A candlelight vigil remembers female victims of violence

McALLEN — Before she died, Julia Rangel Hernandez told her sister she had never gotten flowers and probably never would.

It was Valentine’s Day, 1983, and the sister had a brand-new bouquet from her husband. She comforted Hernandez, telling her the flowers would come.

Less than a month later, Hernandez died at the hands of her husband in San Benito. Another victim of family violence.

Bunches of flowers came for Hernandez’s funeral.

Mary Rodriguez choked up Thursday evening as she told her sister’s story. An audience of more than 100 people listened. They had gathered for a fountain dedicated in Hernandez’s memory.

Rodriguez told the story through tears in front of the headquarters for Mujeres Unidas, a nonprofit outreach program for victims of family violence. The group hosted a candlelight vigil at its headquarters in McAllen, and droves of people came to lend support to the fight against family violence. It was historic, in that many years ago such an event likely would never have happened.

Mujeres Unidas makes progress

Hundreds of people turned out for the fountain dedication and candlelight vigil for victims of domestic abuse. They lit candles in memory of those lost. They swore to fight violence. Organizers called it the largest domestic violence awareness gathering in Hidalgo County’s history.

Never before had so many men, women and children, including sheriff’s deputies and women’s rights advocates, gathered in the region to denounce family violence. And some in attendance said only in recent years would such an event have been possible.

Irma Flores’ aunt Rosalinda died on April 26, 1990, at the age of 31. Weslaco police have issued a warrant for the arrest of her boyfriend, who they believe shot her. Her body was found in a car outside of Knapp Medical Center. Flores said the boyfriend shot her aunt in the stomach and drove her to the hospital. He then fled to Mexico, she said.

Flores brought her young nieces and nephews to the candlelight vigil. She wanted to teach these young ones to think about family violence in a way that just wasn’t prevalent here in past years.

“Back then, the problems weren’t as visible,” she said. “In our culture, you didn’t want to come forward for help. A lot of times, problems fell on deaf ears.”

That’s an issue Mujeres Unidas has long battled. People often hesitate to come forward for help.

The group provides a 24-hour women’s shelter and hotline. They provide counseling and care for victims. But they can’t do any of that if people don’t know about it.

Advocates organize meetings at town halls in rural colonias. They take their message to school children and they pass out fliers everywhere they go. Until recently, Mujeres Unidas employees even went door to door.

Thanks to a grant, advocates would go to people’s homes, offering information about improving family health, but also looking for signs of abuse. It was a means of finding the most oppressed, those who might not come forward on their own.

That program, however, has ended in both Hidalgo and Starr counties. The grant dried up.

Mujeres Unidas plans to re-apply for funding as soon as possible, and officials said getting that program back is as important as ever.

Spreading awareness and gaining support

The crowd at the candlelight vigil held flames shielded by pieces of purple plastic.

In silence, they walked two silent laps around Mujeres Unidas’ parking lot. When it was over, Executive Director Estella De Anda invited everyone to stay and celebrate for the survivors of violence.

“And don’t forget to give back those purple things,” she said. “We are a not-for-profit.”

Mujeres Unidas depends on financing from government agencies and charitable donations to conduct its work. But recently it also has gathered other support.

In September, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño hosted the county’s first women’s self-defense workshop, free of charge. His deputies taught 30 participants to defend themselves against attack. They taught them to anticipate violent situations. They empowered them to avoid the worst.

Thirty women came to the four-week program on Tuesday nights. The only problem was that more than 200 had inquired about signing up.

So starting Jan. 1, Treviño has assigned a deputy to work full-time at programs such as this one. He plans to offer another workshop in early 2008.

“We’re going to offer this probably forever,” the sheriff said as he stood at the vigil. “It’s never going to stop.”

As he spoke, seven candles burned for women lost during the past year in Hidalgo County. A nearly full moon lit the night sky above the fountain. Water flowed in memory of Julia Rangel Hernandez.

She never got the help she needed, but that was a different time. Things have changed and organizers say more and more women come for help.

The fountain continued to flow as the night wore on. Lining the edge of it were more flowers. Flowers Hernandez never received in life.

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Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.