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Women’s NYC

Women’s NYC is full of incredible people. Many are leaders in their industries, businesses, communities, and families.

Women are the primary guardians of the family and of culture. The best thing men can do for themselves and their children, is to empower the women in their lives.

Women’s NYC News

March 23, 2022

Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

Women’s Jazz

Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans, with guests Randy Brecker and Ada Rovatti, play Brazilian and Latin Jazz and Salsa at Hostos Center in Mott Haven, The Bronx on Sat, Apr 2 at 8pm. Live $20 ($5 students). Streaming $10. cuny.edu 🇧🇷🇮🇹🇳🇮

Latin

Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans
with Randy Brecker & Ada Rovatti
rock Hostos with Women’s Jazz

Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans (Angel Rosado/Hostos)
Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans (Angel Rosado/Hostos) cuny.edu 🇧🇷🇮🇹🇳🇮

Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans, with guests Randy Brecker and Ada Rovatti, play Brazilian and Latin Jazz and Salsa at Hostos Center in Mott Haven, The Bronx on Sat, Apr 2 at 8pm. Live $20 ($5 students). Streaming $10. cuny.edu 🇧🇷🇮🇹🇳🇮

This concert has some serious heavy hitters. It is Latin music (Jazz, Salsa, Samba), but the artists have storied backgrounds in American Rock.

Annette A. Aguilar is an exceptional Jazz percussionist, bandleader, producer and educator in New York City. She is a little bit of everything. Classically trained, of Nicaraguan descent, Aguilar came up in San Francisco’s 1960s Rock scene. She played with people like the Grateful Dead, and members of Santana.

Brazilian Jazz is another part of her sound. In New York, Aguilar founded the Women in Latin Jazz Festival and is a U.S. State Department Latin Jazz Ambassador. She teaches in the East Village and Our Beautiful Bronx where she is much loved and respected. Women are the guardians of culture, and Annette A. Aguilar is a serious drummer. It is still unusual, but in the 1960s, a woman drummer was exceptional.

Randy Brecker is a seven-Grammy winning Jazz and Rock trumpeter (Blood, Sweat & Tears; Jazz Messengers; Eliane Elias). Ada Rovatti is an Italian Jazz saxophonist and regular Brecker collaborator.

Women's NYC, Dolores del Rio, first Latina Hollywood star (Public Domain/Wikimedia)
Women’s NYC, Dolores del Rio, first Latina Hollywood star (Public Domain/Wikimedia)

Women’s New York City

These organizations are for women or run by women.

Strong Caribbean Woman Needs a Bone Marrow Donor

Ama Rios PICC Flow Suite Latin Alternative (the artist)
Ama Rios PICC Flow Suite Latin Alternative (the artist)

March 15, Santurce, San Juan ~ Check out Ama Rios PICC Flow, the lead single of the “PICC Flow Suite” by the Puerto Rican percussionist, composer and leader who was Puerto Rico’s first Bomba lead drummer. Because Bomba is a flirty game between a dancer and the lead drummer, this was a very big deal in a traditional culture.

Ama is now finding her way through chemotherapy for Leukemia. She is responding really well, but the treatments are tiring and expensive. So Ama is making music from her hospital bed. It’s some of her best work and an inspiration for anyone going through chemotherapy.

Ama means love. She is a great musician and one courageous Caribbean woman. She is respected and loved across Puerto Rico’s drum communities. Ama t-shirts are some of the hottest gear in Puerto Rico right now. Let’s find Ama a bone marrow donor. The donor must be Latino. Find out how you can help Ama recover at amariosmusic.com 🇵🇷

The Year in Women’s NYC

January in Women’s NYC

2022

On January 1, celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, and the divinity of mother and child. 🇮🇹

On January 3, 1905, Wong Liu-tsong (Anna May Wong), the first Asian American Hollywood star, was born in Los Angeles, California. 🇺🇸

On January 24, 1925, Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina, and the dancer who popularized “The Nutcracker,” was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma. 🇺🇸

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February in Women’s NYC

February is Black History Month.

