Sánchez Korrol, Virginia 1936–

(Virginia E. Sánchez-Korrol, Virginia Sanchez-Korrol)

PERSONAL: Born August 27, 1936, in New York, NY; daughter of Antonio Sánchez Feliciano (a railroad laborer) and Elisa (a homemaker) Rodríguez; married Charles R. Korrol (a physician); children: Pamela Jill, Lauren Ruth. Ethnicity: "Puerto Rican." Education: Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, B.A., 1960, and graduate study; attended Chicago Teachers College; State University of New York at Stony Brook, M.A. and Ph.D. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, swimming, movies and theater, home decorating.

ADDRESSES: Office—Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, professor of history, Claire and Leonard Tow Professor, 1997, past head of department of Puerto Rican Studies, coordinator of Caribbean studies, 1982–84, coordinator of studies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, 1988–90, and codirector of Center for Latino studies. Named centennial historian of the city of New York, 1999; consultant to Steeplechase Films for a film titled New York, a Documentary, and to educational bodies historical societies, and urban municipal agencies.

MEMBER: American Historical Association, Latin American Studies Association, Puerto Rican Studies Association (founding president), Organization of American Historians (distinguished lecturer, 2003–09), Phi Kappa Phi.

AWARDS, HONORS: Ford Foundation fellowships, 1987, 2001, 2005; named woman of the year, Latina magazine, 2000; Presidential Award for Excellence in Higher Education, Boricua College, 2000; grant from National Endowment for the Humanities, 2000; Outstanding Latina Faculty Award, Hispanic Caucus, American Association of Higher Education, 2001.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with Clara E. Rodríguez and José Oscar Alers, and contributor) The Puerto Rican Struggle: Essays on Survival in the United States, Puerto Rican Migration Consortium (New York City), 1980, Waterfront Press (Maplewood, NJ), 1984.

From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City, 1917–1948, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1983, 2nd edition published as From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City, University of California Press (Berkeley, CA), 1994.

(Editor, with Edna Acosta-Belén, and coauthor of introduction) Jesús Colón, The Way It Was and Other Writings: Historical Vignettes about the New York Puerto Rican Community, Arte Público Press (Houston, TX), 1993.

(Associate editor and contributor) Encyclopedia of New York City, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT), 1995.

(Editor, with Clara E. Rodríguez) Historical Perspectives on Puerto Rican Survival in the United States, Markus Wiener (Princeton, NJ), 1996.

(Editor, with María Herrera-Sobek) Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage, Volume 3, Arte Público Press (Houston, TX), 1998.

(With Marysa Navarro and Kecia Ali) Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: Restoring Women to History, Indiana University Press (Bloomington, IN), 1999.

Teaching U.S. Puerto Rican History, American Historical Association (Washington, DC), 1999.

(Editor, with Vicki L. Ruiz) Latina Legacies: Identity, Biography, and Community, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2005.

(Editor, with Vicki L. Ruiz) Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia, three volumes, Indiana University Press (Bloomington, IN), 2006.

Contributor to more than thirty books, including Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History, edited by Vicki L. Ruiz and Ellen DuBois, 1990. Author of numerous essays and book reviews on Latino topics.

SIDELIGHTS: Virginia Sánchez Korrol told CA: "My primary motivation for writing stems from my profession as a historian, but in recent years has evolved into more creative writing as I seek to combine history with my personal and professional experiences.

"Fiction and nonfiction writing has particularly influenced my work, especially writings by or about Latinos, Latinas, historical novels, and the works of Latin American writers.

"My writing process tends to be very slow, with sudden spurts of motivation. The process can be painful, especially when there is a lack of inspiration, but once an idea takes hold, I love the thrill and excitement of building a story.

"I've chosen to write about the history of Puerto Ricans and the Latino/Latina experience in the United States because I've lamented the lack of information in American textbooks on these groups who have been so vital in shaping the United States. My focus has been comprehensive, however, because I view the experiences as a fusion of both American and Latin American influences."