The town’s second annual Black History Month flag-raising celebration was held Feb. 1 outside Groton Town Hall.

Town Councilor Portia Bordelon spoke about Groton as a military town and the military’s role in bringing in a large percentage of the town’s diversity. She dedicated the commemoration to Master Diver Carl Brashear, who was born into a sharecropping family in 1931 and rose from extreme poverty and social disadvantage to become the first African-American Master Diver and the first amputee diver in the U.S. Navy.

“Brashear’s path to success was difficult and unlikely given the many challenges that obstructed his way. With much sacrifice determination and persistence he overcame those obstacles to fulfill his dream of becoming the first African American master diver,” Bordelon said. “Today, almost 20 years after his death, Carl Brashear is a well-known name following the popular success of the movie, “Men of Honor,” based on his life. For many, he has come to represent the power of perseverance and resilience.”

The event featured the United States Navy; a welcome and closing address by Bordelon; an invocation by Reverend Pastor Joseph Coleman, St. John’s Christian Church; an opening address by Town Mayor Juan Melendez, Jr., and a keynote speech by Dr. Gizelle E. Tircuit, Director of Health and Wellness at Mitchell College and Licensed Practicing Psychotherapist.

The event further featured a poem reading by MameDiarra Abdur-Rahman; Mr. John Nazarro (speaker), Ms. Franca Parra-Polimeni, and Town Councilor Juliette Parker of the New London NAACP; Ayana Melvan - Sea Research Foundation and Mystic Aquarium Senior Director of Strategic Planning; and citations from the General Assembly from Town Councilor and State Rep. Aundré Bumgardner, D-Groton to Bordelon and the Groton Parks and Recreation Department for their efforts in organizing the event.

Kia A. Baird, a classically trained soprano, a member of the board of directors for OutCT and a co-chair of the Southeastern CT Re-Entry Council, performed “Lift Every Voice & Sing” and “Amazing Grace.”

The City of Groton also held a Black History flag-raising ceremony on Feb. 1. The Rev. Lee Nevith of St. John’s Christian Church, Tamara Lanier of the New London NAACP branch, and City of Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick read a proclamation for Black History Month in the city.