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Date: 7/5/2023
AMHERST — Town residents Debora Bridges and her daughter Anika Lopes have been nominated for the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women’s annual Commonwealth Heroine Award.
The pair were recognized by state Rep. Mindy Domb (D-Amherst) and state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) for their contributions to the community.
As outlined on their state web page, “The Commonwealth Heroines Celebration is an opportunity to recognize the women who don’t always make the news but who are truly making a difference in their communities, businesses, or volunteer endeavors. We rely on legislators to nominate incredible women in their districts for their contributions to their community and the commonwealth.”
Bridges, a sixth-generation Amherst resident, attended Amherst Public Schools and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After working in the state departments of mental health and public health, she helped effort the permanent public display of the Amherst Civil War Tablets. She is the curator of the Civil War Tablet exhibit at the Bangs Community Center.
Lopes serves as a District 4 town councilor and is a seventh-generation member of the first Black and Afro-Indigenous families of Amherst. Also a product of Amherst Public Schools, she attended college in New York City. She founded the Ancestral Bridges Foundation and worked alongside her mother to place the Amherst Civil War Tablets.
In a joint statement Domb and Comerford offered praise for Bridges and Lopes.
“I’m grateful to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women for the opportunity to honor Debora’s and Anika’s combined contributions to our community,” Domb said. “Their dedicated efforts expand our understanding of our collective history and give us a chance to embrace our shared story and move forward. It is an honor to partner with Sen. Comerford to acknowledge the impact that Debora and Anika have had, and continue to have, in our district and in the commonwealth.”
“I am very proud to join with Rep. Domb in recognizing Debora and Anika’s profound contributions to the Black and Afro-Indigenous communities in Amherst and beyond,” Comerford said. “Thank you to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women for celebrating this powerful mother-daughter pair as 2023 Commonwealth Heroines.”
Lopes said she and Bridges were surprised by the nomination and excited that they might be the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated.
“It’s humbling to be nominated and recognized as a Commonwealth Heroine by two of my own heroines, Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Mindy Domb,” Lopes said. “I hope this award will open doors for increased collaboration between our Ancestral Bridges Foundation and potential partners who are also dedicated to making the future better for Black and Indigenous residents of the Commonwealth. We cannot change slavery, genocide or other events of the past, but we can work together to build a better future for generational victims of such atrocities.”
Bridges also offered her appreciation.
“I would like to thank Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Mindy Domb for recognizing the work of my family. For generations before and after me, my family has sought to share our stories, legacy and contributions to freedom, education and the commonwealth’s success,” she said. “My ancestors fought in the Civil War’s African American 54th Regiment and also the 5th Cavalry; who went to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, telling slaves they were free on June 19, 1865. I am proud to have created and Curate the Civil War Tablets and Photo Exhibit to bring this history to light.”
The 20th Annual Commonwealth Heroines Class of 2023 was celebrated on June 23 at the Massachusetts Statehouse.