On February 2

  • Celebrate Our Lady of Candelaria, patron saint of Tenerife, Canary Islands and the African Diaspora. 🇪🇸
  • Celebrate Oyá, the Yoruba warrior orisha of winds and storms. 🇨🇺
  • Celebrate Atabey, the Indigenous Taíno great mother goddess. 🇵🇷
  • Shakira, the Colombian Pop singer, was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. 🇨🇴

On February 4, 1913, Rosa Parks, “The Mother of the Freedom Movement,” was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. 🇺🇸

On February 15, 1968, Gloria Trevi, “The Mexican Madonna,” was born in Monterrey, Mexico. 🇲🇽

On February 17, 1914, Julia de Burgos, the Puerto Rican poet and women’s rights activist was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷

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March in Women’s NYC

March is Women’s History Month.

International Women’s Day

Celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8! #BreakTheBias 🇺🇳

Purim

Celebrate Purim and the courage of Jewish Persian Queen Esther, on Wed-Thu, Mar 16-17. ✡️

On March 19, 1960, Eliane Elias, the multi Grammy-winning Brazilian Jazz pianist was born in São Paulo, Brazil. 🇧🇷

Endea Owens celebrates women Jazz composers at the 30th Women’s Jazz Festival at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, on Mon, Mar 21 at 7pm. $35. 🇺🇸

On March 25, celebrate the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear a child. 🇮🇹

On March 28,

  • Lady Gaga, the Italian American actress and Pop star, was born in Lenox Hill in the Upper East Side. 🇮🇹
  • In 1953, Nydia Velázquez, the U.S. Representative of New York’s 7th Congressional District, was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷

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April in Women’s NYC

2022

Lila Downs

Lila Downs sings Regional Mexican Pop at Sony Hall in the Times Square Theater District on Tue, Apr 19 at 8pm. (6pm doors). From $62. 🇲🇽

On April 17, remember Chavela Vargas who didn’t just sing Mexican Rancheras, she lived them. 🇲🇽🏳️‍🌈

On April 22, celebrate Mother Earth Day and the environmental movement.

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is Thu, Apr 28. 🇺🇸

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May in Women’s NYC

2022

On May 7, “Evita,” Eva Perón, icon of Argentina, was born in Los Toldos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 🇦🇷

On Sun, May 8, 2022, Happy Mother’s Day!

On May 10, celebrate Día de las Madres, Mexican mother’s day. 🇲🇽

On May 13, celebrate Our Lady of Fátima, patron saint of Fátima, Portugal. 🇵🇹

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June in Women’s NYC

June is NYC Pride month.

On June 27, celebrate Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patron saint of Haiti. 🇭🇹

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July in Women’s NYC

2022

On July 6, 1907, Frida Kahlo, surrealist painter and global icon of women, was born in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico. 🇲🇽

On July 9, celebrate Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, patron saint of Colombia. 🇨🇴

On July 24, 1969, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez (JLo) was born in Castle Hill, The Bronx. 🇵🇷

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August in Women’s NYC

2022

On August 1, celebrate Pachamama, the Andean Mother Earth, and Andean new year. 🇦🇷🇨🇱🇧🇴🇪🇨🇵🇪

On August 3, 1904, Dolores del Rio, the first Latina Hollywood star, was born in Durango, Mexico. 🇲🇽

On August 15, celebrate the Assumption of Mary and the divinity of women. In Catholic Western Europe, this marks the start of the summer holidays. 🇮🇹

On August 18, celebrate the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by protecting all women’s right to vote. 🇺🇸

On August 22, celebrate the Queenship of Mary, when she was accepted into heaven. 🇮🇹

On August 23, 1915, Graciela Grillo, the legendary singer of Machito and his Afro-Cubans, was born in Jesús María, Havana, Cuba. 🇨🇺

On August 26, 1971, Thalía, “The Queen of Latin Pop,” was born in Mexico City, Mexico. 🇲🇽

On August 28, remember the loss, pain, and courage of Mamie Till, and so many other mothers of color. 🇺🇸

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September in Women’s NYC

2022

On September 7

  • Celebrate Yemayá, the great mother orisha of the sea. 🇨🇺
  • Celebrate Our Lady of Reglá, patron saint of Reglá, Habana, Cuba. 🇨🇺

On September 8

On September 24, celebrate Obatalá, the female/male orisha, creator of Mother Earth, and sculptor of humankind. 🇨🇺

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October in Women’s NYC

2022

On October 13, 1989, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the U.S. Representative of New York’s 14th congressional district, was born in Parkchester, The Bronx. 🇵🇷

