Exciting news coming out of Texas for Selena Quintanilla Pérez fans! Representative Ana-Maria Ramos, a Dallas Democrat, filed a bill on Tuesday to give the Queen of Tejano music her own holiday. Sounds like a great idea to us. It would be a fitting way to celebrate Selena and Tejano music in the state she was born in.
More from MamásLatinas: How much do you know about Selena Quintanilla quiz
The bill proposes to make April 16 "Selena Quinatnilla Pérez Day in memory of the contributions to Tejano music of Selena Quintanilla Pérez, an award-winning singer and recording artist." If the bill passes, the idea is to have the day celebrated every year and observed "by appropriate ceremonies and activities."
Selena was born on April 16, 1971.
Born in Lake Jackson, Texas, she started recording music in the 1980s. Before she was crowned the Queen of Tejano music, people used to call her the "Mexican Madonna" because she would wear blinged-out bras on stage. But the truth is that Selena was no Mexican Madonna, she was incomparable.
She was murdered on March 31, 1995.
Yolanda Saldivar, who was the founder of Selena's fan club, shot and killed Selena in Corpus Christi, Texas. Selena was only 23 years old when she died.
Selena would have turned 48 years old this year.
At this point, Selena has been dead for longer than she was alive, but her fans keep her legacy alive. To this day, major celebs dress up like Selena for Halloween.
Her legend endures and shows no sign of waning.
Her album Dreaming of You was released after she died and is at the top of Billboard's list of the biggest selling Latin albums of the last 25 years. The song "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is one of the songs on the album.
April 16, would be the perfect day to celebrate her legacy!
Make it happen, Texas! Pass legislation to make April 16 Selena Quintanilla Pérez Day! We realize that it would just be official in Texas, but you never know what other states might follow your lead.
