The public is invited to visit the Dartmouth North Branch Library in mid-September to learn about our town’s Cape Verdean community.

Beginning Tuesday, September 13, and continuing through Saturday, September 24, the North Branch Library will host an exhibition entitled Our Town / Nha Vida (My Life) in the Suzanne E. McDonald Community Room.  Members of the public are also invited to the opening night celebration on Thursday, September 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Cape Verdeans have been migrating to Massachusetts since the mid-late 1800s, as part of the whaling industry.  They settled predominantly on the South Coast, and many went on to work in the cranberry industry after the decline in whaling.  They married, raised families and became an integral part of Massachusetts society.  Estimates from the 2014 American Community Survey (ACS) show that over 37,000 foreign-born individuals from Cape Verde reside in the United States, and of those, nearly 70% live in Massachusetts (Cape Verdeans in Boston, 2016).  This historical community remains woefully under-documented, specifically their migration to, settlement in and daily life experiences in Massachusetts.

The exhibition, based on oral histories conducted by and with local Cape Verdean community members, documents their lived experiences as residents of Dartmouth and New Bedford, showcasing their stories, photographs, documents, and voices.  These stories have not had a wide audience before.  We believe they will help provide a greater understanding of how Cape Verdeans have shaped their respective geographies and how these places have shaped them.

The North Branch Library, 211 Cross Road in Dartmouth, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and noon to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.  The branch is closed on Fridays and Sundays.