Members of the Brazilian Women’s Group took pride in witnessing the raising of the Brazilian flag at City Hall last week.

By Jennifer Purcell

On Wednesday, September 6, residents of Somerville came together to celebrate Brazilian Independence Day by raising the Brazilian flag outside of City Hall. This event, hosted by Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the Brazilian Women’s Group, and Somerviva, is one that has been in the works for the past twenty years.

Since their establishment in the year 1995, it has been the hope of the members of the Brazilian Women’s Group to encourage Brazilian women to stand up for their rights and to promote empowerment in their community in the Boston area.

In his speech, Ambassador Santiago Moran even described Somerville as “a melting pot of different peoples that show that the world can be contrived together” and proudly stated that the community that has been created here is one of the greatest Brazilian communities in all of Massachusetts. It took 20 years for the group to make history here in Somerville with this event, and on Wednesday, what they had hoped for finally came to fruition.

Mayor Ballantyne proceeded to invite Heloisa Galvão, a well-known spokesperson amongst the women’s group, up to the stand to say a few words. “It is history that we are making here,” Galvão stated with pride, inviting cheers from the crowd before going on to thank her colleagues and friends who have helped support this momentous occasion.

The Brazilian flag was then raised in front of the City Hall while Brazilian soprano Natália Hubner sang both The Star-Spangled Banner and Hino Nacional Brasileiro, otherwise known as the Brazilian National Anthem.

The Brazilian Women’s Group continues to dedicate itself to improving the lives of those in their community by abolishing standards and stereotypes that have been placed upon them. This year’s raising of the Brazilian flag has proven to be quite a significant milestone in their endeavors and it is their hope that the Brazilian community here in Somerville will only continue to grow and prosper in the years to come.