WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH COMES TO BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A Campus-Wide Celebration Will Feature Exhibits, Lectures, Panels and Performances Throughout March
FEBRUARY 29, 2016 – At Bronx Community College, where women make up 60 percent of the student body, Women’s History Month will be observed throughout March with a campus-wide program of exhibits, lectures, dance, music and other special events.
A highlight will be a collection of images at various locations around campus, entitled A Revolution within a Revolution: Women of the Young Lords. The display is a partnership between the BCC Department of History and Office of Academic Affairs with the scholars and curators of ¡Presente! The Young Lords, the acclaimed, city-wide exhibit at El Museo del Barrio, Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Loisaida, Inc. The BCC presentation of this material will focus on the women within the movement, political and social activists in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s who led the fierce grassroots struggle against gender inequality and sought justice in areas such as education, health care and housing.
The exhibit will run from March 3 to April 1 at Colston Hall, 3rd and 5th floors; Meister Hall, Learning Commons; Roscoe Brown Student Center, 1st Floor; and North Hall and Library, 2nd floor.
Other highlights of Bronx Community College’s focus on women’s achievements and issues include:
- Friday, March 4 to Thursday, March 31 – The Music and Art Fund of the BCC Association Inc., the BCC Office of Academic Affairs and the Department of Art and Music present “When the Sun Will Stop Casting Shadows,” an exhibit of works by Patricia Cazorla and Nancy Saleme that run the gamut from paintings to installations to mixed media works. An opening reception and talk by the artists will take place on Thursday, March 10, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Bliss Hall, Hall of Fame Gallery
- Thursday, March 10, 2016 – In commemoration of International Women's Day, there will be a screening of the documentary, Yemanja: Wisdom from the Heart of Brazil. Narrated by author Alice Walker, the film explores the Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition known as Candomble, a nature-based religion, thriving today in Bahia, Brazil. The story is told through the voices of elder women leaders, descendants of enslaved Africans forced to Brazil in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Ultimately, the work touches on broader issues of women's leadership, social justice, economic sustainability, racism, religious intolerance and the enduring power of faith and community. The film will be followed by a discussion with co-writer and co-director Donna C. Roberts. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Meister Hall, Schwindler Auditorium
- Thursday, March 10 – A panel discussion on endometriosis, a painful, chronic disease that affects at least 6.3 million women and girls in the U.S. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Roscoe Brown Student Center, Room 311A
- Tuesday, March 15 – BCC Public Safety officer Sgt. Alexandra Torres will lead a conversation on domestic violence with Yvonne Erazo-Davila of the Office of Student Life and members of the Office of Personal Counseling. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Roscoe Brown Student Center, Room 211
- Wednesday, March 16 – Dr. Johanna Fernandez of the Department of History and Department of Black and Latino Studies at Baruch College and historian/curator of ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York at the Bronx Museum of the Arts will deliver an address on “Women of the Young Lords.” This event is part of BCC’s History Lecture Series. 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., North Hall and Library, Room 123
- Thursday, March 17 – A screening of Chishlom '72: Unbought & Unbossed, a documentary on the trail-blazing career of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, who was the first African-American woman to serve in Congress and the first major party black candidate to run for president of the United States. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Roscoe Brown Student Center, Room 311A
- Tuesday, March 22 – “Women in Social Work: Majors and Careers” will be a panel discussion featuring current BCC students and alumni who will discuss their decision to enter this field and its challenges and rewards. (March is also Social Work Month). 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Roscoe Brown Student Center, Room 211
- Thursday, March 24 – The BCC Dance Workshop presents “Re(de)fining Love” a dance piece set to Imagine Me by Kirk Franklin. Choreographed by Professor Kelvin Cooper of BCC’s Department of Health, Physical Education and Wellness, this dance symbolizes women overcoming the obstacles to their personal liberation. Music will be provided by musicians from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, led by percussionist Victor See-Yuen, who will also concertize before the dance piece. 12:00 p.m., Roscoe Brown Student Center, Hall of Fame Playhouse
- Thursday, March 24 – “Women in the STEM Fields” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). BCC alumni and students will describe the obstacles and stigmas they faced when they enter the male-dominated STEM fields and their major and career choices. Special scholarships, fellowships and internships for women in the STEM fields will also be explored. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Roscoe Brown Student Center, Room 311B
- Tuesday, March 29 – A discussion of “Women in the Social Sciences.” BCC women administrators, staffers, faculty and students plus a visiting social science professional will relate their experiences, major choices, and career options in the Social Sciences, including anthropology, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology, sociology, American ethnic studies, women's studies and mass communication. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., Roscoe Brown Student Center, Room 211
This year’s Women’s History Month events are a cross-campus collaboration between various Offices and Departments, united by a theme integral to BCC’s very name: “Community.”