Blindness Awareness Month Flag Raising Ceremony

St. Joseph's School for the Blind and Jersey City have marked an important moment in their history. On Tuesday, October 18, St. Joseph's presented the very first Blindness Awareness Month Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall.

Jonathan Gomez, an aide to Mayor Steven Fulop, spoke passionately about St. Joseph's mission and its importance in the Jersey City community. Councilman Yousef Saleh also spoke of the important work St. Joseph's staff does for its students and looks forward to working together in the future. “St. Joseph’s School for the Blind does that critical work. They are filling that critical need. I live two blocks away from your school. I see you walking with blind individuals and teaching them how to maneuver through society that wasn’t actually developed around them. That’s part of planning and being an elected official, to recognize that and to make sure we’re building an inclusive society together,” he said.

Other presenters included Principal Katie Hardgrove, who provided the history of St. Joseph's and its hopes for the future; Barbara Porter-Reid gave insight as an educator and her journey of adopting one of her own students; and Veronica Torres Smith, a parent and board trustee, who advocated treating children and adults with disabilities with respect and dignity.  

St. Joseph’s student and proud advocate Ana Centeno rounded out the presentation by speaking about her journey as a blind person. Ana informed the audience she is independent, not afraid to accept challenges and is looking forward to the future. She also said her white cane is the most important thing in her life and she'll never leave home without it. Ana ended her speech by thanking her teachers and the specialists for their support. 

The City Council presented a proclamation from Mayor Fulop saluting and honoring the students and staff of St. Joseph's School for the Blind. Each speaker also received a certificate of achievement.

The flag honoring Blindness Awareness Month was then raised outside City Hall. Nidia Cartagena, the school's technology coordinator/program aide, designed the one-of-a-kind flag.