WESTFIELD – Carmen Nunez, the matriarch of a prominent city family, will be honored tonight at an event sponsored by the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce to celebrate International Women’s History month.
The event at Nadim’s Mediterranean Restaurant in Springfield will be recognize local women, including Nunez, who have made a difference in their communities by playing leadership roles in fields such as entrepreneurship, government, education, communications, technology and innovation.
“We like to honor women who have set a trend for their peers,” said LCC Business Development Director Wil Rodriguez. “We like to recognize everyone who has given back to the community”.
Nunez, originally from Puerto Rico, came to Westfield with her husband, Hipolito, in the early 1950s and worked in the factories and tobacco farms in the area. They were told to go to the northeastern part of the country because it was safer for people of color, according to Nunez’s daughter, Isabelle Castro.
“Then other families came,” she said, “The families really helped each other, everything from sharing living quarters to just supporting one another” as they adjusted to the lifestyle of their new home.
“There was a language barrier and she had to acclimate to the winters and not being able to make the same foods,” said Castro. “Basically, it was a shifting of gears and becoming acquainted to a new culture.”
In addition to her daughter Castro, Nunez raised nine other children who lead successful careers in fields such as criminal justice, firefighting and nursing.
“A key issue she taught was the value of education,” said one of her sons, Westfield Police Department Capt. Hipolito Nunez. “She also taught by example. She would take classes for English to become a part of the community.”
He said his mother is an exceptional mother and a courageous pioneer.
“She was always very stern. She had the sense of this is what God gave us and life moves forward,” he said. “Overall, I’d say she’s very proud of her children, her ten roses. She has great a sense of accomplishment.”
