Portuguese Senator in Mass. Has School Named After Her

The late state Sen. Mary Fonseca has a school in Fall River, Mass., named after her. She is the first woman of Portuguese descent in the USA to be elected to the office of state senator. (image: www.FallRiverMA.org)

The following article is from OJornal.com, posted on Sept. 19, 2008.
Scroll down to read the article in Portuguese.

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- Irene Fonseca was in for the night when her phone rang. On the line, the news that her mother would be honored with a school dedication made her so excited she could hardly sleep that night.

That phone call was a few months ago, but Irene Fonseca's face was still gleaming with pride as the city remembered her mother, this past Friday at the dedication of the Mary L. Fonseca Elementary School.

"It's just beautiful...my mother would have been so proud because she dedicated a lot of her career to education," said Fonseca. "I can't begin to tell you how much this means to our family."

The late state Senator's rise from Fall River's school committee member to Massachusetts Senate Majority whip and her commitment to education was highlighted during the ceremony by the speakers noting her work on the establishment of the Bristol Community College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth predecessor institution, Southeastern Massachusetts University.

She was the first woman of Portuguese descent to be elected a state senator in the United States and the first Portuguese-American woman to hold a leadership position at that level.

"One of the reasons why women are in leadership positions in the senate is because of Mary," said state Sen. Joan Menard. "She was really an unique woman. She led by example, worked hard, and the most important thing in her career was the education of children."

Superintendent Nicholas A. Fischer called Fonseca a role model for standing up for the equality of women in the educational work force at a time when marriage resulted in loss of tenure and pregnancy could lead to termination.

"This school is named after a role model, not just because she was Portuguese but because she stood up in a moment in time which was difficult," said Fischer.

Mayor Robert Correira, who would often spend time with Senator Fonseca traveling from Fall River to Beacon Hill [in Boston, where state government offices are located] described that she was often labeled by male senators with terms such as "tough" and "difficult," while those characteristics would be described as "tenacious," "aggressive" or a "great worker" in men.

"She might have been tough on the outside, but inside she was soft as cream pie... she loved children," said Mayor Correia. "She didn't recognize glass ceilings. She is a legend."

Correia, who was the event keynote speaker, went on to describe the building as a state of the art facility as "deserving of our city and of our children," and thanked the previous administration for the vision to launch the project, which recently brought three new schools online.

Katherine Craven, the executive director of the state School Building Authority, said that Fall River with three school openings last week was celebrating something "that will not be duplicated in Massachusetts in the next 10 years."

According to her a total of $113 million was delivered to the city for the five school projects and another $18.8 million is on the way for the Fonseca School.

The school principal Elain Sabra noted the hard work done by all the school staff to make the new building a welcoming place.

"When the doors opened, we could see the enthusiasm in the children's faces over such a grand facility," said Sabra. "They are making this building their new home."

source: OJornal.com and Gatehouse Media Inc.

Copyright 2008 New England Ethnic News, EthnicNEWz.org. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the permission of the source. Contact EthnicNews {at} yahoo {dot} com for more information.

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Hora de tirar o chapéu à Senadora Fonseca, baptizando escola com seu nome

By Luis Filipe Dias

FALL RIVER - Irene Fonseca estava quase a dormir quando o telefone tocou. Na linha, a notícia que a sua mãe estava para ser honrada com a dedicação de uma escola deixou-a tão excitada que não foi capaz de adormecer.

O telefonema foi feito há uns meses atrás, mas na cara da Irene Fonseca ainda se notava o orgulho enquanto a administração da cidade na sexta-feira passada dedicava a Escola Mary L. Fonseca em memória da sua mãe.

"É simplesmente linda... a minha mãe iria estar cheia de orgulho porque muito da sua carreira foi dedicada a educação," disse Fonseca. "Nem posso começar a dizer o que esta dedicação significa para a nossa família."

O começo político da falecida Senadora Estatal deu-se na comissão escolar, tendo prosseguido e chegado à posição de líder no Senado Estatal. O seu empenho na área educativa foi realçado durante a cerimónia pelos vários participantes que descreveram o seu trabalho para estabelecer o Bristol Community College e a instituição antecessora da University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, a Southeastern Massachusetts University.

Ela foi a primeira mulher de descendência portuguesa a ser eleita como Senadora Estatal nos Estados Unidos e a chegar a uma posição de liderança no Senado.

"Uma das razões porque mulheres estão em posições de liderança no senado é por causa da Mary," disse Sen. Joan Menard. "Ela era uma mulher incomparável. Ela trabalhava arduamente, e o assunto mais importante da sua carreira foi a educação de crianças."

O Superintendente Nicholas A. Fischer disse que Fonseca era um pessoa exemplar pois lutou pelos os direitos das mulheres no sistema educativa numa era onde o casamento a gravidez podia ser base para o despedimento.

"Esta escola têm o seu nome, não só por ser portuguesa mais porque ela se levantou numa altura que era difícil," disse Fischer.

Mayor Robert Correia descreveu que ela era rotulada pelos colegas masculinos no senado como sendo "difícil," ou "dura," enquanto essas características em homens seriam vistas como "tenaz," ou "agressiva."

"Ela podia ser dura no exterior, mas no interior ela era mole como uma tarte de creme," disse Mayor Correia. "Ela não via barreiras. Ela é uma lenda."

Katherine Crave, a directora executiva do School Building Authority, disse que Fall River com a abertura de três escolas na semana passada estava a celebrar algo que "não irá ser duplicado no estado nos próximos 10 anos."

source: OJornal.com and GatehouseMedia Inc.

Copyright 2008 New England Ethnic News, EthnicNEWz.org. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the permission of the source. Contact EthnicNews {at} yahoo {dot} com for more information.