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Last week Blanca, a member of Churches for Peace in Mexico passed a way. Her colleagues wrote this in her memory.
Activist and Mother: Blanca Regina Guzmán Jara de Villanueva
In memoriam
Deyssy Jael de la Luz García
Center for Ecumenical Studies/Churches for Peace
I met her at the first press conference that was held for the Caravan for Peace, USA at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance. She was as I frequently saw her: at the side of her spouse Juan Villanueva. Next to this couple sat their lively and intelligent daughter María. In no time, the Villanueva Guzmán family became my mentors in understanding the journey of the Movement for Peace and Justice with Dignity (MpJD). Blanca was a cherished member of the Movement, for her availability, love, and commitment to every cause and act that involved mothers and fathers who were searching for their sons and daughters, missing or dead.
I walked with her for the better part of a month during the Caravan for Peace in the US, together we formed part of the Ecumenical Commission and represented Churches for Peace in American territory. Blanca always had words and a hopeful attitude for each member of the Caravan: from the families of victims to hosts who opened lovingly and warmly their churches and homes.
Recently, Blanca wrote a beautiful piece that will be published in the book Caravans for MpJD: Routes of a Spirituality of Resistance. Blanca shared her reflections as a person of faith and a stay at home mom, who carried with her the pain of others. Among other things, she described her first walk with the movement from Cuernavaca to the Zócalo in Mexico City, she said:
We joined in the march, and as we walked, more people united with us, each one fed up with the climate of violence that tore our country and homes apart. We walked in silence, and with each step I took, I thought of how fortunate I felt, for I walked hand in hand with my husband and children. At my side, many women walked carrying photos of their missing loved ones. Everywhere there were faces of young people, not much different from my own children, and faces of older men that made me think of my own husband. These children and spouses had become only faces and names posted on paper. The images pinned on the breasts of these women spoke of hearts torn to pieces for not being able to embrace their loved ones. I understood that moving forward, their struggle for justice would be mine as well. I didn’t know how, I was just a woman, a mother, a spouse who walked side by side with others. I would continue together with the others so long as they allowed me. This is how I began my walk together with the pilgrim poet as Machado wrote.
What first brought her to participate in the Movement was the violence in the country in which thousands of mothers and fathers were heartbroken over the loss of their sons and daughters; another, perhaps more powerful reason, was seeing her own children take to the streets to march for justice. From fear, hoping to care for her children, Blanca became brave in order to help the mothers, fathers and family members who would faint or be moved to tears when sharing their stories. Time and time again, I saw her stand strong, a pillar supporting those who could no longer carry themselves…we will always have this memory of Blanca which will not be forgotten. A few times I told her that her children thought of her as an activist; in response she said to me that she was just a loving mother that did what other mothers would do if their family was dead or missing.
Blanca was a woman of faith, committed to a spirituality of resistance and hope. A catholic, guadalupana, and open to ecumenism she discovered a way to act with individuals of many different faiths and confessions:
For much of the journey of the Caravan for Peace, we lived in an ecumenical spirit. There were many churches of different denominations that gave us shelter, food, washed our clothes, hugged us, loved us and blessed us. We prayed together and they joined us in different public acts, gifting us with rosaries, bibles or candles. Priests, pastors, ministers, and religious individuals joined with us in solidarity strengthening us with food, rest, prayers and a hope that they planted in our hearts. They joined with us and raised their voices calling for justice, an effective arms policy, a change in the War on Drugs, and a more humane immigration reform.
The last time we met, I asked her what she wanted to be written in the book about her, sort of a mini-resume. She passed me this handwritten description:
Blanca Estela Regina Guzmán Jara (Mexico City). Stay at home mom and mother of two children. Married for 33 years. Did not take on the role of activist, but rather that of a woman who has taken on the pain of a parent whose children have been murdered. Blanca decided to join with MpJD in search for justice. She is currently part of the logistics team and the Ecumenical Commission for MpJD, and is in charge of providing food for various events. She also is active with Churches for Peace.
Blanca, we will remember you in this way. Peace be with you, rest in peace.