Thousands of miles away on the mainland, in a small town in New Jersey members of the Boricuas Unidos De Perth Amboy met to raise money to help create Clemente’s dream.
Sometimes the best way to confront grief and the pain from an unexpected tragedy is to get involve in something positive. That is exactly what the members of the Puerto Rican community in this small town did. “We began a fundraising campaign to raise money to send to Puerto Rico for the Ciudad Deportiva (Sports City) that Clemente wanted to build,” said Iris Maisonet one of the organizers of that campaign. “We were the first group to raise money for Ciudad Deportiva,” she said with pride.
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| Ms. Iris Maisonet (1st on lft.) & friends proudly wearing the "Retire 21" stickers at the city council meeting. (Photo LSV) |
Ms. Maisonet was one of many Puerto Ricans that were present yesterday at the Perth Amboy City Council meeting where the mayor, Joseph Vas was introducing a resolution to have the council send a letter to Commissioner Bud Selig urging him to retire Clemente’s number 21 from all of baseball.
The mayor made a passionately plea explaining what Roberto Clemente meant to the Puerto Rican community and to all of baseball fans who need to see positive role models especially now at the heals of the steroids scandal that has hit major league baseball.
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| Mayor Joseph Vas introducing the motion before the Perth Amboy city council. (Photo LSV) |
The mayor then introduced, Mr. Julio Pabón, National Coordinator of the Retire 21 Campaign who spoke on the reasons for the campaign and reiterated the value of retiring Clemente’s #21. Two other representatives from the local Board of Education, Mr. Jesus Marrero and Mr. Joel Pabón also spoke on the value of education and retiring Roberto Clemente’s number.
The motion was accepted and passed unanimously. Perth Amboy has once again come forward and supported Clemente by becoming the fifth city in America to pass a resolution supporting the Retire 21 Campaign. They have joined Chicago, Philadelphia, New Haven and Holyoke, MA in this growing movement to get cities and towns to pass such a resolution.
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| City Council President, Jimenez and other city council members listen to the presentations being made by Julio Pabón, National Coordinator of the Retire 21 Campaign. (Photo LSV) |
Congratulations to mayor Joseph Vas for his outstanding leadership in supporting this noble cause that cuts across all racial, cultural and gender lines in recognition of a man that our society needs to remember now more than ever.
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| Jesus Marrero and Joel Pabón of the Perth Amboy Board of Education addressing the city council on behalf of resolution to retire #21. They also mentioned their interest in helping the Retire 21 Campaign by perhaps having students help collect signatures and bringing the documentary film. The Legacy of #21 to Perth Amboy. (Photo LSV) the |