Nora White of the Buddha Betties said the women of Savi Fair define the meaning of diva.
"You can't be just a good singer and perform a lot," she said. "You have to be empowering the community or I am not going to call you a diva."
Tonight, 20 local divas will gather on stage to sing in unison about survival.
The third annual Sisters Against Violence Initiative benefit concert to raise money for the Albuquerque Rape Crisis Center is underway.
This year Savi Fair's theme is "surviving and thriving," said Cathryn McGill, development director for the center.
"We pick a song every year that is a female anthem," she said. "This year it is 'I will survive.' But we don't want to just say it's about surviving. It's surviving and thriving."
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Every year the benefit includes local female talent, and the women work together to create ensemble productions.
"I've been involved in benefit concerts for 20 years," said White of the Buddha Betties. "Most benefit concerts feature individual bands performing. We are featuring the whole group."
McGill started the Savi Fair to make people aware there is a support group for rape victims.
"Much of what we do at the center is very private and personal because we want to maintain the confidentiality of our clients," she said. "But we wanted to bring our message out to the mainstream because they need to understand that it requires all of us to make a change."
McGill said she gets emotional reactions to Savi Fair.
"People will ask 'What can I do to help?'" she said. "When they see someone up on stage having all this courage, it takes the sting of it away, and it generates disclosure."
Savi Fair also includes testimonies from victims.
"The most important thing we do is have the stories of survivors - women who have a tremendous amount of courage," McGill said.
White said the community has come together to make the event possible.
"O§ate Music donated their equipment and time for our after party," she said.
Photographers also came forward and donated a photo shoot for the event.
"When I conveyed Cathy's message to the photographer, he got it," McGill said. "People don't normally donate that much money for others, but that's the type of energy Cathy is spreading."
White said she saw McGill performing one night and instantly knew she was the type of person who could help.
"Kathy was performing, and basically I just started singing back to her," White said. "I thought this woman was either going to love or hate me."
Luckily, they became friends and McGill asked the Buddha Betties to perform at Savi.
"Sometimes I see woman starving in silence, and sometimes I see woman like Cathy, who teaches us to strive and survive," she said.
For the Buddha Betties, benefit concerts like Savi aren't something the group does on the side. Eventually White wants her band to become completely non-profit.
"Most people are focused on the end product and making money, but we do benefits as our No.1 cause," she said. "It makes it so much more exciting."
Coming Attraction
Savi Fair
Tonight: 7.30 p.m.
Albuquerque Convention Center's Kiva Auditorium
