Press Release  New Bedford District Court Cultural Appreciation Week celebration features coffee, tea, and history

New Bedford, MA — New Bedford District Court, one of nine signature courts across the state hosting Cultural Appreciation Week activities, will celebrate the rich diversity of the court and surrounding community over cups of two of the most commonly consumed and ancient beverages: coffee and tea. New Bedford’s brunch will also highlight the city’s history as a stop on the Underground Railroad and its important role in the whaling industry followed by performances by local school children.

This event is scheduled to take place at the court, located at 75 North 6^th Street, on Tuesday, September 24, from 10 am to 12:30 pm.  The Massachusetts Trial Court’s third annual Cultural Appreciation Week--celebrated by courts and community corrections centers statewide--is September 24-27.

Cultural Proficiency Champion Sharitza Pena, an Associate Probation Officer at the court, decided to set up an international coffee and tea station for all to enjoy following a trip this summer to Puerto Rico where she visited family and savored the taste of Yaucono coffee. Each of the beverages at the brunch will be identified with a flag that represents the country where they are made. Tea, the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, was discovered in China around 2737 BC, according to LocalHistories.org. Coffee first appeared around the 11^th century in Ethiopia.

“As I reflected on my trip to Puerto Rico this summer to visit family, I remembered savoring a special coffee made there and thought wouldn’t it be nice to connect over coffee and tea as part of the Cultural Appreciation Week activities,” Pena said.

Robert Mandeville, a local historian and retired Assistant Chief Probation Officer, will talk about the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States in the early to mid-1800s. The routes and safe houses were used by slaves who escaped the south in search of freedom in free states—Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania-- and Canada. Mandeville will also present on New Bedford’s profitable whaling industry.

Seventh grade students from Our Sister’s School, a New Bedford all-girl independent school, will present a piece titled “This I believe,” which reflects their cultural background. Students from Keith Middle School, a New Bedford public school, will perform Spoken Word (poetry) which will focus on this year’s Cultural Appreciation Week theme: “Being who you are in the world, as you are.” New Bedford School Superintendent Thomas Anderson will attend the celebration.

Pena worked with Juvenile Court Assistant Chief Probation Officer Kathryn Silvia, Juvenile Court Probation Officer Susan Nielsen, Regional Court Interpreter Coordinator Ana Cerveira, and New Bedford District Court Chief Probation Officer Donald Chausse to coordinate this celebration of culture and history.

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