Women’s History Month kicked off with a pair of celebratory events held at Monroe College in Fordham Manor and at Jacobi Hospital in Morris Park, following International Women’s Day on March 8.

 

On March 9, Mayor Eric Adams was expected to speak at the “My Sister’s Keeper Female Empowerment Conference,” held in the Mintz auditorium of Monroe College, located at 2501 Jerome Avenue. However, the mayor reportedly cancelled at the last minute.

 

Judging by the reaction of the crowd of young, female, high-school students in attendance, they did not appear to be too disappointed, however. Stepping in for Adams was New York City deputy mayor for special initiatives, Sheena Wright. Following an introduction by Monroe College president, Marc Jerome, Wright told the energetic crowd, “The mayor, um, could not join us this morning, but he sent me in his stead, and I have to tell you I could not be more happy to be here. I’m from the “boogie-down” Bronx, okay? This is where I am from, and that’s who I am.”

 

Referring to District 14 City Councilwoman, Pierina Sanchez, who also was in attendance, Wright continued, “I started my career and my life much like our councilwoman here, growing up in the South Bronx, the daughter of a teenage mom.” Wright, who before becoming deputy mayor was the first female CEO of the United Way, recalled how she had earned a scholarship at a prestigious school. She went on to recount a story of an encounter she had had with a fellow male student, who reportedly said, “You’re Black. You’re a woman, and you’re from the South Bronx. Isn’t that, like, having three strikes?”

The remark drew gasps from across the room. Wright continued, “I said, ‘I don’t know much about baseball, but three strikes sounds like you’re out.’ And I said, why am I captain of the cross-country team? Why am I at the top of the class?… It sounds like being Black and being a woman and being from the South Bronx makes that being an advantage.”

 

Wright added, “But what he also needed to know was being White, male and from a financially privileged background, he was born on third-base. He didn’t run those bases. He was born there, so that is also what you need to know. Whatever room that you walk into, and you might think that you might not belong, you absolutely belong!”

 

Attendees at the event comprised more than 150 students from a half dozen or so local, Bronx high schools, including Harry S. Truman, Celia Cruz, Fordham Heights School for the Arts and Bronx Initiative. As reported, a similar event, entitled “My Brother’s Keeper” was also held at the college a few weeks earlier.

 

For her part, recently elected council member, Sanchez, spoke to the young students about the importance of maintaining short and long-term goals in life. “What do I want to do, and what’s the mark I want to leave on the world?” she asked them. Referring to the steps she took, and the milestones accomplished throughout her own career to date, Sanchez concluded, “I kid you not. We’re at the 10-year mark right now.”

“Every single one of those steps… I got my masters, I made a lot more money, then I started off in a consulting job, I worked for the mayor, I worked for the White House with President [Barack] Obama, but, the biggest honor of my life is to represent my community that raised me here in The Bronx, in the very hood I call home!”

 

Joy Tolliver, vice president of governmental relations and general counsel at Monroe, later told the crowd, “We are not just celebrating ‘My Sister’s Keeper,’ but also Women’s History Month. We are here today because we are going to be inspired! We are going to be empowered! We’re going to talk about the importance of our health, mentally, physically…financially.” Other speakers at the conference included psychotherapist, Nygera Pierson Mutis, and Mark Smith, senior vice president at Wells Fargo.

 

On the same day, Jacobi Hospital kicked off a Women’s History Month photo exhibit with accompanying biographies of 38 women, including secretary of the U.S. treasury, Janet Yellen, astronaut, Christina Koch, and FDNY deputy chief, Tonya Boyd. The displays are open to the public in Building 4 and Building 8 at Jacobi hospital until the end of March.

 

Meanwhile, coinciding with the opening of the Women’s History Month photo display was a live performance for visitors to Building 8. Local jazz band, “Ronald McDonald House: Musical Magic,” featured Longwood resident, Hanka Gregusova, and the band’s drummer and pianist are also Bronx residents.

 

Gregusova later told Norwood News, “The concert theme was ‘Women Who Rock.’ I sang songs by famous singers, and talked about their careers and life,” Gregusova said. She added that she has a record coming out later this year entitled, “Universal Ancestry.” On it, she collaborated with 14 Grammy winners or nominees in the Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Gospel categories, and she said all the collaborators are residents of the New York City metro area.

 

The day ended with a collaboration between Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and the New York Botanical Garden. Together, they hosted a “Women’s HerStory” event that included a self-guided tour of The Orchid Show.”

According to its website, “International Women’s Day [March 8] is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. The first gathering for International Women’s Day was held in 1911 and the day is currently celebrated by over one million people, worldwide.

 

In The Bronx, history was made last year with the election of then-Councilmember Vanessa Gibson as the first ever female Bronx Borough President and the first African American Bronx Borough President. Her deputy, Janet Peguero, also made history, as reported, by becoming the first Dominican immigrant to be appointed Bronx deputy borough president.

 

Indeed, sisters have definitely been “doing it for themselves” in the borough for some time with the appointment of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark in 2016. She is the first woman in that position and the first African-American woman to be elected a district attorney in New York State. She was re-elected to a second term in 2019.

 

Last year, The Bronx made more strides in electing a greater share of female City Council members to Bronx seats than before, with five out of the nine Bronx City Council seats now held by women. Diana Ayala’s District 8 seat spans parts of Manhattan.

 

In the State Senate, Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34) is the sole female representative for the Bronx out of five State senators. As reported, she is currently running for Congress in NY-3. In the State Assembly, women comprise the majority of Bronx assembly members, with six female assembly members out of 11, following the recent election of Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia in A.D. 86.

 

In Congress, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) is the sole female representative for the borough, out of a total of four Congress members.

Commissioner Nigro leaves big shoes to fill and Acting Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh is up to the task. She's a born leader who will guide this department with distinction.

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) February 16, 2022

At Community Board (CB) level, of the 12 Bronx community boards, just two have female district managers appointed to them, including local district manager of Bronx CB7, Ischia Bravo. The other is Ciara Gannon on CB8. (Three district manager positions are currently vacant according to information on the Bronx borough president’s website.)

 

At Bronx Supreme Court, the Hon. Doris M. Gonzalez oversees the civil court, while the Hon. Julio Rodriguez III oversees the criminal court.

 

At Fordham University, as reported, Tania Tetlow will become the 33rd president of the University, later this year. In doing so, she will become both the first woman and the first lay-person to lead the university in its 181-year history. Most other universities in the borough are lead by men.

 

Last October, Norwood News also reported on event celebrating the latest edition to the “Rebel Girls” book series during an outdoor book launch, held on Saturday, Oct. 2, at The Lit. Bar bookstore in Mott Haven.

 

For more information about the day, log onto the website: https://www.internationalwomensday.com. For additional resources from the Library of Congress and a list of online events for the remainder of the month, visit https://womenshistorymonth.gov.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.