Women of color celebrate identity

Students of all colors came together for food and conversation yesterday at "An Evening for Women of Color," sponsored by the Women of Color Caucus (WCC). The new department within the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) seeks to address issues affecting women of color and the society in which they find themselves, both on and off of the Boston College campus.

Although the dinner and speakers addressed women of color and their issues, both genders were represented, an image that impressed Jina Moon, president of the Asian Caucus and A&S '06.

"I see a variety of faces and it seems like it's not just student leaders or students of color," she said. "There are males here, too. It shows that there's enough interest in the organization."

That interest stems from a need to focus on internal issues within the community of AHANA women at BC, said Jennifer Suh, A&S '06.

"Sometimes we're so involved in the bigger issues of being AHANA that we forget to focus inwards," said Suh. "It's similar to how Rosa Parks is automatically seen as a black civil rights leader, which she was, but she was also a leader for black women, all women of color, and women in general."

The tendency to group and label individuals is one reason there is a need for the WCC at the University, Suh added.

"Many times [at BC] we're automatically grouped into the AHANA group and just seen as AHANA," she said. "As colored women at BC, we need to be our own voice and have it heard as something different and important."

Suh's comments were echoed by many of the speakers who addressed the audience. Lisa P. Stevens, WCC club advisor and assistant professor in the Lynch School of Education, opened by asking what it means to have an institutional forum for women of color.

"We talk about increasing diversity, acknowledging diversity, recognizing diversity, but that annoys me because they never say who's doing the acknowledging or the recognizing," she said. "Doing this automatically labels you in a particular way and creates expectations."

Research on women of color is shaped by racial dynamics that often go unspoken, said Zine Magubane, associate professor in the sociology department.

"Women of color are usually a subject of research, not the conductors of research," said Magubane. "We're usually seen as social problems to be fixed, managed, and counted."

Changing those representations can be accomplished by changing the overall narrative of women of color. "Our narrative isn't just a private story; it has to change the normal, accepted narrative to include our experiences," she said.

Ines Maturana Sendoya, acting director of the Office of AHANA Student Programs, shared her personal struggles of being a woman of color at BC, including the absences of a role model in senior leadership and her isolation in public settings.

"Many times I'm the only person of color at events, and people expect me to know all the AHANA issues," she said. "But I don't want to speak for everyone else because there is diversity in the experiences of students, faculty, and staff."

"But it's a burden I cannot refuse because if I don't speak, there will be silence," Sendoya said.

She encouraged audience members to explore positions in higher education to improve the climate for future generations.

Kalpana Seshadri, director of the Women's Studies program and associate professor in the English department, urged action toward public institutions to change the status of women of color globally.

"We're not up against just racial discrimination as women of color, but it's also about systemic discrimination," she said.

"There are issues surrounding women's health issues, schools, and funding. We need to educate ourselves about the civil and political environment, take control of institutions, and transform them."

From a student perspective, Omolara Bewaji, ALC president and A&S '07, urged for something greater than solidarity among women of color.

"Students are allowed to graduate from Boston College without ever engaging in any real academic discourse that involves the history, philosophies, developments, or issues of women of color in our global society," said Bewaji.

This preoccupation with diversity, according to Bewaji, has split the identity of women of color, causing them to choose sides between being for women's issues versus issues concerning women of color. She asked for solidarity around these issues to allow her to recognize the diversity of experiences shared by other women of color.

"For me to learn the unique identities, histories, legacies, and life stories of other women of color who might not be of my same ethnicity or background, enhances my development as a woman of color committed to women of color," she said.

Bewaji looked at the dinner as a springboard to future events addressing the issues discussed at the dinner, as did Reena Parikh, WCC director and A&S '06.

"It was a huge success, and we just hope it's the start of many more programs to come," said Parikh.