4C's Diversity: The Cape Verdean Community

One such group are Cape Verdeans, whose presence on Cape Cod, the State of Massachusetts, and the United States as a whole can never be overstated.

Cabo Verde, a nation made up of a group of islands off the coast of West Africa, is home to its own rich history involving colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade, and a fight for independence against Portuguese occupiers that took place in the 20th century. It also has a large diaspora, the most populous of which is here in the United States. Sara-Ann Semedo, the academic coordinator of the advising and counseling department at 4C's, and a woman of Cape Verdean descent, recently spoke about her own experiences, and the importance of Cape Verdeans to the 4C's Community.

Semedo’s paternal grandmother, a woman by the name of Adelina Lopes Semedo, was originally from the Cape Verdean Island of Brava, but was educated on mainland Africa. It was here that she met her Nigerian husband, Dominic Momah Abdur Raheem; had Sara-Ann's father; and immigrated to Roxbury in the 1930s.

In Semedo’s youth, she recalled being born into a family of civic activism. She was active in both the Cape Verdean Community, but also the African Community as a whole. One particular memory she brought up was the feeling in her community when Cape Verde gained its independence from Portugal in 1975: “It was almost like, ‘Wow, a Black nation did it again’. It was really almost an ‘about time’.”

Semedo joined 4C's in 2009 as an adjunct faculty member in the theater department before moving on to the advising and counseling department.

“Black professionals are needed... as many (Black) students don’t have that in staff at other schools”. She made it clear that the importance lay in the need for Black students to have someone to look up to who might share their experiences as Black Americans.

She also mentioned Cape Verdeans who have worked and made an impact on 4C’s: Rose Pena Warfield; Kathleen Andrews, former events coordinator at the Advisor Unity Club; and Sandra Britto, the former registrar of the college. “And that’s just to name a few,” she said with a smile.

Additionally, Semedo spoke of Joseph Diggs, a local artist of both Wampanoag and Cape Verdean descent, who created the “Tide to Tide” project for 4C's. When he did this, students and faculty members were asked to add their own contributions to the piece, which is still on college property. Semedo’s contribution was a piece composed of the colors red, black, and green – the colors of the Pan-African flag. “We all come from Africa,” she said.