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Roberta Delgado Vincent
Cape Verdean
BiographyRoberta Delgado Vincent has been an advocate for the Cape Verdean community and the Delgado Family in her home town of Norwich, Connecticut for decades. She spearheaded the successful campaign for the preservation and reconstruction of the Delgado Family Chapel, which until 2004 stood where it was originally built for over 75 years. Knowing that it was a historical landmark that could be threatened, Norwich architect Richard Sharpe submitted a nomination to the State Historic Preservation Office and on August 6, 2003, St. Anthony Chapel was listed on the State Register of Historic Places by the Connecticut Historical Commission. The Chapel, which had fulfilled Joseph C. Delgado’s dream, became a symbol of the arrival, establishment, and settlement of the Cape Verdeans in the City of Norwich. Roberta brought together a coalition of architectural historians, builders, folklorists, and artists to develop an organization whose focus was to save the Chapel as an icon of Cape Verdean history and culture. In 2004, A Capela do Santo Antonio, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit organization, and Roberta proceeded to organize grassroots fundraising efforts for its preservation. In late 2004, the present owners of the house and land where it stood decided to raze the Chapel, despite an agreement not to do this. With very little warning, they scheduled the demolition. Roberta and her dedicated helpers rushed to the scene to salvage what they could of the precious contents and some of the structural components, and to take precise measurements so that reconstruction could eventually take place. The Norwich Bulletin took notice of these events, and wrote an editorial decrying the unfortunate circumstances of the Chapel’s deconstruction and praising efforts to rebuild through alliances with the Norwich Historical Society and the City.
Roberta and her supporters raised $4,500 from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for the Chapel restoration. She negotiated with St. Mary’s Church in Norwich, which approved the reconstruction to be made in the Meditation Area in September 2005. The restored Chapel - rebuilt by Cape Verdean labor - was blessed and opened on April 29, 2006, by Most Reverend Daniel P. Reilly, former Bishop of Norwich. Roberta hosted a feast for the community that was attended by hundreds, including the mayor of Norwich and local state representatives. In the fall of 2006, the Cape Verdean Ambassador visited the site, and in 2007 the Cape Verdean Prime Minister toured the chapel as part of his visit to Norwich.
The Chapel reconstruction is not Roberta’s only accomplishment as a Cape Verdean cultural activist - she has served the community in many different capacities. She has been a supporter and office holder of the Cape Verdean Santiago Society for over a decade, organizing an annual dinner dance that honored a Cape Verdean community leader each year. This was the Club’s biggest function, and grew out of Roberta’s love for music and her heritage as the daughter and niece of the famous Delgado Band. Roberta has an insatiable curiosity about Cape Verdean culture and history, and she attended the 2005 conference in Washington, Connecting the Global Cape Verdean Nation, with her niece. Roberta has authored a piece on Cape Verdean history in Norwich for the Norwich Historical Society’s city history, and she has written for the Diocese of Norwich newsletter. In March 2007, she sponsored a public showing and discussion of Susan Hurley Glowa’s documentary on Norberto Tavares, Journey of a Badiu, at Norwich Free Academy - home of many Cape Verdean students. Roberta and a team including historian Rachel Carley have received a 2021 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation to conduct research documenting Cape Verdean history in Norwich, along with some mapping of places where the community lived, worked, and gathered. This context will help to inform a second grant for updating Cape Verdean National Register district nominations based on Ethnic Heritage as a theme of historic significance.
Roberta and her supporters raised $4,500 from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for the Chapel restoration. She negotiated with St. Mary’s Church in Norwich, which approved the reconstruction to be made in the Meditation Area in September 2005. The restored Chapel - rebuilt by Cape Verdean labor - was blessed and opened on April 29, 2006, by Most Reverend Daniel P. Reilly, former Bishop of Norwich. Roberta hosted a feast for the community that was attended by hundreds, including the mayor of Norwich and local state representatives. In the fall of 2006, the Cape Verdean Ambassador visited the site, and in 2007 the Cape Verdean Prime Minister toured the chapel as part of his visit to Norwich.
The Chapel reconstruction is not Roberta’s only accomplishment as a Cape Verdean cultural activist - she has served the community in many different capacities. She has been a supporter and office holder of the Cape Verdean Santiago Society for over a decade, organizing an annual dinner dance that honored a Cape Verdean community leader each year. This was the Club’s biggest function, and grew out of Roberta’s love for music and her heritage as the daughter and niece of the famous Delgado Band. Roberta has an insatiable curiosity about Cape Verdean culture and history, and she attended the 2005 conference in Washington, Connecting the Global Cape Verdean Nation, with her niece. Roberta has authored a piece on Cape Verdean history in Norwich for the Norwich Historical Society’s city history, and she has written for the Diocese of Norwich newsletter. In March 2007, she sponsored a public showing and discussion of Susan Hurley Glowa’s documentary on Norberto Tavares, Journey of a Badiu, at Norwich Free Academy - home of many Cape Verdean students. Roberta and a team including historian Rachel Carley have received a 2021 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation to conduct research documenting Cape Verdean history in Norwich, along with some mapping of places where the community lived, worked, and gathered. This context will help to inform a second grant for updating Cape Verdean National Register district nominations based on Ethnic Heritage as a theme of historic significance.
Person TypeIndividual
Cape Verdean, 1924 - 2005
