Olga Lopez, chair of the growth foundation for the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, held back tears at a news conference last month in downtown Dallas, near Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
A New York Times article had recently been published detailing years of alleged sexual harassment and assault by the late United Farm Workers leader, shocking many in the Hispanic community and stirring conversations about generational trauma among women.
While her colleagues spoke of why Chavez’s name should be removed from public spaces, Lopez spoke of the daughters of a close family friend who had been sexually abused by their father.
“They remained silent because of the threats, because of power that he had over them. Very similar to what Cesar Chavez did,” Lopez said.
“His abuse of power is why individuals didn't speak up, because they may have felt shame. They may have felt they would not be acknowledged or believed.”
That shame is what kept United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta quiet for several decades, unable to share that Chavez had allegedly raped her. In an interview with John Quinones on ABC, she called what her co-founder allegedly did to her and others as “devastating.”
“We get to think that someone that so many of us thought was our hero,” she said, “and he was a genius, you know."
Huerta’s story and those of Chavez’s other alleged victims are not uncommon in Hispanic communities, said Denise Benavides, executive director of La Monarca Foundation, a migration advocacy group.
“This is a serious problem in not only our Latino culture but in other cultures too where we have that predatory uncle, predatory cousin and we don't talk about it because you know we don't want people to look bad,” Benavides said.
She said women need to talk about sexual abuse trauma – not ignore it.
“The cycle continues on and on and on and it becomes a generational thing,” she said. “This needs to stop now.”
According to a study published in 2020 by The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, over half of Hispanic women have experienced sexual violence other than rape in their lifetime. But some research shows they’re less likely to disclose their assaults than women of other ethnicities.
Nallely Miranda, a therapist and director of the mental health nonprofit Community Does It, said there’s a number of reasons why women don’t come forward, such as generational trauma linked to colonization, religion and immigration — as well as a culture of prioritizing the well-being of the community over the individual.
“It goes back to preserving the sense of safety and community, like any allegation is a threat to, you know, the legacy that had been built,” Miranda said.
Breaking generational traumas in the Hispanic community is something Miranda keeps at the center of her work. The clinic she oversees is located inside of Buckner Bazaar in a predominantly Hispanic area in the southeast Dallas community of Pleasant Grove.
“Our community is a community that's very tightly knit, that values a lot of family, and that comes from a lot of wounds of previous generations,” she said.
There’s also been a stigma against therapy in the Hispanic community in past years, but she’s seen a shift.
"I see a lot of mothers coming in and saying, ‘I know mental health is important,’” she said. “From like 20 years ago, I think that has changed tremendously.”
While more and more, women are sharing with each other and breaking the stigmas of past traumas, such as sexual abuse and rape, there's still work to be done, Miranda said.
“Our center is working really hard on finding ways,” she said. "We found the way to bring in women through prioritizing workshops and prioritizing the health of the family.”
Olga Lopez with the Dallas Hispanic Chamber said speaking out is the only way to put an end to cycles of abuse and shame.
“I believe that although it is very hurtful, and there's much pain that for many it's hard to overcome, there are support groups,” she said. “There are people that are here to stand by you and to support you.”
Resources and counselors are available by calling 211 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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