Journal Entry #8

Prior to this course I was aware of the Juarez femicides but not very knowledgeable. I took a course my first year called “Womyn of Color in the World,” and had a week to discuss the juares femicides through watching a documentary that noted the experiences of the families of the disappearing womyn of Juarez. Through reading Desert Blood, I was able to get a better understanding of how prominent these murders have been in Juarez. In addition, it provided me with a lot of theories in the way in which these murders are conducted and the conspiracy behind them. It’s triggering to know that these crimes might be committed due to the fact that mujeres have the power to reproduce and therefore can cut into the profit of the corporations that have Maquilladoras in Juarez through the use of NAFTA. In Addition, the political notion of how the creation of NAFTA has led to the exploitation of many indigenous and Mexican folks along the border and other countries is something that I was previously not aware of. Furthermore, the way in which this mujeres were used in the story to appease men through exploitation of their bodies for pornographic services was appalling. All these concepts were all around the usage of womyn’s bodies for profit.

Through Entry Denied a similar narrative is present. Both of these books are interconnected because they both display examples of how womyn’s bodies has been used within the border. Through Entry Denied, I learned that there are a series of border laws that have been implemented regarding womyn’s bodies and sexuality. They’ve implemented laws such as the Page Law to regulate the entrance of certain type of womyn into the United States due to their ability to reproduce within this country and for being of a certain race.

The most shocking aspect of the book was when the reader was able to see what was being done to the mujeres that were being captured. Specifically, the chapter in which Irene was about to get sexually abused, but instead there were graphic images of the experience for the other womyn. In addition, the way in which men felt they had the power to treat them was extremely triggering and repulsive. The film Bordertown was very effective in raising my consciousness about the Juarez Femicides, because much like Desert Blood, there was vivid imagery of the impact and power within these dreadful murders that occur among the El Paso/Juarez border. In addition, they display the utmost misogynistic and sexist idea of womyn, as if their bodies were literally disposable. It is important, especially as mujeres, that we are aware of the war that our hermanas are fighting along the border, to continue creating consciousness among our allies and sisters so that these sexist murders can no longer continue harming the lies of many families and mujeres.