Thank you for joining us on Thursday, April 8th, for an evening to celebrate women!
Here’s a recording of the event in case you missed it.
Screening
Film Description
Told through compelling lives of five courageous Haitian women workers, Poto Mitan gives the global economy a human face. Each woman’s personal story explains neoliberal globalization, how it is gendered, and how it impacts Haiti: inhumane working/living conditions, violence, poverty, lack of education, and poor health care. While Poto Mitan offers in-depth understanding of Haiti, its focus on women’s subjugation, worker exploitation, poverty, and resistance demonstrates these are global struggles. Finally, through their collective activism, these women demonstrate that despite monumental obstacles in a poor country like Haiti, collective action makes change possible.
Mark Schuller is Professor of Anthropology and Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and affiliate at the Faculté d’Ethnologie, l’Université d’État d’Haïti. He was also Assistant Professor of African American Studies and Anthropology at York College, City University of New York, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Vassar College.
Author and co-editor of eight books, including Humanity’s Last Stand (2021), Schuller has written over 40 book chapters and peer-reviewed articles in addition to publishing in public media such as Huffington Post, Counterpunch, Common Dreams, and the Center for International Policy. Schuller is also the co-producer and co-director of the documentary Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy (2009). Schuller’s research focuses on understanding contemporary Haiti and contributes to theories of globalization, NGOs, civil society, and development.
Winner of the APLA paper prize and recipient of the Margaret Mead Award and the Anthropology in Media Award, Schuller is president of the Haitian Studies Association and the United Faculty Alliance, NIU’s faculty union.
Patricia Brintle
A self-taught artist, Patricia Brintle was born and raised in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1964. Although she has made the U.S. her residence, her colorful style reflects her native land. Brintle’s work is influenced both by personal and social experiences, addressing strong issues such as nuclear disarmament, the Holocaust, and the Haitian earthquake. Brintle belongs to several art organizations and exhibits internationally. Several of her artworks belong to permanent museum collections and were also featured in 2015 Golden Globe nominee film “Saint Vincent” with Bill Murray and in 2015 National Geographic feature film “Killing Jesus.”
Brintle is also the president of From Here to Haiti, Ltd. (FHTH), a non-profit all-volunteer charity doing repair work in Haiti, and donates most of the proceeds from the sale of her artworks to FHTH.
——Poetry reading ——
Kimberly Nguyen
Kimberly Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American poet and the author of I Am Made of War, flesh, and ghosts in the stalks. She is a recent graduate of Vassar College and a recipient of the Beatrice Daw Brown Prize for excellence in poetry and a Best of the Net nomination. Her work has been featured in multiple journals including diaCRITICS, Project Yellow Dress, and Sin Fronteras Journal. In addition to poetry, Kimberly was also a journalist at The Miscellany News, where her articles have garnered attention in the community as a form of activism and have been a catalyst for institutional change. She aspires to be a full-time poet and eventually wants to hold an advanced degree in poetry.