New Bedford hosts 51st annual Cape Verdean Recognition Parade
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — The sounds of Cape Verde filled the streets of New Bedford Saturday morning during the city’s 51st annual Cape Verdean Recognition Parade.
The parade celebrates the culture of the Cape Verdeans in the United States.
July 5 is the date the Republic of Cabo Verde, a small archipelago and nation in the central Atlantic Ocean, gained its independence from Portugal in 1975.
Mayor Jon Mitchell led the parade alongside the Cape Verdean Recognition Committee and other city and state officials.
“Cape Verdean Recognition Week culminates in this parade, the city’s longest,” he said. “It is really festive, people are really happy right now, it’s all part of the July 4th weekend.”
Mitchell said thousands of people come out each year to take part in the festivities to celebrate the complete history of Cape Verdean Culture in the U.S.
The parade’s route began on Union Street and ended at the Cape Verdean American Veteran’s Memorial Hall. Mitchell said its important to remember that Cape Verdeans have a high enlistment rate in the armed services.
“There’s nothing like this in the United States, this is where Cape Verdean America started, right here in New Bedford,” he said. “While other cities have large Cape Verdean populations, a lot them come here for this parade.”
