Luz Márquez Benbow, is a Black Boricua adult survivor of child sexual abuse, incest and rape, and an abolitionist in the making. Luz is guided by survivor leadership and working at the intersections of gender, race, and violence. Luz is one of the cofounders of Troy 4 Black Lives, a collective of organizers working to protect and support Black life.
In 2019, Luz formed the International Alianza de Mujeres Negrx (#IamNegrx), an Afrolatin/AfroCaribbean survivor network to advance movement building toward ending child sexual abuse and sexual violence across the Diaspora. Learn more about this work online.
Nationally, Luz led the legislative efforts for the development of the Culturally Specific Grant program within the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2005 and 2012. This historical grant program provides funding and support for communities-of-color-led organizations across the U.S in addressing violence against women.
Luz is also the mother of three people, raised in Harlem.