321 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:53,399 Speaker 2: shirt with her face on it when I needed some 322 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:57,480 Speaker 2: confidence At the fancy East Coast graduate school I went to, 323 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 2: I watched her old concert. If I feel out of 324 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 2: place in Boston, where I'm based, out of now. My 325 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 2: love for Selena has informed even my current line of 326 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 2: work as an arts and culture editor and critic, because 327 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:16,360 Speaker 2: I first experienced the power of art and music and 328 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 2: symbolism through her. Selena is this way home, this path 329 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 2: to my roots, this cornerstone that I come back to 330 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 2: when I need to feel grounded, when I need to 331 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 2: remember who I am. A quarter century later, Selena's everywhere. 332 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:49,720 Speaker 2: Her iconography is ubiquitous. She's on candles and T shirts 333 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 2: and murals. Kim Kardashian dressed up as Selena for Halloween. 334 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:58,439 Speaker 2: Beyonce credit Selena as an early example of stardom that 335 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:02,639 Speaker 2: inspired her. There's a ton of social media accounts dedicated 336 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 2: to finding rare archive videos of her and making memes 337 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:11,040 Speaker 2: about her. Her clothing is at the Smithsonian. She's also 338 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 2: become a loaded symbol, sometimes used for political or social causes. 339 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 2: She means so many things to so many people. 340 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: Selenagilastinas was the soundtrack of our lives. 341 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:28,080 Speaker 6: Selena was the first form of representation for me is 342 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 6: a Chicana. 343 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 9: There was a lot of pride that people took in 344 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 9: Selena and in her music. 345 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 4: Whether you're p Riqua, or you're from Defa, or you're from. 346 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,919 Speaker 1: The United States, her music permeates everywhere. 347 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,840 Speaker 6: She was an icon that represented Pope. 348 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 7: Like you know, we can all do it because Selena did. 349 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 3: And we can pull something from her experience, from her 350 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:50,600 Speaker 3: life story, from her music. 351 00:26:56,920 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 2: This podcast it's not really about Selena's story. I mean, 352 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 2: yes it is, but really I'm trying to understand why 353 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 2: her impact feels as far reaching today as it did 354 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:13,439 Speaker 2: a quarter of a century ago. I want to know 355 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 2: what morning remembering celebrating Selena means. And after many, many 356 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 2: months of immersing myself and her, I've come to realize 357 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 2: Selena is like this vessel to understand so many things 358 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 2: about race, class, body politics, and finding our place in 359 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 2: this country. I wrote this podcast in El Paso because 360 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:58,200 Speaker 2: this border made me exist in an in between, an 361 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,159 Speaker 2: in between that drew me to Selena in the first place. 362 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 2: I spent months in quarantine thinking about Selena and me 363 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:13,200 Speaker 2: here often after the rain. I don't know where this 364 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 2: journey will take me, where I'll land, but I know 365 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:25,479 Speaker 2: where I start, and I start here. I start at 366 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:28,439 Speaker 2: the border. I start at the place that made me. 367 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 2: I start from looking at the world as a front risa. 368 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 2: I'm Maria Garcia and this is Anything for Selena, a 369 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 2: podcast about belonging from wbu R and Futudo Studios. I 370 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 2: have to be honest with you. I was scared at 371 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 2: the beginning of this journey. When I got the green 372 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,240 Speaker 2: light for this project, it was under one condition that 373 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 2: I secure something from Selena's family, not just an interview, 374 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 2: but something else that at that time seemed kind of 375 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 2: impossible to get. And I knew that to really understand Selena, 376 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 2: not as this big icon, but as a real person, 377 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 2: I had to go to her father. As a Selena 378 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 2: fan all my life, I had complicated feelings about her dad. 379 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 2: I'd seen him in the Selena movie portrayed as a controlling, shouting, 380 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 2: possessive father. 381 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 5: You listen to me, you all listen to me. If 382 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 5: you follow that man, I will just stand the group. 383 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 5: There will be no more Selena ILOs Dinos. Do you 384 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 5: understand me? Do you all understand me? It's over. 385 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 2: So if I wanted to make this podcast, I had 386 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 2: to go to Abraham Quintania, notoriously known for guarding Selena's 387 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 2: legacy with an iron fist, and ask him for something big. 388 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 2: Oh man, mister, I've been dreaming of this moment for 389 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:18,040 Speaker 2: a very long time. 390 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 4: We're happening here. 391 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 2: Here, that's next time on Anything for Selena. 392 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: Anything for Selena is a co production of w BR 393 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: and Futuro Studios. The production team includes Kristin Torris, Antonia Serrihidro, 394 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: and Juan Diego Ramirez. The executive editors are Marlon Bishop 395 00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 1: and Ben Rock Johnson. The Latino USA team includes Biel Macis, 396 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: Andrea Lopez, Cruzsado, Julieta Martinelli, Alisa Escarce, Gini Montalgo, Alejandra Salasar, Rinaldo, 397 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,560 Speaker 1: Leangnos Junior and Julia Rocha, with help from Marta Martinez 398 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: and praul Perees. Our engineers are Stephanie Lebau, Julia Caruso 399 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:19,800 Speaker 1: and Lia Shan, with help from Elisha ba Itto. Our 400 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: digital editor is Rese Luna. Our theme music was composed 401 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 1: by Zeene Robinos. If you like the music you heard 402 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,600 Speaker 1: on this episode, stop by Latino Usa dot org and 403 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: check out our weekly Spotify playlist. It's gonna be a 404 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,719 Speaker 1: great one. I'm your host and executive producer Marino Hossa. 405 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: Join us again on our next episode, and in the meantime, 406 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:40,920 Speaker 1: look for us on all of your social media. A 407 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: los veo asta approxima. 408 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 6: Joe Latino USA is made possible in part by Carnegie 409 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:56,120 Speaker 6: Corporation promoting the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding, 410 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:03,080 Speaker 6: the Heising Simons Foundation unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities more 411 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 6: at Hsfoundation dot org, and the Ford Foundation working with 412 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 6: visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. 413 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,160 Speaker 1: Standby. We have a kitchen a situation going out here. 414 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 1: Somebody just making a meal like normal people. But all right, 415 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 1: we're going to continue in three two one. I'm Mariao Hosan. 416 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:33,160 Speaker 1: Next time on Latino USA. In the days before President 417 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 1: Elect Joe Biden's inauguration, we hear from young Latino and 418 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,720 Speaker 1: Latina activists from across the country about the promises they 419 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: want Biden to keep that's next time on Latino USA