Sigma Lambda Upsilon Celebrates Latina Influence in History and on Hamilton's Campus
by Lizzie Marris '10Students may have encountered some unfamiliar faces along Martin's Way this past week. Former First Lady of Argentina Eva Perón, artist Ana Mendieta, and labor organizor Luisa Capetillo were among the ten Latina women commemorated on posters set up along Martin's Way by Sigma Lambda Upsilon (SLU), or Señoritas Latinas Unidas, Inc., is a Latina-based multi-cultural national sorority. Stephanie Tafur '10, Hannah Roth '11, and Jattna Amador '11 founded the Hamilton chapter of SLU last year in hopes of bridging the gap between the campus and its Latino community through education and philanthropy.
"The sorority embodies the women we are and want to be," said Tafur. The sorority president.
Every year, SLU chapters nation-wide orchestrate Raices Week on their campuses. The theme of Raices Week 2008 is 'Coming out of the Shadows: Latin American Women Tell HerStory.'
"The point is to bring into the campus's sphere of knowledge Latina history that is not really known or discussed," explained Tafur.
"Raices means 'roots' in Spanish. This week helped us connect with our roots by examining our history and sharing it with our peers," Tafur said. Added Roth, "We got to share our culture and raise awareness of overshadowed issues with the students on campus in fun and creative ways."
The Señoritas kicked off their week of events Sunday, September 28 by showing In the Time of the Butterflies, a Dominican film inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters, who were assassinated for their involvement in a 1960 plot to overthrow Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.
"It's a true story, but it's so unknown," said Tafur. Tafur believed opening Raices Week with the movie would ease Hamilton students into exploring these less familiar facets of history. Tuesday, the Hermanas of SLU, joined by fellow students, read books by and about Latin American women to five to ten year old underprivileged girls at the Y Girl organization in Utica. This event was inspired by the SLU's national philanthropic focus on literacy. Señorita and former Hamilton professor Madeleine Lopez spoke Wednesday night in the Science Center about notable Latina and Latin American women who are traditionally overshadowed in dominant accounts of history.
Lopez stressed that Latina history is often mistakenly assumed to be outside of mainstream history, when it is actually an integral part of all history. To round out the week, the Señoritas handed out "sweet facts," or pieces of candy wrapped in informational tidbits regarding Latina and Latin American women, and offered free t-shirts featuring quotes by prominent Latin American women for students to decorate and wear. On Friday, the sorority performed in the BLSU talent show.
Empowering a campus is a daunting task. Students, however, have been overwhelmingly receptive to the information. Jared Pienkos '09 was one of the many students brought into the Raices Week spirit: "As a chemistry major, I really liked seeing the poster of [former Surgeon General of the United States] Antonia Novello on my way to class. I find it really powerful to encounter role models of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It's just something most people don't think much about." Sarah Caney '09 thought that Raices Week was "a really good way for underrepresented groups on campus to raise awareness. I just wish there had been more publicity about the events. I feel like a lot of people didn't really know it was going on."
Overall, Tafur, Roth, and Amador feel their efforts were successful: "It has been exciting for us to see our ideas actually discussed and enjoyed. We hope you all have gained as much from Raices Week as we have. We look forward to having Raices Week again next year!"