By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The city honored the profound impact that African Americans, specifically the resilience, brilliance and unwavering commitment of the community’s Black Westies, have had on the city’s diversity, culture and vibrancy at the 30th annual Black Heritage Celebration on Feb. 26.
“Our city’s strength has always been its diversity,” Mayor Dorinda Borer said. “From the shores of Savin Rock to the neighborhoods of Allingtown, the contributions of the Black community have been a cornerstone of our progress. You have been the builders, the thinkers, the artists and the advocates who have pushed West Haven to live up to its highest ideals.”
During the City Hall cultural event marking Black History Month, the West Haven Black Heritage Committee cited the “exemplary commitment to leadership and community advancement” of community advocate Gardenia Dixon as its third Ernestine Jackson Citizen of Distinction, formerly known as the African American Citizen of the Year.
The award, presented to Dixon by Borer, honors the life and legacy of Jackson, a charter member of the Black Heritage Committee who served as its president for many years. The award is bestowed annually on “Black residents who serve as pillars of inspiration in the community.”
The committee, led by Chairwoman Michelle C. Mays, also recognized Notre Dame High School senior Quincy Dormevil and Hopkins School seniors Aurora Chevalier and Vera Okyere, all of West Haven, for “exemplary volunteerism and leadership and outstanding academic and athletic success.”
In addition to excelling in academics, Dormevil is a member of the Notre Dame Student Government Association, the captain of the basketball team and a peer counselor. Chevalier is the web editor of the Hopkins literary magazine and a member of the lacrosse and field hockey teams. Okyere is a member of the Hopkins track and field team, the host of the quiz bowl club and a member of the robotics club.
Borer and 5th District Councilman Edward “Mackie” McMillian, who served as the master of ceremonies, presented the committee’s Lifetime Achievement Award to former Chairman Steven R. Mullins for “his decades of civic engagement, leadership, and commitment to the city of West Haven.”
Reading the award, Borer said, “Through his deep involvement in politics and his service on numerous committees, boards, and commissions, Dr. Mullins has demonstrated integrity, vision, and unwavering dedication to the advancement of our community.”
Mullins, a longtime justice of the peace who has a doctorate in public policy, chairs West Haven’s Fair Rent Commission and formerly served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
Health care professional Vivienne Howard, the founder of Quality Staffing Home Care Inc. in Woodbridge, received the committee’s Exceptional Entrepreneurship Award from Borer and McMillian for “outstanding leadership and commitment to excellence in business.”
Dixon, affectionately known as “Lady D,” received a mayoral citation from Borer for demonstrating “an extraordinary commitment to the betterment of our community through selfless service.”
She also received an embroidered “West Haven Black Heritage Ernestine Jackson Citizen of Distinction Award 2026” jacket from last year’s recipient, youth advocate Levi Jordan Sr., and a General Assembly citation from the city’s delegation.
Dixon is perhaps best known for her years of volunteer work with West Haven Public Schools, where she served as both a PTA president and a spirited organizer of back-to-school drives for supplies, clothing and personal care services.
Dixon said the grassroots drives were made possible by donations from area businesses she had solicited for support.
“Through your back-to-school project, you transformed a simple desire to help others into a massive community effort, providing students not only with school supplies and refurbished computers but with sneakers, haircuts and hairstyling — restoring dignity and confidence to our young people,” Borer told the capacity crowd.
The civic-minded Dixon did not stop there.
Every Christmas, thanks to donations from the West Haven Fire Department and City Hall, she delivered gift-wrapped toys to children of the Rolling Ridge Apartments on West Spring Street.
Along with caring for children in need, Dixon has also shown compassion toward women with personal challenges.
Reading the citation, Borer said, “Your heart for service knows no bounds, reaching into the holiday season to deliver toys to the children of Rolling Ridge and extending toward women facing hardship through your impactful weekend retreats, a cause I was personally proud to support.”
Dixon, who worked in retail and served as a child care provider before her retirement, also served as an assistant registrar of voters and a moderator for city elections.
“I’m just so grateful for how you all have helped me,” said a humble Dixon, who moved to West Haven in 1976 with her husband, Lemuel, and their four daughters: Carla, Tawana, Denya and Terri. “I do it because it’s in my heart. I don’t do it to get any glory for it. I do it because I want to help people.”
Dixon then thanked her mother for inspiring her to lead a life of service before singing “If I Can Help Somebody,” a renowned gospel hymn her mom always sang.
The 90-minute program, held in the Harriet C. North Community Room, included opening and closing prayers by Elder Dr. Renford Whynes of the New Haven Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by McMillian, and a beautiful rendition of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” was sung by Cadence Powell of the West Haven High School Concert Choir.
The ceremony featured performances by the choir, directed by Jason Thomas, including a moving rendition of “Hear My Prayer.”
It included the keynote address by committee member Christopher M. Suggs, who chairs the Planning and Zoning Commission and is the vice chairman of West Haven’s Board of Police Commissioners.
The ceremony also included words of praise by Borer, McMillian and Mays, who chairs the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
After a warm introduction by McMillian, Suggs lauded the committee’s honorees and “founding mothers,” including Beulah “Bea” Johnson, Jackson, and former City Council members Bernice Bowman and Martha Bell, for laying “a foundation that we have stood upon” for three decades.
“Today, as we honor the impactful and beloved members of our committee, let us also pay homage to those who came before us and to those who helped us along our way,” Suggs told the standing room-only assembly of committee members, family, friends, residents and dignitaries.
The Black Heritage Committee has worked since 1996 to promote racial harmony across West Haven, transforming City Hall into an exhibition of African American art and literature during Black History Month to educate residents on Black culture.