On October 21, 1925, Celia Cruz, the “Queen of Salsa” was born in Santos Suárez, La Habana, Cuba. 🇨🇺

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November in Women’s NYC

2022

On November 19, celebrate Our Lady of Providence, patron saint of Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷

On November 25, the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women commemorates the murder of the Mirabal Sisters “Las Mariposas” by Dictator Trujillo. 🇩🇴

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December in Women’s NYC

2022

Las Mañanitas

Join the Mexican celebration of Las Mañanitas a Nuestra Virgen de Guadalupe (her birthday eve) at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown on December 11. 🇲🇽

On the night of December 7, celebrate Día de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles), the night when the people lit candles in hope that the Church would acknowledge the Immaculate Conception. 🇨🇴

On December 8, celebrate the Immaculate Conception, and the divinity of women. 🇮🇹

On December 12, celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, icon of Indigenous-European blending and patron saint of Mexico. 🇲🇽

On December 23, 1936, La Lupe, the legendary Bolero singer, was born in Santiago de Cuba. 🇨🇺

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Women’s Empowerment

The Indigenous Americas, Mother Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America have traditions of strong women, even warriors. In the USA, women of color lead the effort to hold us to the American values expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Some of New York City’s and America’s most famous politicians are women.

2% economic growth feels good, but a 2% decline feels terrible. Any people who keeps 50% of their population down cannot succeed in today’s world.

The Latin world is famous for its “machista” male chauvinism, but real men empower the women in their lives. When barriers are removed, women often outperform men.

Women play vital roles as guardians of the family, and guardians of culture. One of the smartest things men can do for themselves, and their children, is to empower the women in their lives.

Few forces change the world so much as education and the empowerment of women.”

Nicholas Kristof, “This Has Been the Best Year Ever,” New York Times, 2019

In Christianity, the Virgin Mary in all her forms, expresses the divinity of women. She is the patron saint of many countries and towns. Interestingly, her veneration didn’t come from the Church. The people demanded it, and the Church accepted.

Africa is Mother, the mother of all humanity.

Women are the Guardians of Culture

Women are the guardians of culture. The Brazilian Mother of Samba, Tia Ciata is the tell. She brought her Samba traditions from the Bahia heartland to Rio de Janeiro in 1876. At the time Samba (like all Latin music) was repressed. It could get you beaten, arrested or worse.

Tia Ciata’s house in Rio’s Little Africa was famous for its never-ending parties. She fooled the authorities by putting European style Choro bands in the front of the house while Samba drum, song and dance traditions carried on in the backyard.

When the President of Brazil, Veceslau Bres (1914-18) visited Tia Ciata for help with a leg infection that no doctors could cure, she used her knowledge of medicinal plants to cure him in just a few days. [Women hold this knowledge.]

In the 1930s, looking for ways to unite a diverse country, the Brazilian government chose Samba as the national culture of Brazil. The government began sponsoring Samba contests. These evolved into Brazilian Carnival, the world’s biggest and most famous Carnival.

None of this would have happened without Tia Ciata, the Mother of Samba.

Women of New York City

Women of the World

Women’s Contributions Are Essential

Women's NYC (© Rawpixel/Dreamstime)
Women’s NYC (© Rawpixel/Dreamstime)

Women are about 50% of human kind. The economy feels good when it goes up 1 or 2%. The economy feels bad when it goes down 1 or 2%. You can’t succeed in modern life by marginalizing 50% of your people.

Many Latin cultures are very machista (male chauvinist). That doesn’t work in the United States and it doesn’t really work anywhere. It’s time to grow up.

A world map of countries suffering from war and poverty correlates strongly with a map of countries that marginalize women.

Women play an especially important role in raising and teaching children. Building a good future for women, builds a good future for all of us.

Ethel Waters, You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down

Ethel Waters (1929) was the first African-American woman on Broadway (© Everett Collection/Adobe)
Ethel Waters (1929) was the first African-American woman on Broadway (© Everett Collection/Adobe)

Ethel Waters (1917-1977) was one of those never-ending talents who had a most amazing career. She started working as a teenager singing the Blues in the 1920s. She sang for Black Swan records in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance. Fletcher Henderson was her accompanist. Waters was the highest-paid Black recording artist of the time.

She recorded for Paramount and Columbia. She did vaudeville which was the MTV or YouTube of the day. She made movies. She starred at the Cotton Club.

