{"id":31549,"date":"2023-07-16T03:25:15","date_gmt":"2023-07-16T03:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=31549"},"modified":"2023-07-16T03:25:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-16T03:25:17","slug":"la-political-and-cultural-leaders-and-family-celebrate-gloria-molinas-life-daily-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=31549","title":{"rendered":"LA political and cultural leaders, and family celebrate Gloria Molina&#8217;s life &#8211; Daily News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>With the same spirit, passion and pride that guided Los Angeles political pioneer Gloria Molina, who died on May 14th, Angelenos gathered at the downtown LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts to remember her legacy on Saturday 15 of July  More than 100 of Molina&#8217;s friends, family, students and colleagues gathered for a &#8220;Celebration of Life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We all know that she was the first to achieve so many political feats,&#8221; said Molina&#8217;s daughter, Valentina Martinez.  &#8220;I knew her as my mother, and she raised me to be as combative as she was.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a way to bring many of us together,&#8221; US Rep. Maxine Waters told this newspaper.  &#8220;I want everyone to know that there was no place I would rather be today. I couldn&#8217;t be at an appointment or in DC I had to be here to honor her service. She was a staunch advocate and dear to my heart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the crowd, &#8220;She understood that happiness is not just personal, it&#8217;s a byproduct of improving your community.&#8221;  LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis spoke of his toughness, saying, &#8220;He wasn&#8217;t afraid of a fight. He fought for all of us, regardless of your socioeconomic background.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Molina died of cancer at age 74, after a groundbreaking decades-long career in politics and public service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(Gloria Molina) filled many roles.  She was a loving mother, an inspiring artist and a role model for so many of us,&#8221; said Leticia Buckley, CEO of LA Plaza. &#8220;She exemplified the meaning of by, for and with community.&#8221; Molina helped to create LA Plaza de Cultura i Arts, a Mexican-American museum and cultural center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Ron Martinez, husband of Gloria Molina, speaks during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star- News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) looks on during a celebration of...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB12.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB12.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB12.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB12.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB12.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB12.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) looks on during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. ( Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena) Star-News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis observes during a...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB09.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB09.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB09.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB09.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB09.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB09.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis looks on during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the Plaza de Cultura y Arts de Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15 of 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star- News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The former mayor of the city of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa.\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB02.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB02.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB02.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB02.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB02.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB02.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Valentina Mart\u00ednez, daughter of Gloria Molina, speaks during a celebration...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB11.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB11.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB11.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB11.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB11.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB11.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Valentina Martinez, daughter of Gloria Molina, speaks during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star- News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bertha Molina Mejia, sister of Gloria Molina talks to her...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB07.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB07.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB07.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB07.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB07.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB07.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Bertha Molina Mejia, sister of Gloria Molina, speaks with her brothers and sisters by her side during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Family and friends with colorful umbrellas watch during a...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB10.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB10.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB10.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB10.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB10.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB10.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Family and friends holding colorful umbrellas look on during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the Plaza de Cultura y Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star- News\/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Images of Gloria Molina in the park during a celebration...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB06.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB06.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB06.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB06.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB06.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB06.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Images of Gloria Molina in the park during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the Los Angeles Arts and Culture Plaza on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham , Pasadena Star-News \/SCNG)\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Friends and family look on During a celebration of life\u2026\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB05.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB05.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB05.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB05.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB05.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB05.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">Friends and family look on during a celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at LA Plaza de Culture and Arts in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News\/SCNG )\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A celebration of life honoring former LA County\u2026\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB03.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB03.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB03.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB03.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB03.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/LDN-L-MOLINA-GOODBYE-0716-KB03.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"slide-caption\">A celebration of life honoring former LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina at the Los Angeles Arts and Culture Plaza on Saturday, July 15, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News\/SCNG )\n<\/p>\n<p>Many lawmakers, including former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, say Molina&#8217;s hard work and inspiring &#8220;firsts&#8221; pushed them into politics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was the reason I started,\u201d Villaraigosa said.  &#8220;I was a student leader and community activist, and when it came to elected office, she got me started. She was the gold standard of integrity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Sol\u00eds, Molina was a partner in the struggle for the economic, educational and political progress of the neglected groups of Los Angeles.  Sol\u00eds fondly noted Molina&#8217;s organizing against a prison in East Los Angeles in the 1980s and his quest to increase Latino representation in politics.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He was always in government and at the service of other people,&#8221; Sol\u00eds said.  &#8220;She was a Latin organizer. She was our vocation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Molina achieved many political milestones.  She became the first Latina elected to the California State Assembly in 1982. She was the first Latina elected to the Los Angeles City Council when she won her election in 1987. In 1991, she was the first Latina elected to the Los Angeles County Board.  Supervisors, where he served until reaching the board&#8217;s term limit in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday evening&#8217;s &#8220;Celebration of Life&#8221; event wasn&#8217;t just for mourners.  It was a celebration of Molina and her community, with live music performed by Mexico&#8217;s Mariachi Sol, bright purple and white floral decorations and heartwarming jokes told about Molina&#8217;s heart and persistence.<\/p>\n<p>Molina was a passionate painter and quilter.  It is with this memory of Molina in mind that LA Pla\u00e7a de Cultura i Arts began to create the &#8220;Community Hope Quilt&#8221;.  The quilt is made up of fabric squares decorated by attendees at various events, including Saturday&#8217;s memorial.<\/p>\n<p>The vibrant tapestry will be on display at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts museum through mid-August, allowing Angelenos to honor Molina&#8217;s impact and be creative through writing and drawing.<\/p>\n<p>During the memorial, organizers showed the audience a video focusing on his impact on the arts.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, LA Plaza Board President Andy Carrasco announced that the Plaza&#8217;s teaching kitchen will be renamed after Molina, naming it La Cocina de Gloria Molina.<\/p>\n<p>Molina&#8217;s relatives, with tears, smiles and personal anecdotes, spent the evening honoring Molina.  Two of her nieces sang \u201cGracias a la vida\u201d to celebrate Molina&#8217;s life, and received a standing ovation from the audience.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Gloria was a beacon of strength and perseverance,&#8221; said Molina&#8217;s husband, Ron Martinez.  &#8220;It was in his DNA and he wanted to change the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2023\/07\/15\/la-political-and-cultural-leaders-and-family-celebrate-life-of-gloria-molina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the same spirit, passion and pride that guided Los Angeles political pioneer Gloria Molina, who died on May 14th, Angelenos gathered at the downtown LA Plaza de Cultura y Arts to remember her legacy on Saturday 15 of July More than 100 of Molina&#8217;s friends, family, students and colleagues gathered for a &#8220;Celebration of Life.&#8221; &#8220;We all know that she was the first to achieve so many political feats,&#8221; said Molina&#8217;s daughter, Valentina Martinez. &#8220;I knew her as my mother, and she raised me to be as combative as she was.&#8221; &#8220;This is a way to bring many of&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":31550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31549"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31551,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31549\/revisions\/31551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}