Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 Everett honors Brazilian community with annual flag raising T By Christopher Roberson he Brazilian Flag was recently raised beside City Hall in recognition of the country’s 199th anniversary of independence. “It is a symbol of the Brazilian community’s strength, perseverance and pride,” Mayor Carlo DeMaria said of the country’s flag during the second annual Brazilian Flag Raising ceremony on September 7. He said Brazil’s struggle for independence began when the Peninsula War broke out in Portugal in 1808. At the time, King Shown from left to right are Ward 2 Councillor Stephanie Martins, Ward 5 School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros, Mayor Carlo DeMaria, the Consul General of Brazil in Boston, Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca, Brazilian Women’s Group Executive Director Heloisa Maria Galvão and State Representative Joseph McGonagle. Shown from left to right are Ward 3 Councillor Anthony DiPierro, Everett Veterans Commissioner Jeanne Cristiano, Ward 2 Councillor Stephanie Martins and Ward 6 Councilor Michael McLaughlin during the Brazilian Flag Raising ceremony on September 7. (Photos Courtesy pf the City of Everett) Regent João and the Royal Family fled Portugal and found refuge in what is now Brazil. When the king returned to Portugal in 1821, his son, Pedro I, remained in Brazil and declared the counGrooversity founder Marcus Santos and members of the Grooversity global drumming network try independent from Portugal the following year. DeMaria also praised Everett’s Brazilian residents, many of whom own businesses in the city. “They keep our downtown and community vibrant,” he said. State Representative Joseph McGonagle said the Brazilian community continues to make Everett a better place to live. Like DeMaria, McGonagle also spoke highly of the city’s Brazilian business owners who found a way to keep their establishments alive despite the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everett’s Brazilian community is great in numbers and great in passion,” he said. “I am always amazed by their drive and tenacity to succeed.” Ward 5 School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros said Brazilian businesses can be found along Broadway, Elm Street, Ferry Street and Main Street. “We are literally everywhere,” he said. Almeida-Barros also said he is the first Brazilian to serve on the School Committee and that Portuguese has become the second most common language in the Everett Public Schools. Ward 2 Councillor Stephanie Martins said COVID-19 had claimed 589,914 lives in Brazil as of September 5. “Many hospitals have collapsed, run out of beds and even oxygen,” she said. However, Martins said the Brazilian people remain steadfast even as the virus continues to rage. “No matter what happens, our people carry the spirit of happiness,” she said. For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net
9 Publizr Home