| Gladis Benavides carries herself with a lot of class and self-confidence. No matter what the circumstance, whether it is attending church at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, dancing a little salsa at Dane Dances, or leading a discussion on race relations, Benavides always has the comport that she belongs, no matter what the situation. Indeed, Benavides considers herself a world citizen, unrestricted by the boundaries of race or nationality. And it is that identity which probably allows Benavides to walk into almost any situation as a mediator or trainer through her company Benavides Enterprises dealing with race-related issues in a calm and rational manner. It is no accident that Benavides is a world citizen for she had to deal with the complexities of identity at a young age. While she was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- where her father worked as a banker -- the family moved back to Peru soon after her birth. However, Benavides' family traces its ancestry all the way back to North Africa. "The original name was Benavide because my ancestors are actually from Morocco, Spain and Quechua Indian from my mother's side," Benavides said. "So Benavide means Son of Leaders, by the way. Then it gets translated kind of as they moved from Morocco into Spain and it becomes Benavides. That's where the name originates actually. My mom's side of the family was Spanish and Indian. But her last name was Spanish. So the ancestry from Spain is in every one of us, whether we like it or not. I wasn't crazy about what they did with the Incas of Peru or the Aztecs or the Mayans. So there was a little bit of tension between my family members when we talked about what the Spaniards had to do with Latin America. Then I was very much involved with history and so, that was always like 'Wait a minute. There were some contributions, but also there was syphilis and the misuse of the Catholic religion with the Incan chiefs.'" Benavides lived in a household that encouraged the family members to challenge each other. And there was a lot of difference in the household to fuel the discussion. While Benavides' father was a banker and economist -- he also served as mayor of Cusco, Peru for a while -- her mother was more of an artist who wrote four books and some poetry. While her father was mayor, they lived in a 300 year old house that had been built by the Spanish on top of some Incan ruins. "When you live in a house that is 300 years old with a Quechua Indian woman who is the woman who helped my brother, my sister and I to be raised in the right kind of way, we were raised with an incredible Quechan culture," Benavides said. "It was very natural at the time. My sense of culture has appeared and become real to me here because there is such emphasis on that. But that was part of my life. My nanna used to give us all kinds of herbs. She had the power to take us to the doctor when she saw fit. But it was mostly herbs that cured us from everything." As she was growing up, Benavides also became enraptured with the culture of Brazil. "I love the culture of Brazil," Benavides said. "I love the Afro-Latin culture and the incredible history because when you look at it, 70 percent of the Brazil have African blood and come from Nigeria, Senegal and Benin in terms of their traditions." Benavides is also cognizant of the rich melting pot of culture that is Peru. "In Lima, where I lived for many years, you have a very large population of people who are generally from Africa," Benavides observed. "Slavery was in the coastal area of Peru. And the dances are Afro-Latin. You see some of the dances here in Madison and you see these wonderful dances that reflect the Black culture and the Spanish as well as the Indian culture." Benavides graduated from high school at the tender age of 15 and went to college at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. After three-and- a-half years, Benavides was poised to graduate and was looking around for the next educational opportunity. She wanted to study in Moscow to further her studies of the Russian language. But her father was totally against the move because he was anti-Communist. Benavides had a cousin teaching Latin American studies at Beloit College and so her father gave his permission for her to attend the college in the U.S. Benavides went to Beloit to talk to her cousin and her life dramatically changed. She got married. "I sat to talk with my cousin and all of that to figure out what school I was going to apply for," Benavides said. "And in the course of being in Beloit, I met my ex-husband, Mr. Corbett. Three months later, we flew down to Peru so he could ask for my hand from my parents and three months after that, we got married. I was just 19 years old. I moved to Beloit, Wisconsin, initially with my in-laws and then to our own place. I had three kids, one every year, Robert, Chi Chi and Christopher." Benavides' husband was a musician and so they moved to Madison, which had a larger music scene. Benavides got a job with the Community Action Commission as a bilingual receptionist for a project that resettled migrant families. Eventually the project folded and Benavides began working for the Madison Equal Opportunities Commission and Rev. James C. Wright whom she had met through her work at CAC. "I got totally, totally interested and passionate about the whole civil rights issue," Benavides said. "At EOC, I was really fascinated by his work and his commitment. Mother Wright and he were definitely my mentors. They took me under their wing. I started with Rev. Wright as an investigator trainee. I became the lead investigator and then moved to the state to work as an affirmative action specialist for the Division of Corrections." With the exception of a four-year stint with Barnhill-Hayes, a consulting firm in Milwaukee, Benavides spent the next 28 years of her life working for the state in some civil rights or affirmative action position. She ended her work with the state as the affirmative action officer for the Wis. Dept. of Health and Family Services before establishing Benavides Enterprises. After leaving the Sorbonne, Benavides never finished her college degree. While she thought about completing it from time to time, she was fortunate to progress in her career without it. "What I find interesting is that I was very blessed in a way that I was able to move through the system at a time when the degree per se didn't seem to be a challenge," Benavides reflected. "I didn't get a degree. I didn't get a Masters. I didn't get a Ph.D. Now with 28 years of experience, I see myself as a practitioner because I really have moved from being a bilingual secretary on a federally funded project to having a business of my own. That's a source of pride to me." While it worked for her, Benavides would never recommend the path she took to young people today. "I would not recommend to a young person not to get a higher education because I think we are at a time where that is critical and important for their growth professionally and achieving success financially," Benavides said. "But I think there were some of us who moved through the system the hard way, bit by bit by bit, and have achieved the professional reputation that carries us where we need to go. About 10 years ago, I thought maybe I should go back to school. I made the choice that I really didn't need it at this point. Maybe it was a comfortable choice not to go back to school. Again, I think it was the timing and the blessings and the opportunities I had that made the difference in how people saw that. In a sense, you can get educated in many different ways. But I think in looking at the times today, I would see it very, very differently for a younger person who is starting out. Even a two year degree from MATC or something like that is very important today." Next issue: A discussion about class, culture and competency |
| Immigrant success stories: Gladis Benavides reflects on her heritage and civil rights Race, Culture & Competency By Jonathan Gramling Part 1 of 2 |
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