The re-release of the film 'Selena' and a new album featuring her unreleased songs demonstrates how the iconic Tejano artist still resonates today, experts say
Mexican/American Album at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York, March 1, 1994. The singer’s legacy and cultural influence continues to resonate within the Latino community, so much that in 2020 Sonya M. Alemán, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio launched the course “Selena: A Mexican American Identity and Experience.” The goal is to connect fans and help them understand how the star continues to inspire new generations.
“What really struck me was that she had crossed over into Mexico, a place that has historically really rejected Mexican-American artists and especially artists who don’t speak Spanish well,” says Garcia. “To see her find success and to be beloved and accepted… it wasn’t just that she succeeded in Mexico, it’s that she was accepted as one of their own.”