In Memoriam - Esme Barrera

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The news that Esme Barrera was the victim of the homicide reported at the home on King Street on Sunday morning was widely reported in social media, but before commenting in an official capacity, many news outlets first wanted to make sure Barrera's family had been notified before they found out via unofficial channels.

Barrera was an educator whose work intersected with her passion. Her day job had her teaching special education at Casis Elementary, and for fun she was a large part of Girls Rock Camp in Austin, where she elected to spend her free time instructing a new generation of forward-thinking females in the musical arts.

Girls Rock sent out the following email, which reads, in part: "We lost a beloved friend, dedicated volunteer, gifted educator, and shining star recently, Esme Barrera. We are sad beyond words. Esme's infectious smile, her kindness, and her incredible sense of boundless encouragement touched us all.

She embodied all of the values of the girls rock movement. We all knew that she rocked, and when she said "You rock!" to any of the campers, volunteers, or anyone in our community, you believed it because she believed it. She had such a rad and wonderful positive energy with the kids, and that energy extended to everyone in our community--at school, at the record store, through her mixtapes, through her dances, at many a rock show, through her unique wit and wisdom. She was small in stature, but her presence was large and positively exploding with infinite possibilities. She helped empower a lot of girls, and indeed helped empower us all."

A blog has been created to assist Esme's family, and you can read reminiscences from close friends here and here.