Top, L-R: Professor Inmaculada Lara-Bonilla, Marisa Russo, and Yarisa Colón.
Bottom, L-R: President Daisy Cocco De Filippis and Yrene Santos.
Hostos Community College celebrated Women’s History Month 2024 with a three-part event series organized by Hostos' Women's and Gender Studies program and inspired by this year’s theme: Women’s History, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Professor Jennifer Tang with Barbies from her personal collection.
Students, staff and faculty gathered on March 14 in the Savoy Multipurpose room for the kick-off event in the series, a presentation titled "'Barbie,' the Movie: How Diversity in the Film Reflects Today's Barbies.” Led by Jennifer Tang, Assistant Professor in the Library department, the thought-provoking discussion explored the history and evolution of Barbie and its ever-changing relationship to themes of diversity and inclusion. Tang also showcased diverse Barbies from her personal collection and screened scenes from “Barbie,” the movie. Participants critically discussed the film's exploration of the doll's impact on society and whether they felt the movie did a good job of representing all of the diverse dolls created by Mattel.
While some were excited to have seen diverse Barbies represented, some, like Tang, felt the film could have done better, as the white Barbie and Ken were the focal point of the film. They also discussed their thoughts on actress America Ferrera’s speech in the film about the impossible standards that are imposed upon women, with some saying they felt it was relatable, and others arguing that the characters, including Ferrera’s, uphold some of those standards.
Poet Yrene Santos
The series continued on March 19 with “Writing and Publishing Between Languages: A Roundtable with Latina Poets,” moderated by Inmaculada Lara-Bonilla, professor in the humanities department, and co-organized with the Latin American Writers Institute (LAWI). The discussion featured contemporary Latina writers and editors Yarisa Colón, Marisa Russo and Yrene Santos, who hail from Puerto Rico, Argentina and Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, respectively. President Daisy Cocco De Filippis delivered opening remarks, in which she reflected on her experience hosting social gatherings, called tertulias, for Dominican poets — one of them being Santos — in her home to share and workshop their poetry and the importance of such spaces. She went on to encourage writers to not be afraid to share their creative work, in whatever language it is written.
During the roundtable, the trio of poets discussed the power of artistic communities. Santos credited the tertulias at President Cocco De Filippis’ home with helping her find her muse. “Every poem that I have here was born at the tertulia,” she said. Russo discussed how the closing of a cultural center in Turrialba, Costa Rica, that once nourished her literary journey inspired her to take up the mantle and create opportunities for creative and artistic growth and fellowship in the area. And Colón spoke about how she sometimes publishes work as a gift to the collaborators involved as opposed to something just meant to be sold.
They also read selections of their poems in both languages and showcased some of their books. Additionally, guests were treated to a special reading from President Cocco De Filippis, who read from her book, “Tertuliando: Dominicanas y Amiga(o)s,” the English translation of a couple of poems written by Yrene Santos.
Professor Michele Fazio discussed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911.
The series concluded on March 25, with a powerful discussion, held virtually, in commemoration of the 113th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 workers, mostly Italian and Jewish immigrant women, in New York City in 1911. In her introduction, moderator Marcella Bencivenni, History Professor, described the tragic event as a fire that “literally changed America” and remains one of the worst industrial tragedies in New York City’s history.
“So the Triangle Fire is so important because it really remains the key event of women’s, labor and immigration history — all fields I feel very passionate about,” she said. “And we’re very lucky today to have with us two amazing women’s scholars who have made the many important contributions to these three fields of study.”
Bencivenni was joined in conversation by Dr. Michele Fazio, English professor at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Dr. Laura E. Ruberto, humanities professor at Berkeley City College, who spoke about the women who died in the fire, the ways in which they are remembered each year, and the tragedy’s legacy and impact on labor laws, women’s rights, and more. Both guest speakers also discussed the importance of commemoration. Professor Ruberto shared that she commemorates the victims of the fire through education and community involvement, and she dedicated her talk to one of the victims: Fannie Rosen, who was a young Ukrainian immigrant who had been working at the factory only two days before the fire. Professor Fazio shared that she uses family or personal history as a point of departure for remembering historical events and takes a literary approach to discussing the fire, its victims, and its impact. “To read narratives about the Triangle fire is a form of activism, what we’re doing here today is a form of activism,” she said.
Organized by Hostos’ Women’s and Gender Studies program, the 2024 Women’s History Month event series provided an interactive space for critical conversations about diverse women’s experiences, influence, and legacies. Andrea Fabrizio, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, delivered welcoming remarks during the opening event of the series, in which she reflected on this year’s Women’s History Month program. “It’s great that we have this one month to really focus on how women and gender studies are interwoven into the fabric of our existence and our living every day; but of course, it’s not just for the month, but for our whole lifetime, how these factors influence us and impact our culture and impact the world around us,” she said, and went on to thank the organizing committee for providing a “space to really study this and take stock of it and learn and reflect.”
The 2024 Women’s History Month program was organized by professors Elizabeth Porter, Jennifer Tang, Marcella Bencivenni, and Inmaculada Lara-Bonilla in consultation with the Women's and Gender Studies Faculty Advisory Council, and sponsored by the Educating for Diversity Grant through Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s Gift: President’s Initiatives, Hostos’ Student Government Association, and Student Activities.