By Michela Arlia
Reporting Assistance By Serin Sarsour
The Women’s Center, Immigrant Student Success Office, and Undergraduate Student Government teamed up to recognize and honor women in the best way possible: with a celebration on Thursday, Mar. 9. To ring in Women’s History Month, the event in the Student Center’s penthouse honored trailblazing women, as well as the women in our personal lives who defy the odds on the regular.
“I think that Women’s History Month is really important because we actually do forget so many of the important historical women, but also I think it’s really important that we think about the women in our lives and ourselves,” said Nicole Solis-Ramirez, program director at the Women’s Center on campus.
The celebration featured catered lunch and activities such as button making, a temporary tattoo station, and the opportunity to make a card for a special woman in one’s life. Juniors Jennifer Lucero and Sasha Calderon also sang songs with strong themes of women empowerment during the event.
For a BC sophomore named Annie who was in attendance, the card-making station offered a potential turning point for her relationship with someone close to her.
“I really liked creating this card for my sister,” she said. “ Most of the time we get into arguments or we just don’t see the same way, we have different viewpoints, but I feel like if I write this card for her, maybe she’ll change a little bit. Maybe she might say you know, ‘I actually do love my sister, she thought of me making this card.’”
On all the tables across the room were centerpieces with information about an important woman in history. Some of the women featured included model Grace Jones, journalist Isabel Allende, activist Miriam Makeba, “first lady of physics” Chien-Shiung Wu, and singer Celia Cruz.
“I think this is a beautiful celebration of women in our community and it’s important to celebrate them because I think we have a really beautiful community here at Brooklyn College and it’s always worth celebrating, especially during Women’s History Month,” said USG Vice President Carrie Ebbin, “and celebrating past women and present women and really coming together, it’s really nice.” For Ebbin, the opportunity to make a card for her mother was a personal highlight from last Thursday.
Amber Prophete, a junior who is a “squad member” at the Women’s Center, was responsible for assisting in planning events under her federal work study position. She was happy to have the event be such a success, noting that women need to be celebrated and empowered.
“We’ve [women] been through so much just like the generations and eras of life, and we’ve just been completely taken advantage of, so now that we are able to empower each other and celebrate is always a good opportunity and good idea,” said Prophete.
Though the campus event had a large turnout and appreciation for, Solis-Ramirez explained that women today still don’t get the proper recognition for everything they have done and continue to do for society.
“I think it’s really important to host these events because I think that if we actually study history, women are sort of at the center of everything, including the economy. What we do is really keep things going, and I think that women’s history itself is so often dismissed,” she said.
To try and change the outlook society has on women, the Women’s Center works to bring light to the ways in which women have actually contributed to important changes around the world.
“I do think it’s important to honor the trailblazing women that came before us, because if we don’t acknowledge them, I mean I know it’s a sort of repeated sentiment, we are doomed to repeat the past,” said Solis-Ramirez.
As the center’s busiest month on campus is underway, more events throughout March will highlight women in the BC community and beyond. The Women’s Center looks forward to hosting the Women in Business Pop-Up on Mar. 21, where students and other BC members are invited to showcase and sell their small business goods.