A tribute to Paula Hernandez: Rutgers grad, teacher and humanitarian

(Editor/author’s note: Paula Hernandez is the sister of my fiancee, Claudia. Our world was shattered when Paula was taken from us. But it was her amazing life and passion for helping people that inspired me to go to college to learn journalism. Please be aware, this article deals with murder and violence against women.)

(Update: Paula’s killer has been captured and his trial, which has been ongoing in his absence, is scheduled to conclude in early July.)

On Saturday, June 22, 2019, Paula Hernandez was murdered by her boyfriend. She was strangled in her home in Palmira, Colombia. Paula’s birthday was August 21, this year she would have turned 39.

In her early 20s, Paula moved from Colombia to the U.S., after becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college. She continued her education at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she earned her master’s degree in public administration. After returning to Colombia in 2018, she began teaching English at SENA, a vocational school for low-income students. Paula dreamt of forming a non-profit organization to give back to the community for whom she cared deeply.

Paula lived with a passion for making the world a better place. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, she volunteered with the Coalition to House the Homeless and while living in Houston, Texas, she volunteered with the Houston Food Bank. Wherever she was, Paula was known to distribute prepared meals in neighborhoods where hunger was abundant.

At Christmastime, Paula organized a toy drive and hosted a special lunch where she presented the gifts. The charitable event, with balloon animals and face painting, brought immeasurable joy to children who had little and included some children who had fled from unlivable conditions in Venezuela.

“With all the turmoil that is going on in their minds, we would like to extend a hand and remind children that there is hope in humanity and that Santa Claus will reach them at their new locations,” Paula wrote on her charity’s GoFundMe page.  

With humble beginnings in rural Colombia and a childhood with no shortage of hardships, Paula bounded over all obstacles to excel academically and professionally. Paula traveled to faraway places in the world, likely being the first person from her birthplace to set foot in some of the destinations she visited.

Paula’s vibrancy inspired everyone around her. She instilled self-belief in her students, who saw themselves represented in her, a highly educated and worldly role model who came from the same rugged environment as they did.

If you know an exceptional person, someone who brings incomparable joy into your world, someone who is always there for you and can be trusted to never let you down, then you’re lucky to know someone like Paula.

She was fiercely committed to standing up for what is right. She did not tolerate any degree of injustice. Without hesitation, she would stand up for anyone being exploited. Paula never backed down from any bully. Her spirit emanated beyond her like heat from a fire. Her confidence propelled her through life and provided a wake for those around her to ride toward being the best person they could be.

Paula was the epitome of what weak, cowardly men despise most in the world: a woman who is infinitely stronger than they could ever imagine being. The weakest and most cowardly of these men kill women because it is easier for them to extinguish the brightness with which such women shine rather than let that light illuminate their insecurities so deeply rooted in hatred and ignorance. Tragically, unfairly, we are robbed of beautiful souls and left with these thieves-of-life who contribute nothing to the world but pain and whose presence is desired nowhere.

In Colombia, a murder charge can sometimes carry a mere seven-year sentence. For Paula’s killer, her family’s lawyer sought the charge of femicide, the intentional killing of women because they are women, which, like hate crimes in the U.S., carries a harsher penalty with no impunity.

Paula’s funeral was attended by hundreds – family, friends, students, co-workers and members of the community grieving for the terrible loss and angered by the senseless crime. A motorcade led by nearly 100 motorcycles followed the hearse to the burial site where she was laid to rest.

Working with a women’s advocacy group, Paula’s students and co-workers organized a march that led from their school to the courthouse. Dressed in white and wearing purple ribbons, hundreds marched demanding justice for Paula, chanting loudly and carrying signs that read “Ni Una Menos,”(Not one [woman] less), the plea of those fighting violence against women in South America.   

After taking Paula’s life, the killer turned himself in to authorities, but was released on his own recognizance, as is the practice in Colombian law. Following the march, prompted by fear, self-pity and an unwillingness to face the consequences of his actions, the killer skipped his arraignment and fled.

He has yet to be captured.

Days after Paula’s funeral, one of her students who had attended the march was stabbed to death by her boyfriend.  She was on her way to file for a protection from abuse order against him when he yelled at her to get off of the bus. When she obliged, he stabbed her. The killer was charged with femicide.

Another woman was killed that same week in a nearby town. Women are killed in neighboring South American countries with equal frequency. And the violence extends globally, fierce as any virus.

Each day in America, three women are murdered by their partners. Twenty-thousand phone calls are made each day to domestic violence hotlines and 76% of domestic violence victims are women. But even the phrase, “domestic violence,” implies a private problem that should be dealt with outside the criminal justice system, Paula’s sister Claudia explains. Protection From Abuse actions in Pennsylvania are civil actions, only becoming criminal matters when PFA orders are violated. Obviously, domestic violence is not only a private problem. This problem belongs to all of us and we all must join in the fight to raise awareness and bring an end to this inequity, which is likely at the core of more social issues than we realize.

Paula possessed indomitable energy and knowing that energy cannot be destroyed, we know that Paula is here with us. Forever guided by that energy, until we leave and pass it along to the next in line, we will continue Paula’s mission of making the world a better and more equitable place, fighting injustice wherever and however it shows itself. Paula always fought for everyone, now we fight for Paula.