President Bolieiro meets with Rep. Cabral; Mayor Mitchell and Cabral to join ceremonies in Faial
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NEW BEDFORD – The strategic future of the Azores-U.S. relationship as well as climate change, renewable energy and ocean conservation were some of the topics on the table when the President of the Regional Government of the Azores welcomed Rep. António F.D. Cabral to the Sant’Ana Palace in Ponta Delgada on Tuesday.
After the meeting, President José Manuel Bolieiro said these audiences are not only important for the strategic future of the Azores, but also for transatlantic relations within the national and European frameworks.
“With the scientific capacity and accredited institutions that the United States have, especially in Massachusetts, we are also talking about a rapprochement through research, science, academia, and being able to strengthen these links by providing more opportunities to meet and discover,” Bolieiro said. “Therefore, it’s about maintaining this dialogue far beyond the framework of the relationship with the [Azorean] diaspora and its traditions.”
MORE: Vice-President of the Azores says decontamination of Lajes Base remains top priority
This was not the first time Bolieiro welcomed Rep. Cabral to the palace to discuss key issues of mutual concern.
“President of the Regional Government of the Azores José Manuel Bolieiro has always been a great partner and accessible to me and the Portuguese community in the SouthCoast,” Rep. Cabral told O Jornal. “Our continued conversations on the issues our communities share, particularly sustainable agriculture and natural resource management, renewable energy, and economic development are always productive and solidify our longstanding partnership.”
Rep. Cabral departed for the Azores last Friday.
Over the weekend, he was a guest of honor at the Festas do Senhor Bom Jesus da Pedra in Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel - the religious celebration that inspired the Senhor da Pedra Feast held in New Bedford since the 1920s.
“Being able to share the stage with President Bolieiro during the Feast of Senhor Bom Jesus da Pedra in Vila Franca do Campo was an honor and I thank Mayor Ricardo Rodrigues for the opportunity to experience the festival in-person this year,” said Rep. Cabral.
Rep. Cabral, Mayor Mitchell to join special ceremonies in Horta, Faial
This weekend, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell will join Rep. Cabral on the island of Faial for a dual commemoration: the 50th anniversary of the Sister City Agreement between New Bedford and Horta and the 65th anniversary of the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958.
The invitation to take part in the special celebration was extended to Mayor Mitchell and Rep. Cabral by the Mayor of Horta, Carlos Manuel de Silveira Ferreira. The two will be joined by the President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores Luis Garcia.
“The bond between New Bedford and Horta has been strong for two hundred years, and the most important gift Horta has given New Bedford is its people,” said Mayor Mitchell.
The relationship between the two cities dates to the 19th century, when whaling vessels from New Bedford would routinely stop in Horta to offload whale oil and re-supply. Those interactions eventually led Faial residents and other Azoreans to immigrate to New Bedford and other parts of the United States.
“We have benefited beyond calculation from the contributions they and the immigrants from all the Azorean islands have made to the City and America more generally,” Mayor Mitchell said. “New Bedford is a stronger, more vibrant city on account of Azorean immigration.”
How did the New Bedford-Horta Sister City Agreement come about?
In the early 1970s, then-Ward 5 City Councilor Manuel Fernando Neto, a native of Horta, proposed that the long-standing relationship between the two cities be formalized in a Sister City Agreement.
In 1972, then-Mayor John A. Markey traveled to Horta, where he signed the agreement with Azorean officials. The anniversary of the signing was originally to be celebrated last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The reaffirming of our Sister City Agreement underscores our collective gratitude and the high hope for the next 50 years of our friendship,” said Mayor Mitchell.
Neto said he is grateful for Mayor Mitchell’s delegation to be representing New Bedford in the 50th anniversary of the Sister City Agreement.
“Hopefully, the renewed efforts of the present political leadership will continue with future generations with substantial and sustained endeavors for the mutual benefit of both Cities and their people,” Neto said. “To that end, hopefully, our children and grandchildren will be part of that effort.”
Rep. Cabral to present Resolution, Kennedy letter to Faial officials
Rep. Cabral also considered an honor to be celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958 in Faial.
Created in response to the Capelinhos eruption in Faial in 1957, the act was co-sponsored by then Senators John F. Kennedy and John Pastore and signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, making available 1,500 visas to the Azorean victims of the volcano.
Four years later, an extension was granted, allowing even more Azoreans to immigrate to the United States.
According to the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Portugal website, “this simple measure triggered a series of events that led to the emigration of 175,000 Portuguese to the United States, contributing to an improved quality of life, more job opportunities and stronger cultural ties with the United States that continue to pay dividends to this day.”
For Rep. Cabral, the Azorean Refugee Act celebration is “an enduring testament to the strength of the relationship between New Bedford, the island of Faial, and the Portuguese Azorean and American people.”
The New Bedford delegation’s itinerary includes a meeting with the Municipal Government of Horta City Council, an official reception by the President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, and an official reception of the delegation by the Regional Government of the Azores.
The delegation will join officials from Faial to unveil a plaque at the edge of the Capelinhos Volcano to commemorate the Azorean Refugee Act.
Rep. Cabral will be presenting a Resolution on behalf of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in recognition of the 65th anniversary of the Azorean Refugee Act, as well as a letter by Joe Kennedy III on behalf of the Kennedy family.
“Thousands of families that call New Bedford and the SouthCoast home today benefited from the expansion of the Azorean Refugee Act, including my own family,” he said. “So, I am honored to visit Horta for this celebration, which speaks so clearly to the enduring strength of and exciting future for New Bedford’s partnership with the Azores.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Mayor Jon Mitchell and Rep. Cabral to join ceremonies in the Azores