Waters became the first Black woman on Broadway in the 1930s. She became the highest-paid Broadway performer. She was nominated for an Academy Award for a song.

In 1939 Waters became the first African American to star in her own television show. In 1949, she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. In 1950 she won a New York Drama Critics Circle Award and also became the first African-American actress to star in her own series.

No doubt the work was hard. We are just now trying to deal with systemic racism. See how hard it is? Imagine how tough it was back then.

But Ethel Waters’ indomitable spirit just goes to show you that you can’t keep a good woman down.

Previously

En el tiempo de las mariposas, Repertorio Español’s version of the Julia Álvarez drama about the legendary Mirabal Sisters, is at Harlem Stage in Manhattanville, Harlem on Wed, Mar 23 at 1pm & 7:30pm. Free. 🇩🇴

All-women Latin Alternative band Mestizas (Berklee) celebrates their album release at Drom in the East Village on Wed, Mar 16 at 7pm (6:30pm doors). From $15.

Colombian singer Maria Raquel plays Jazz at The Django in Tribeca on Tue, Mar 15 from 10pm – 12:30am. 🇨🇴

Renée Neufvill and Laurin Talese play the 30th Women’s Jazz Festival at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, on Mon, Mar 14 at 7pm. $35. 🇺🇸

Renée Neufvill and Laurin Talese play the 30th Women’s Jazz Festival at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, on Mon, Mar 14 at 7pm. $35. 🇺🇸

Enjoy an Afrifemme family afternoon of art therapy, fashion design, and Bomba Puertorriqueña by Bombazo Dance Co, for the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) at The Shabazz Center in Washington Heights, on Sat, Mar 12 from 1-5pm. Free with registration. 🇵🇷

Celebrate International Women’s Day on Tue, Mar 8! #BreakTheBias

Alicia Waller & The Excursion play the 30th Women’s Jazz Festival at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, on Mon, Mar 7 at 7pm. $35. nypl.org 🇺🇸

December 2021

Kara Walker: Prince McVeigh and the Turner Blasphemies examines American mythmaking at Sikkema Jenkins in Chelsea to Sat, Dec 18. 🇺🇸

November 2021

All-woman band Cocomama plays Latin Jazz at Birdland in Hell’s Kitchen on Sun, Nov 28 at 5:30pm. From $20. Cocomama sounds so sweet! cocomamamusic.com

Remember the Mirabal Sisters “Las Mariposas” who were murdered by the dictator Trujillo on what is now the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Thu, Nov 25. [Real men don’t hurt women.] 🇩🇴

Berta Rojas (Guillermo Fridman/92nd Street Y)

Paraguayan classical guitar legend Berta Rojas pays homage to pioneering French and Argentine female guitarists on Sat, Nov 20 at 8pm. From $20. 92y.org 🇵🇾|🇫🇷🇦🇷🇧🇷

Scherezade Garcia: Stories of Wonder: When the Sea is my Land is at Praxis in Chelsea to Nov 13. praxis-art.com 🇩🇴

Daymé Arocena (Pablo Dewin/World Music Institute)

Daymé Arocena sings Cuban Jazz for the World Music Institute Women’s Voices Series at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village on Thu, Nov 11. From $25. worldmusicinstitute.org 🇨🇺

Eva Davidova Global Mode Omnívoros is a mind-bending digital installation at Instituto Cervantes in Midtown East to Nov 10. 🇪🇸

La India joins Tony Succar for Latin Grammy winning Salsa at The Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth, New Jersey on Sat, Nov 6. 🇵🇷

Xiomara Laugart sings Cuban Jazz at Mi Salsa Kitchen in the Lower East Side, Fridays at 8pm. 🇨🇺

Rosario Flores sings Flamenco Pop at The Town Hall in Midtown on Thu, Nov 4.🇪🇸

Diana: The Musical, the Diana Ross story, returns to previews at the Longacre Nov 2 for a Nov 17 opening. From $49. thedianamusical.com 🇺🇸

On Tue, Nov 2, remember Mictlancihuatl, Aztec Goddess of the Underworld and Catrina La Calavera Garbancera, the Queen of the Day of the Dead. 🇲🇽🇲🇽

Remember Atabey, the supreme Taíno goddess at the start of Puerto Rican Heritage Month on Mon, Nov 1. 🇵🇷

Latin

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