December marks the 8th anniversary of Jenni Rivera’s death, a top-selling regional Mexican singer and Long Beach City College alumna.
She would sell out shows at the Staples Centers, and was one of the few females that dominated a genre typically made up of male singers. Rivera always attributed her success to a loyal fan base that followed her everywhere she went.
Rivera’s legacy left a generation of Latinas to build confidence through her music. Some of her songs discussed themes of overcoming domestic violence, body positivity, and poverty.
She contributed most of her life to giving back to Long Beach by donating money to different charities like the Children Millers Foundation and the New Life Beginnings shelter.
Rivera was an open book to the public that followed her around and was never shy to discuss the struggles that she experienced.
From a high school teen mom that finished her education with an A.A. in real estate from Long Beach City College to a musical sensation, all her achievements never matched the humble persona she was.
Viking News interviewed Rivera’s family in December 2017 to ask about the “Diva of Banda,” and they said nothing but good things about the city. One of the emerging questions from the last time we spoke to the Rivera family was an excitement for a Jenni Rivera Center that would serve as a museum, music center, and shelter for abused women.
The city of Long Beach was going to lease a building to the family at a low cost.
“We weren’t able to conclude the transaction. We never actually leased it because of the parking,” said Rosie Rivera, Jenni’s youngest sibling and chief executive of Jenni Enterprise in a phone interview on December 2.
“Jenni, you know, has always served her community, and she was so proud to be from Long Beach. So, we want to keep it in Long Beach, but due to parking that’s the only thing that’s stopping us, is the location,” she said.
Jenni Enterprise is the intellectual property and publicity rights of Jenni, in which the family gets involved through different projects, such as Jenni Rivera Fashion and benefit concerts. Last year’s benefit concert funds help undocumented farmworkers in Fresno and Gilroy suffering from the pandemic.
“We gave them free courses, self-improvement business courses, and then a lot of products, you know, cooking. We gave them free COVID testing. That’s what we did this year in honor of her,” said Rosie.
Jenni Enterprise is also working on a children’s book geared to young girls to learn about Jenni’s story in a way the kids could understand and feel inspired to tackle their hardships.
The concept of a doll for Jenni Enterprise allows young girls to empower themselves by learning about the story of a young girl that was able to do anything. Rosie’s idea for the doll stemmed from the empowerment that Jenni’s life story gave her girls growing up.
“So, the child will forever know from the age of four that she can do anything, that she is strong and she’s beautiful and she’s bold and whatever she puts her mind to, she’ll be able to do it. So that I’m super excited about the book and doll that will come out next year,” Rosie said.
Rosie is a mother of three, and her sister changed the lives of everyone within the Rivera household. Rosie’s youngest daughter did not know Jenni as a singer, but a beloved sister and daughter.
“I just tell her, the qualities because my daughter’s middle name is Chay. So Chay was my sister’s nickname. So, I want to teach her the qualities of Chay – hardworking, loving, passionate, compassionate giving so many things that Chay is to me so that my daughter can have those qualities. That’s why I named her that. Yes, she was famous, but she wouldn’t act famous,” Rosie said.
The Rivera family has always been an open door to the media and public to the point that Jenni’s fans leave homemade fan art, roses, and balloons at her mothers’ home in Long Beach.
A fan of Jenni’s named Maria Ramirez recalled her encounter with the “Diva” at a restaurant in East L.A. where the Jenni Rivera Fashion store is located.
“I was eating with my dad, and suddenly a bunch of people started crowding up a table and shouting out loud. We had no clue what was happening until we walked over, and saw Jenni,” said Ramirez.
“The restaurant owner said no more pictures, but Jenni said it was fine until her food arrived, everyone should stop asking because she was hungry. Oddly, enough she had no security guards around her. But she was a platinum artist already,” she said.
Pedro Rivera, father of Jenni, instilled humble values in his kids into anything they decided to do from the oldest to the youngest in any profession.
Rosie said that her father did not care what career they would take in their lives, as long as they treated people with respect.
“So, we’ll never forget that when we were at the swap meet, how we were treated for good and for worse. Some people loved us, now and then.”
“Then some people would discriminate against us because we were ‘dirty.’ After all, we were poor because we were immigrants, Mexicans. And so, when you don’t forget those things, it’s not that it hurts still, but we said, we won’t do that. I won’t do that to someone else” Rosie said.
The Rivera family is well-said to value everyone with respect despite their success in the Latino community, which made Jenni into a loveable persona on the “I Love Jenni” reality TV show and onstage at the Billboard Awards.
Rosie also attended Long Beach City College for her general education, and then transferred to University of California Irvine, but Jenni inspired her to finish school.
During Rosie’s last year at UC Irvine, she was going through heartbreak and family issues which led her to experience depression. She attributed the success of earning a degree to her family that always pushed her to do better for herself.
According to Rosie, Jenni was notorious for giving personalized gifts to her family, and knew that year was difficult for Rosie because she felt that being a single mom was going to be hard to manage.
“So, by the time Christmas came up, it was still difficult. You know, I was still hurting. But she gave me this gift, and it’s a plaque. She got a golden plaque with a picture of me as if I had won a huge award. She put on it, forever respected and admired for her strength.”
Jenni reminded her that she was with Rosie every step of the way, and Jenni’s gift made her reevaluate the issues that she was facing at the time.
“She was the woman I most admired in life, and she was saying this to me. That moment is when I remember I began to think about loving myself like, wait a minute. I’m strong. I’m admirable. I should respect myself because she did. She admired me and she respected me,” said Rosie.
Obstacles are part of life, and stories of struggle inspire others to do better in their lives, that is what Jenni Rivera was to the public that adores an inspirational “Dama Divine.”
Jenni inspired generations of Latinas to come, just like Selena Quintanilla did, with efforts to stay true to their upbringings.
Rosie explained that her family never let the money or stardom affect their simple values of being humble and having a discipline to finish the projects that they started.
When asked about the dropout rates of students during the pandemic, Rosie said, “Whether it’s school, finishing school or anywhere you go, it’s building your character. It is a test of your character more than it is about math, history, art, or English literature. It is a test of your character, so community college is a good place to build your character.”
The Rivera sisters are yet to be inducted into the hall of fame at Long Beach City College and may be placed within the next year, according to the Alumni Association.