The Office of Multicultural Life will be hosting two events in conjunction with national Women's History Month.
The Office of Multicultural Life will be hosting two events in conjunction with national Women's History Month.
The program "Latinas Maravillosas" will be featured on Thursday, March 25, at 4 p.m. in the Maas Center conference room. The seventh annual "Women of Color Celebration" will be held on Wednesday, March 31, at 5 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium, and will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Wynetta Devore, who is retired from the Syracuse University social work faculty and is a 1951 Hope graduate.
Admission is free to the March 25 event. There is an admission charge for the March 31 "Women of Color Celebration," which includes dinner.
"Latinas Maravillosas" will depict through monologues the stories of five Latinas who have had a significant impact on American society. The program will be led by Dr. Lorna Hernandez Jarvis, who is an associate professor of psychology at Hope.
The theme of the "Women of Color Celebration" is "The Strength Within." In addition to keynote address and meal, the event will include testimonials by Hope students concerning the challenges they faced as students as well as strategies they employed to succeed.
Admission to the celebration is $7.50 for the general public, $4.50 for Hope students not on the college's meal plan and $2.50 for Hope students using the meal plan. Tickets must be purchased in advance by Friday, March 26, and are available during weekday business hours. They will be on sale at the Student Union Desk in the DeWitt Center on Monday-Friday, March 22-26.
Devore retired in 1998 as professor emerita of social work in the College of Human Services and Health Professions at Syracuse University in New York. She had taught at the the university since 1980, previously holding appointments at Kean College of New Jersey and Rutgers University.
Her publications include the book "Ethnic-Sensitive Social Work Practice," co-authored with Elfriede G. Schlesinger, which is currently in its fifth edition. She has made numerous presentations at professional conferences, and has written several scholarly articles, book chapters and book reviews.
Devore's activities in retirement have included serving on the Board of Directors of Covenant Housing Corporation, which works to provide affordable, safe housing to people with disabilities and special needs, since 1998. She has also conducted mission work in South African Townships.
She received Syracuse University's "Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement" in 1996. In 2003, she received an "Above and Beyond" Award from the InterReligious Council (IRC) Central New York in recognition of her contributions while serving Covenant.
Devore came to Hope from Metuchen, N.J., and graduated with an English major. Among other activities, including the Dorian sorority, she participated in a group of African-American and African students who spoke to groups in Holland.
She completed her Master of Social Work degree in 1964 and her Ed.D. in 1980, both at Rutgers University.
The Hope students who will be speaking during the celebration will include Aiyanna Byrd of Columbus, Ohio; Mona El-Shamaa of Greenville; and Susana Rodriguez of Chesterton, Ind.
The DeWitt Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street, and the Student Union Desk is located in the building's main-floor collegiate lounge. The Maas Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street.