Alfred Gomes
*Alfred J. Gomes was born on this date in 1897. He was a Black attorney and activist.
From the Cape Verdean Islands, he came to New Bedford, MA, at the age of seven and was educated in the New Bedford Public Schools. He worked and financed his college education, graduating from Boston University Law School in 1923. This accomplishment made him one of the first Black Cape Verdean-born Americans to receive a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Returning to New Bedford after graduation, he became one of the city's most important civic and community leaders. He was primarily concerned with promoting the aspirations and betterment of the Cape Verdean people in this country and his homeland.
Some of his most noteworthy activities and contributions include: serving as a member of the New Bedford Institute of Technology Board of Trustees, now known as the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth; founding the Nantucket Lightship Memorial Scholarship Fund/The Seaman's Memorial Scholarship Fund, which assisted many Cape Verdean-Americans to achieve their academic dreams; helping to establish the Verdean Veterans Achievements Awards. Serving as a Fall River Diocesan School committee member, he received the Marian Award for his work in charity. Serving on the New Bedford Boys' Club Board of Directors for over 40 years, he organized the first Cape Verdean Boy Scout troop at the Cape Verdean Benefit Association. Gomes was an extremely successful fundraiser and philanthropist.
In 1942, he organized the Cape Verdean Relief Fund and successfully raised $4,000 for food and clothing for people in need. In 1956, he helped to organize the Our Lady of Assumption Fund Drive. He also organized and promoted Cape Verdean models, instrumentalists, dancers, and vocalists, presenting them in exhibits and festivals. He was a prolific historian and researcher of Cape Verdean history and culture. His life was one of dedication and service to his fellow citizens, with particular concern for the youth of New Bedford. Alfred J. Gomes died on November 7, 1974.
The African American Desk Reference
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Copyright 1999 The Stonesong Press Inc. and
The New York Public Library, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Pub.
ISBN 0-471-23924-0
