Friday, December 30, 2016
The Office of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, the Association of Black Business Professionals and the Black Leadership Alliance hosted a Kwanzaa celebration today at the UMass Center in Springfield. Mayor Sarno presented a proclamation for the occasion. State Representative Benjamin Swan, State Representative-Elect Bud Williams and State Representative Carlos Gonzalez were also at the event.
Local vendors lined the halls, selling art, jewelry and sweets. Attendees participated in song, heard poetry, and held a candle lighting ceremony that honors faith, family, community and African-American culture. The keynote speaker for the event was former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a Springfield native and the first African-American woman elected to the Massachusetts State Senate.
