From "American Diva"

Paredez talks about the sound of a diva's voice which was how she knew they were Mexican and how she came to know her place in relation to others in the neighborhood. Which is to say how she came to know her place in relation to Americanness. In the many years since then, she has found herself returning to a wide range of divas for solace within and for signals beyond everyday struggle. Divas are, for her, the bell struck and the alarm sounded, the call for gathering and the call for escape. A diva is often known for the ravishing power of her voice. And, sometimes, for its tragic ravishment. Her voice is the source of her authority and her vulnerability.