“That Is The Power Of Sisterhood”

by Lisa Reisman

Somewhere in Newhallville is a nine-year-old girl who does not know the name of Harriet Tubman or Shirley Chisholm or Constance Baker Motley — women who, as Stamford Democratic State Rep. Corey P. Paris put it, “did not ask for permission to ignite the future.” 

“She only knows that the world keeps telling her to be small,” said Paris, who delivered a stirring keynote speech at Sunday’s Excellence Awards Brunch hosted by the New Haven chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. 

Emceed by Reese L. McLleod, the occasion, which drew a spirited crowd of 300 to Anthony’s Ocean View on a rainy afternoon, was the 10^th anniversary of the New Haven chapter of the NCBW. The 64-chapter organization is dedicated to improving the lives of Black women and girls through leadership development and the advancement of gender equity in health, education, and economic empowerment. 

Since its inception in September 2016, the nonprofit has awarded more than $70,000 in scholarships to upwards of 50 young people and served over 6,400 community members, providing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) mentoring for girls, financial literacy and economic empowerment for business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as heart health education for the community, among other programs.

NCBW New Haven Chapter president Valencia M. Goodridge (left), with award winner Error! Filename not specified.Shanté T. Hanks, housing rights advocate; NCBW member Karen Lee; and Reese L. McLeod, second vice president, brunch chair and mistress of ceremonies,

“Ten years doesn’t just happen,” said coalition member Brenda Ward following the remarks of NCBW President Virginia Harris. “Ten years means someone believed it was possible, somebody stayed when it became difficult, and somebody opened the door and held it open, so another woman could walk through. . . That is the power of sisterhood.” 

Paris, the keynote speaker, accepted the inaugural Carolyn D. Vermont Public Service Award, which was named for the revered advocate of civil and community rights in Bridgeport and, as chapter President Valencia Goodridge put it, “one who freely shared her vast network whenever needed.” Vermont died in February at 65. 

“She stood firm in what she believed,” said Paris. “She stood firm in holding the torch that had been passed to her. But she also used that torch to burn that light for someone else in her absence.” 

That is true leadership, according to First Vice President Lorraine Gibbons: “Not just simply holding a position, but using that position to serve, to advocate, to create opportunity, and to improve the lives of others.” 

Mayor Justin Elicker lauded the “powerhouse Black women leading our community,” highlighting Karen Dubois-Walton at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Appellate Court Judge Robin Wilson, Anna Blanding at ConnCORP, as well as City Hall’s director of youth and recreation Gwen Williams; Wendella Ault-Battey, director of labor relations; and “secret weapon,” as he put it, transportation director Haley Simpson. 

State Rep. Corey Paris, D-Stamford, holding the room in thrall. Credit: Lisa Reisman photo

They are the exceptions, according to Paris, the keynote speaker. He bemoaned “the heart that gives out at 58 for a Black woman because she was the strong one for everybody, and nobody gave her permission to be sick”; the Black tax that “has Black women always having to work a little harder than her white counterpart”; and the 60 cents on the dollar Black women earn in comparison to white, non-Hispanic men. 

He decried the “lie” of one seat at the table. “When you believe that, you don’t reach back, you tighten your grip,” he said. “We must coalesce together, we must get behind that person like their name is on your mortgage,” he exhorted. 

Awarded for their excellence, leadership, and service: Adrienne Parkland, Chief Operating Officer for The WorkPlace ; Darcey Cobbs-Lomax, executive director of NewAlliance Foundation; Deborah A. Caviness, pioneering civic leader and community visionary; State Rep. Trenée McGee, D-West Haven; Shanté T. Hanks, department of housing deputy commissioner and housing right champion; president and CEO of Fairfield County Community Foundation Mendi Blue Paca; and Vincencia Adusei, president and founder of VASE Construction and real estate developer. Credit: Michael Belton photo

Then came the awards presentation. “For these honorees, empowerment is not simply about occupying a seat at the table,” said Karrol-Ann Brown, the coalition’s legal advisor. “Sometimes it means building the table or opening the door. And sometimes it means ensuring that another woman has the knowledge, resources, confidence, and opportunity to walk through that door behind you.”   

There were the trailblazers: Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, the state commissioner of education; Chaka Felder-McEntire, whose nonprofit, Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Program, has helped more than 10,000 underrepresented students secure upwards of $800 million in scholarships and grants; and Adrienne Parkmond, an attorney who leads The Workplace, which provides a host of employment and job training services to youth and adults.

There were the ground-breakers: Emmy-nominated news anchor Symphonie Privett Paris, renowned for her consequential communitystories; Dr. Sandy Cayo, a nurse practitioner whose work has improved the cardiovascular outcomes of Black patients, and Dr. Camelia Lawrence, a breast surgeon, for her advanced breast cancer care and her efforts to bring to the fore the realities of breast cancer disparities.

And there were the pioneers: Captain Mont’ique Pettway-Moore, the first woman promoted to the rank of fire captain in Bridgeport Fire Department’s 100-year history, and Vincencia Adusei, president and founder of VASE Construction and leading real estate developer “in an industry dominated by white men,” according to the program.

“If it were not for you in this room that paved the way for me to walk into a room and submit myself, then it would not be possible for the young women coming behind me,” West Haven Democratic State Rep. Trenée McGee, 32, the youngest Black woman ever elected to the Connecticut General Assembly, told the crowd.

“Understand, when you are in spaces, that you are there not only for you, but for a young woman who may never think she can get there. So get there, stay there, and be there for her.” 

Feeling the sisterhood… Credit: Lisa Reisman photo