Silent No More: From Generational Wounds to Collective Healing, a Chicana's Experience

Challenging the weight of inherited trauma, cycle-breakers emerge, sparking the transformation of passed down burdens into legacies of liberation. There is ample literature exposing how patriarchal structures, (cis)sexism, and cultural norms of familismo and marianismo, when distorted by patriarchal norms, perpetuate cycles of secrecy and shame within Latine families but little recognition of how to break these cycles. Utilizing a liberation psychology framework and an autoethnographic methodology that is interwoven with resonant testimonios, I answer the question: in what ways does my lived experience of seeking accountability for the violation of my body, as a Latine woman, disrupt intergenerational patterns of harm and illuminate pathways toward collective healing within Latine families? Aa a child, I experienced sexual violence at the hands of an older cousin, and when I came forward, my needs as a survivor were not prioritized by my family then. 25 years later, I learned that I can prioritize my needs now. Initially a personal healing endeavor, the confrontation with the perpetrator and his parents—revealed a collective burden carried by other family members. Despite initial familial avoidance, my insistence on accountability led to remorse, acknowledgment, and a shared healing experience, highlighting the necessity of addressing systemic silence within Latine families. Driven by the intersection of my personal healing and professional evolution as a social worker, I document and share these findings for fellow self-identified “cycle-breakers.” This demonstrates how personal acts of resistance can illuminate pathways toward collective liberation and transformative praxis, emphasizing the power of truth-telling to promote collective responsibility and healing for generations to come.