Brainstorm 5: Grace Grotz

In Senorita Extraviada, the victims’ families are given a voice. By presenting the stories of the women who were taken through the perspectives of close families and friends, the wide-ranging impact of these atrocious crimes is revealed. In the documentary, the narrowmindedness of Juarez’s law enforcement officers and top officials was emphasized. A government official was quoted saying, “people who work follow a clear path and dress a certain way” (10:45), implying that the women who disappeared (many of whom worked late to support their families) were murdered as a result of their own poor choices. Rosalinda Fregoso’s “Toward a Planetary Society” notes how the lack of attention paid to these disappearances by government officials stems from the masculine belief that “those women who do not conform to the mother/wife model of womanhood...are suitably punished” (5). The women of Juarez were suffering from a social death imposed on them by the leaders who were paid to protect them. Because it was easier to blame the women in poverty who died rather than eradicating the deep roots of violence and sexism in society, the leaders decided these women were of “lesser value”. To counteract this social death, the network of families and citizens affected by these crimes began speaking out. Their voices, working together, were heard by organizations on both sides of the border. Art, such as altars, can honor the women who were taken for generations after they have died. If they are remembered, these tragedies cannot be forgotten.