Letter to the Editor

Speaker to discuss Juarez murders

“Still no suspect — 300 women mutilated and murdered in the LA area, many more missing.”

What if this was the headline in the local papers? What if these were prominent women in the community: politicians, business leaders, or educators? What would be happening in response to such outrageous crimes?

What is really happening? The city is Juarez, Mexico. The women are young, poor factory workers. The murdered and missing are over 300. The government is doing nothing.

Then, there is Esther Chavez Cano. A former accountant, she became outraged by the lack of justice for the victims and the impunity for these heinous crimes against the women of Juarez. In her effort to help the victims and their families, Esther founded Casa Amiga, a women’s shelter and resource center. Ms. Chavez has worked diligently to create international awareness in an effort to force the Mexican government to take action.

What can you do? On Tuesday, Ms. Chavez will be on campus in her effort to continue to keep the pressure on the Mexican government. A video presentation with a question and answer session will be held afterwards in IT 101 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The presentation is free and open to all students and the general public.


—Carol Tito
Junior, women’s studies