Letter of Welcome

Dear students, colleagues, staff, and friends,

Welcome! Once again it is March, or as we affectionately know it here at UTSA, it is that exciting month where all the events by, for, and about women happen on campus - Women's History Month 2008! It is time to celebrate and acknowledge the many accomplishments of women's histories and women's stories, as well as recognizing the many struggles and obstacles that women challenge daily. Our many events are offered as opportunities for learning and the creation of dialogues on the important ways that gender shapes our lives and experiences.

This year you may see our Women's History Month signs on campus and think, "Why did they use that bathroom sign for their poster?" We used our poster as an opportunity to play with a common image we encounter daily. How often do we see the gender signs on the bathroom doors and walk past them without thinking? How do we begin to think about ways in which these common signs influence how we think about gender? The poster for 2008 engages what we would commonly think of as an innocuous sign for women and fills it with the many identities that the original sign erases, silences, or simply fails to voice. Maybe a bathroom sign isn't "that deep" but this year's poster is about evidencing the complexities of women's multiple and simultaneous identities. When we consider our many identities, there is no doubt about the significance of our permanent Women's History Month theme, "Testimonios: Telling Our Stores."

Towards that effort, we invite you to look at the calendar and choose events where you can listen to such stories. While our calendar includes many exciting events, we would like to highlight a few here. First, please join us for our opening reception on March 4, 2008, where we will acknowledge the many contributions of writer and activist Angela de Hoyos with the first ever WSI Lifetime Achievement Award. De Hoyos is a renowned local poet whose writings helped shape contemporary Chicana/o Literature. Another great event is the Women's Festival on Wednesday the 26th where the UTSA community can spend the day finding out more about San Antonio area women's organizations and resources. Finally, we enthusiastically invite you to the new Women's Resource Center Openhouse and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Monday, March 24th. The co-directors of the center will be glad to show you around the new space!

Please take advantage of the many opportunities made possible by the work of the Women's History Month Committee and Women's Studies Institute staff.

In solidarity,

Patricia Trujillo and Catherine Nolan-Ferrell

Co-Chairs, Women’s History Month 2008