Ansonia Ceremony To Honor Racial Equality Pioneers

Contributed Photos

Wendell Edwards of WFSB.

ANSONIA — Four community members who broke color barriers and served as pioneers in the struggle for racial equality will be honored Feb. 27 to commemorate Black History Month.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Brotherhood Awards Committee and the City of Ansonia will host the annual awards ceremony taking place virtually this year at 11 a.m. Feb. 27. 
The public is welcome to tune in from their computers via Zoom by entering the meeting ID: 996 7356 2300, and passcode: 130587. Smartphone users can tune in by calling 1 – 312-626‑6799 or 1 – 929-205‑6099.

The committee, founded in 1986, is celebrating its 35th year by honoring its founding father, the late Dr. Valdez Loma St. Clair, the former pastor of the Macedonia Baptist Church, along with the late Elder Eugene Redd; the late Dr. Julian A. Taylor and the late Bishop Cleveland Williams.

Wendell Edwards, an Emmy-nominated journalist and the new morning co-anchor on WFSB Channel 3 Eyewitness News, will serve as the program’s guest speaker.

Committee Chairperson Ralphine Siggars Ford, another founding member, encouraged folks to tune in.

“There are many untold stories that reveal the best of individuals who stepped up when duty called, broke color barriers or quietly made their communities better, one person at a time,” said Siggars Ford. ​“These are the individuals who strengthen our communities through extraordinary everyday acts of service done with reliability and commitment, but who seldom receive recognition. The committee likes to pause and to salute and reflect on the contributions of these individuals.”

Siggars Ford added that it’s especially important for today’s youth to learn about the contributions made by those that came before them.

“These amazing individuals were pioneers in the struggle for racial equality, educators who changed their communities and people who believed in serving others,” she said.

Rev. St. Clair was the first African American to run for office in Ansonia, and served on several boards and commissions over the years, including the Board of Education. He became the 10th pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in 1981, and led efforts by the church to purchase and provide housing for low and moderate income families and individuals. He served on the New England Board of Higher Education, as well as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission. 

Dr. Taylor served as pastor of the Macedonia Baptist Church from 1938 – 1980, and left an indelible mark on the community from the pulpit. A former chairman of the Ansonia Municipal Planning Commission, and member of the New Haven Commission on the Aged, Taylor is well-known for his emphasis on education, making sure the youth spoke well, were confident before an audience and got as much education as possible.

contributed photo

The program.

Bishop Williams came to Ansonia’s Church of God in Christ in 1938. A founding member of the Housing Committee in Derby, he also served on the Board of Corporation of Griffin Hospital and was a member of the NAACP for many years. At the state level, he served as International Sunday School Superintendent from 1966 – 1992. The street where the church he served for so long was located at 95 Chestnut St. was also renamed in his honor to Bishop Williams Court. 

Bishop Redd served as pastor of Star Bethlehem Church for 42 years, and served as the chairman for the Connecticut District Council, as the District Elder, and as Bishop for the 20th Episcopal District for the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., serving Connecticut, Springfield, Massachusetts and Rhode Island from 1988 until 1996. Prior to his full-time ministry, he owned and operated several small businesses in New Haven, and worked for the Ansonia Housing Authority. He was active in numerous organizations from TEAM, Inc. to serving on the Valley Housing Task Force, to name a few.

Mayor David Cassetti, who was named honorary chairman of the awards program, was lauded by the committee for his donations and support over the years, and is looking forward to the event commemorating Black History Month.

“The African-American community has made significant contributions here in Ansonia and across our great nation,” Cassetti said. ​“Sometimes it is easy to take for granted the countless hours of volunteerism and guidance they have provided, not only to their own community but to Ansonia as a whole. I know a lot goes into the preparation of these award ceremonies and they are well worth it because we don’t want to take these individuals for granted and we don’t want to forget the contributions they have made. They are the backbone and driving force behind Ansonia’s close knit community and long, honorable tradition of helping one another.”

Some past award recipients include everyone from former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. and former Ansonia Mayor James Della Volpe to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Claude Perry, Sr.

The committee added a Rosa L. Parks Award back in 2000, and several special achievement awards to honor other ​“upstanding” members of the community, which have included NAACP President Greg Johnson and Alfonso Smith.

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