I had a great visit to SUNY-Fredonia where I helped kick off their Hispanic Heritage Month festivities. Before the opening ceremonies where I spoke, I had the privilege of having lunch with some really fabulous students who were provocative and insightful. Lots of interesting discussion was had, but perhaps my favorite was the conversation they were having when I walked in the door about Disney movies and the way they cast women. How many Disney movies give the message that the girl must be saved, and how often is she saved by a male character? Where are the mothers in Disney movies? And what about the physical images of these cartoon girls and women? All very interesting stuff.
The opening ceremonies consisted of a great Spanish meal, some opening remarks on my end on why we celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, and then I did a presentation of 10 interesting things that I discovered while researching Hijas (I revealed one of those things on-line last week). I met some fabulous students at the book signing afterwards and just loved my visit. It was an honor to be a part of such a lovely event, and I was heartened to see so many students turn out for it– from all types of backgrounds. Every now and again, I get discouraged about the state of the world and then I run into students like the ones I met in Fredonia, and I am heartened again.
