Friday, March 23, 2007

The 2007 Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Awards

I wish all of you could have been at the Women of Achievement Awards Ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts last night. It was amazing! I loved the piece on the history or Sor Juana that my friend Angie Moreno did for Radio Pacifica for Women's History month. I loved the performance/reading of Sor Juana's work by actress Diana Bracho. The performance by Mercury Baroque was beautiful. And finally the women who were honored last night brought me to tears.

Each of them was unique in their achievement and they made me proud to be una mujer Mexicana-Americana. Congratulations to all the winners: Patricia Dominguez, Rosanna Moreno, Dr. Agustina Reyes, Gracie Saenz, Alice Valdez and Julita Rincon. You go girls!

Thanks to the National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago) for bringing this event to Houston and to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston for hosting it!

Check out the rest of the events this month and show your support to Mexican women. http://nuestrapalabra.org/pdf/SorJuanaFestBrochure.pdf

I have loved learning about Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. I must admit that the only thing I ever knew about her before this festival was that she was a nun and a writer. I had no idea that in the 17th century the only way a woman could pursue an education freely was to become a nun. Women who did not want to get married and wanted more personal freedom actually became nuns. Ironically, it was the Church that in the end silenced her when they decided that she had become too outspoken in regards to a woman's right to education. Sor Juana's response to the criticism she received is considered the first feminist manifesto of the Americas.

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