Common Council Recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month; Events Include CCSU Student Art and History Exhibit

By John McNamara nbpoliticus.com

Latino and Hispanic residents are being recognized in a Common Council resolution for “Hispanic Heritage Month” at the September 23rd meeting.

Honoring Latino culture and community includes the raising of a Hispanic Heritage flag at Central Park that occurred on September 16 and an Open House at New Britain City Hall on October 8th.

On Wednesday, September 23 a student history and art exhibition will open outside the Mayor’s Office, 27 West Main Street, featuring artwork from Central Connecticut State University’s (CCSU) Latina Identity and Empowerment course and a Borinqueneers exhibit from the Public History Program. The Exhibit continues through October 15.

These observances carry a special significance this year in the first term of Mayor Bobby Sanchez. Sanchez, a former state representative, board of education member and early childhood educator, was elected the city’s 41st Mayor last November, becoming the first Mayor of Puerto Rican heritage to serve in City Hall’s corner office.

“The story of New Britain cannot be fully told without recognizing the generations of Hispanic and Latino families who have made this city their home, raised their families here, built businesses, served their neighbors, strengthened our institutions, and helped shape the community,” states the resolution. “New Britain is home to a proud and deeply rooted Puerto Rican community whose history, culture, leadership, resilience, and service have left an enduring mark on our city, alongside residents whose heritage reaches throughout the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Mexico, Spain, and the broader Hispanic and Latino world.”

Alderwoman Wilma Barbosa (D-2) is the author of the Hispanic Heritage resolution and it is co-sponsored by all 15 members of the Common Council