Out of that Particular Meeting

by Margarita Vargas

IREWG, the Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender, has been valuable to me and to others here at UB.

I was very impressed with Vicki Ruiz, professor of Chicano and Chicana studies at Arizona State, when she came to speak at UB in March 1998. I hadn't done a lot of work with Latino/Latina Studies, so I did not know her work before IREWG brought her. Her presence and lecture marked the beginning of a series of visits by other renowned U.S. Latinos, including Richard Rodrmguez, Suzanne Oboler, and Antonio Benmtez-Rojo.

Professor Ruiz talked about the experiences of immigrants in the U.S. She also spoke about Mexicans who had lived in what is now known as the United States all their lives: their experiences in becoming U.S. citizens; the treaty of Guadalupe; the questions of identity that arise when you suddenly belong to another country, but you're in what you always assumed was your own country.

In terms of connections, what happened out of that particular meeting was the relationship that she established with a graduate student at UB, Janine Santiago. Vicki Ruiz has been able to give Janine support to continue with her dissertation and to be a more active member of the American Studies Association. Janine has also worked in the Buffalo community for Hispanos Unidos, and for 2000-2001 she's the president for UB's Graduate Student Association.