Jennifer Lopez may be one of the world's biggest and most recognizable stars, but she will never forget her roots.
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Not only will she always remember to keep her roots close to her heart, but she is working tirelessly to give back to the community that raised her and has uplifted her throughout her multi-decade career.
The star was announced as the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Women of Influence issue, for which she spoke about how she is trying to give back to the Latinx community, opened up about her upbringing, and gave insight into what it was like being raised by her two working parents, Guadalupe Rodríguez and David López.
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"I think, honestly, we just haven't had the opportunities that other people have had in this country," she said of the Latinx population.
"I believe there's a little bit of the thinking I was talking about earlier," she said, talking about her own experience growing up in New York's Bronx borough, as a child of two parents who were born in Puerto Rico and then moved to the U.S.
She explained: "How I felt when I was coming up… It was like, I was just lucky to have whatever I had.
The star is working on various ways to uplift the Latinx community
"I think there's a little bit of 'be grateful' in our culture. Be grateful for what you have instead of striving for more."
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However, she maintained: "I think we are just kind of coming into our own right now. We are starting to believe," and said that the younger generation is maybe thinking: "I'm a part of the fabric and wealth and growth of this country. I contribute in a really meaningful way," a thought she is trying to further bolster.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJ.Lo partnered with Grameen America for their "Raising Latina Voices" event to kick-off Hispanic Heritage Month
Looking back on her upbringing, she also recalled: "My dad worked all night – you know, night shift. And my mom worked all day, and we never had both of them at the same time."
Still, she insisted she wouldn't be the same if not for how she was raised, adding that: "It was always this grind to get ahead. It very much shaped me into a person who felt like I had to work hard all the time. Which I think became a theme in my life."
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