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We are the future, we are the ‘somebodies’
La vida de una madre en el desierto
An exhibition to raise awareness
The Prospector’s Student Athlete of the Month: Alexa Morales
F IL L O U T O UR CROSSWOR D ON PA G E 2 !
VOL. 108, NO.13 MARCH 21, 2023
Assayer of Student Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
‘No Más Bebés:’ Forced sterilization in 1970s America BY ELISHA NUÑEZ The Prospector
the documentary takes a look at the heartbreaking recounts of mothers who were unwillingly and unknowingly sterilized. It also tells the stories of others involved, including a doctor who acted as a whistleblower for the women and a young attorney who filed a case in defense of the women’s reproductive rights. “It’s a story about women of color. It’s a story about what happens to working class women when they don’t have access to safe, legal, and dignified reproductive health care,” Espino said. “I learned about this story when I was in graduate school, even though it took place about ten minutes from where I
live. It’s a story that will anger you and frustrate you, and I hope it will move you to (take) action.” The documentary begins with the introduction of María Hurtado, one of five women that the film examines. She is seen wandering the remains of the original hospital for the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center and remembers the trauma she experienced. After the introduction, the movie gradually introduces the audience to the other women who underwent forced sterilization, all only in their 20s. Not only is a main theme of this documentary reproductive justice
‘Mija Market’ represents women owned businesses BY AVERY ESCAMILLA-WENDELL The Prospector
for women, but it also focuses on the injustices faced by women of color and immigrant women. The film focuses on the language barriers that aided the doctors in their unfair treatment of the women, all of whom were immigrants. It also focuses on how the documents that needed their signature for the procedure, which were all in English, were forced onto the Spanishspeaking victims during labor. One victim even described how a nurse took her hand and forced her signature. Despite the atrocities shown in the film, there is a bright side.
Tables, trucks and stands filled with food, art and clothes are going to surround Chuco Relic Sunday, March 26. “Mija, Yes You Can” is hosting its annual Mija Market at Chuco Relic Central, 10 p.m. to 3 p.m. 2750 Gateway Blvd East from where women leaders are being represented. Iris Lopez the founder and executive director of “Mija, Yes You Can” runs the nonprofit organization with a powerful vision to help women and girls in the El Paso region. They provide resources for women to become ambitious in their future. The organization is celebrating its three years of existence with a market full of women-owned businesses. For National Women’s Month, the organization plans to showcase women who impact the El Paso community with their businesses. The celebration started off small, but over the years, the organization saw the rising support from women owned businesses. This led the organization to collaborate with Chuco Relic, a women owned business, to sell the Mija shirts which in turn gives profit back to the organization. “The amount of women who wanted to be a part of the market was just overwhelming and that was when we realized, oh, wow, there’s a lot of women-owned businesses out there,” Lopez said. “This year, we just wanted to really make it more about the vendors and kind of a celebration for them.” The vendors were chosen by the organization‘s committee of two women. The vendors who signed up were chosen by their products and if the business was not well-known by
see BEBES on page 4
see MIJA MARKET on page 4
Tickets being handed out to the first people to ask questions during the Q&A. Photo by Joel Molina/The Prospector
Last year, history was made when the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade was overturned. Since then, women, historians, health experts and others have examined the roots of healthcare in the country. One such story from a time where reproductive rights were a topic of heavy discussion is the forced sterilization of immigrant mothers in Los Angeles during the early 1970s. An event with several victims, the story of their pain is told in the award-winning documentary “No Más Bebés,” which translates to “No More Babies.” Directed by Renee Tajima-Peña and produced by Virginia Espino,
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