THE EYES OF MARCH, FROM THE LATINA KIND MAKING HERSTORY

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the month of March 8th as National Women’s History Week.  1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9 designating March as “Women’s History Month.” Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamation making March as “Women’s History Month”.

In 1979, the Hispanic Women’s league also took its place in “Herstory”, established as the first official Latin women’s organization created in Buffalo, N.Y.  and still exist today after over 40 years.

The organization started as a reaction to an article in one of Buffalo’s local newspapers, which wrote that there were no “Latino professionals in Buffalo, NY.” This falsehood crystalized how the Latin population was viewed by the larger Buffalo community. The rest was Herstory! It was the Latin women of Buffalo who took the reins on this matter and held meetings for months deciding on how to respond to this outrageousness.

At the time, no other organization in Buffalo or Western New York had a strong reaction to this discrediting, belittling, and irresponsible journalism. It took this article in 1979 to make the professional women of Buffalo fed up with the sexism, belittlement and constant ridicule of their contribution to “herstory.”  This ignorance also comes from Latin people refusing to be identified as Latin, ashamed of their culture, they allow themselves to go along and be defined by the status quo.

Like all injustices in society, change was not easy. With several professional women relocating to other areas of the state, it was time for Buffalo’s Latin women, especially those with strong leadership skills, and who would not sell out to the “status quo” to speak out on behalf of their Latin community. In September 1979, the formation of the Hispanic Women’s League became official. The first officers were unanimously elected:

Lillian G. Orsini, first president, Carmen Del Valle, vice president, Sarah Norat, treasurer, and Maria Rosa, secretary. That day “Herstory” was made in Buffalo. They came from all walks of life but not one hesitated to carry this torch.

While these officers were the leaders, it was a reflection of the many who counted on them. There are many who ask what has the Latin population contributed to society as well as younger women questioning what the women’s league has done: we proudly stood up while many others stayed seated, we courageously faced the unknown social consequences, and marked a place and time in a hostile society that can never be erased.

It took an United States president in 1980, to publicly acknowledge women’s social contribution, the Hispanic Women’s League started in 1979, in Buffalo. While the legacy belongs to a few, its continuation belongs to many.

May we in the local Puerto Rican /Latin community recognize and acknowledge the past and present contributions of the Hispanic Women’s League and what is to come in the coming years.

Enjoy the month of March!