Mariachi music and laughter resonated through the Walnut Foundry as 200-plus friends of the Latina Safehouse Initiative gathered for Latinas Honoring Latinas, a celebration expected to raise enough money for the all-volunteer LSI to hire someone to work part time writing grants and conducting community outreach.
The crowd also enjoyed refreshments from Cafe Brazil and Gourmet Fine Catering, placed bids in live and silent auctions, and responded enthusiastically to remarks made by award recipients Dolores Huerta, co-founder and secretary-treasurer of the United Farm Workers of America; Benita Muniz of the Denver district attorney’s office; and Debbie Berzoza, a survivor of domestic violence.
Actor Jesse Borrego (“24,” “Fame”) also spoke. Laura Ceron, nurse Chuny Marquez on “ER,” was to have delivered the keynote address, but her flight from Los Angeles was delayed and she didn’t land in Denver until the party was all but over.
Support for Latinas Honoring Latinas has grown every year since its inception three years ago, expanding from an intimate gathering at the 9News studios to Denver’s trendy River North neighborhood.
Board president Ana Soler said she’s optimistic the “groundswell of support from prominent and not-so-prominent members of the Latin community” will continue. “Abuse cuts across all social and economic lines, and the more people we can involve, the more we can do to address the problem.”
While there is no actual safehouse for Latinas, Soler said that is by design. Those involved with the initiative chose a step-by-step approach instead of establishing a bricks-and- mortar facility first and then deciding what to do. Focus groups conducted in the community are helping to identify specific needs and a wish list; from that, the LSI will determine what services to offer.
LSI advisory board member Inez Saragosa said initial indications are that Latina women in the Denver area are “broadly unaware” that support exists for women who are victims of violence, and that many are not even sure what the concept of support or services for Latina victims of domestic violence might mean.
In fact, Saragosa reported, “For a large number of women, the concept of ‘support’ or ‘services’ is vague or undefined, or carries significantly negative associations. The result is little understanding of how support might apply, or actually make a difference, to someone like them.”
Guests pledging to help change that mind-set included Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey; City Councilwoman Judy Montero; community leaders Dora Valdez and Lena Archuleta; Realtor Juanita Chacon; Manuel Escamilla; Robert and Linda Alvarado; Jose and Magdalena Aguayo; Jesse Ogas and Yolanda Ortega of Encantada Catering; Diana Chavez; Katie Garcia; Marisol Solarte-Erlacher; and Stapleton Foundation staffer Angie Malpiede.
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. She also contributes at .
