Eastbayri.com

The 2012 Black History Month theme is “Black Women in American Culture and History.”

Here in East Providence, it’s a theme that highlights no shortage of local women whose achievements are vast and impressive.

Last Tuesday night, Feb. 7, 10 local women were publicly honored for their contributions to society. Their résumés are lengthy and their accomplishments numerous. Each of the women was presented with a proclamation in honor of the occasion, which was read aloud by Mayor Bruce Rogers. As each recipient made their way towards the dais, family and friends cheered their names while snapping pictures and letting their cell-phone camcorders roll.

This group – along with two others who could not be in attendance for the city council meeting – will be honored once again when the East Providence Affirmative Action Office hosts a 2012 Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 29. The ceremony will be held at city hall beginning at 6 p.m. The evening will feature performance artists Brothers Keeper along with well-known, renowned spoken word poet Reggie Gibson.

Selections of the honored women were made by the East Providence Affirmative Action Committee.

Here is a little on each of the women being recognized this month.

• BARBARA FULLER – Ms. Fuller is one of the original members of the East Providence Affirmative Action Committee, where she still serves as an advisor when possible. A former state employee who retired in 1990, Ms. Fuller has played a major role in the local Civil Rights movement alongside numerous colleagues.
• ALICE MARTIN – Ms. Martin has lived in East Providence for more than 55 years. She previously worked as Personnel Director for the East Providence Community Center, a role she held for more than 20 years. Ms. Martin has involved herself with many boards and commissions over the last 15 years and she continues to be a devoted member of groups such as the Black Minority Caucus of East Providence, the NAACP Providence Branch and the East Providence Affirmative Action Committee, among others. She is also a long time member of the Pond Street Baptist Church, where she teaches Sunday school and sings in the choir.
• CLEO D. GRAHAM – Ms. Graham was the first African American Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner in Rhode Island. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from Columbia University and a post graduate certificate from the University of Rhode Island. Ms. Graham’s career includes nearly 30 years in healthcare working for organizations such as Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital and the federal government, where she collaborated with the Rhode Island Department of Health in completing the first certification training for more than 30 nursing assistants at the VA Medical Center.
• TONI-MARIA SPENCER – A lifelong resident of East Providence and longtime local educator, Ms. Spencer is a member of the East Providence High School Hall of Fame, where she formerly served as principal. She has been treasurer of the Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of East Providence since 2004. Her education career dates back to the early 1970s. She is a past member of the East Providence School Department Affirmative Action Committee and the R.I. Interscholastic League Swimming League Committee, among numerous other groups.
• EMILY THOMAS – Ms. Thomas began volunteering with the East Providence Affirmative Action Office in 1994. In 2003 she was hired by the city as Homeless Emergency Shelter Monitor and in 2007, Ms. Thomas began working as a temp in the AAO as Support Staff and Programs Coordinator. She assisted in running annual programs such as distributing Thanksgiving Turkey Baskets and the Adopt a Child Program. Ms. Thomas is a Partner at the Cathedral of Life Christian Assembly. Furthermore, she is a member of the RI Gospel Choral Society.
• KAREN FRANKS – Ms. Franks has lived in East Providence from the age of three, is a graduate of East Providence High School and a former teacher in the city for 29 years. In 1995, as a member of the Cape Verde Foundation/Education Committee, she presented a student exchange program to the Republic of Cape Verde along with fellow committee members. Mrs. Franks has served as secretary of the East Providence Affirmative Action Committee and she is a member of the Sister City Organization of East Providence and Nova Sintra, Cape Verde.
• JAMIE BROWN – Ms. Brown is currently a junior at East Providence High School. This past holiday season, she decided to donate all of her Christmas money to the needy. Ms. Brown currently plans to enroll in a four year college after graduation. She is considering majors such as graphic design and forensic science. Ms. Brown attends Praise Tabernacle Church in Cranston multiple times a week and she enjoys knitting, sewing, drawing, dancing and singing among other hobbies.
• MARLENE BRITTO-ALVES – Ms. Britto-Alves’s appreciation for those who have overcome adversity and a belief that their stories should be told to benefit others was the sole reason she founded the documentary film featuring the late George S. Lima, of East Providence, titled “Black Men Can Fly.” She was the personal assistant to Mr. Lima in developing the non-profit organization The Black Air Foundation, which introduces at risk youth to aviation. She is also an innovative artist and photographer.
• JUDITH MORSE – Ms. Morse is a life long resident of East Providence and a graduate of East Providence High School. She graduated from Bryant University summa cum laude with a bachelor’s of business administration with an accounting concentration in 1977. In 1980, she became the first female African American Certified Public Accountant in Rhode Island. She earned a master’s of science in taxation from Bryant six years later. Ms. Morse previously served on the Board of Directors of the Depositors Economic Protection Corporation under Gov. Bruce Sundlun. She has also taught accounting in the School of Business at Providence College for more than 20 years.
• DOROTHEA FRANCIS LAUGHLIN – An East Providence resident since 1960, Ms. Laughlin joined others in advocating for a community youth center in 1970, an effort that eventually resulted in the East Providence Drop-In Center. She served as Deaconess at Pond Street Baptist Church for more than 25 years. In 1976, she was chosen as Bicentennial Mother of the Year by the Irreproachable Beneficial Association. Ms. Laughlin has written three books and one song.
• ONNA MONIZ-JOHN – Born and raised in East Providence, Ms. Moniz-John is a lecturer and collector of Black Memorabilia. She worked as one of the state’s original Equal Opportunity Specialists and as Personnel Analyst/Minority Recruiter before coming to work for the City of East Providence, leading the affirmative action office. She later took on the role of Public Welfare Director. In 1993, Ms. Moniz-John founded Neighborhood Day, an annual celebration that remains in-going today. She has received numerous awards including the Urban League of Rhode Island Community Service Award and the East Providence Minority Political Caucus Award, among many others.
• MARY REIS - Ms. Reis worked for the City of East Providence for 30 years from 1960 until her retirement in 1990. She is known as a hard worker who was able to move up through the ranks. Her career included time in the human resources and planning departments. According to East Providence Affirmative Action Officer Elmer Pina, she was one of the city’s first African American female employees.