New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Tucker named Black Heritage Citizen of the Year
WEST HAVEN — City Councilwoman Katherine Tucker, an untiring advocate of health, education and social justice, officials said, was honored as the Black Heritage Committee's 2023 Citizen of the Year during a jubilant ceremony Thursday in City Hall
Black Heritage Committee Chairman Steven Mullins called Tucker an “easy choice” to receive the award, given annually since 1997 to a member of the city's Black community who has demonstrated meaningful involvement in West Haven.
Mullins said Tucker, who served on the City's Board of Health prior to her appointment to the City Council last year, was instrumental in establishing protocols for distributing vaccines to West Haven residents, especially the older population, during the pandemic.
"Your devotion to lifting up the lives of your fellow Westies and the city you love through public service represents what is best about our community," Mayor Nanci Rossi said as she presented Tucker with the award. "Your kind heart, courageous spirit and inspiring good works are making West Haven a better place, and the residents of our city and your district are grateful for your leadership and your service.”
Tucker, a West Haven native who represents the city's 7th District, works as an advance practice registered nurse, and is a director for the Heart and Vascular Health Center Outpatient Programs at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Tucker's daughter, Candice Williams, said her mother has been an “integral part of the health and wellness” of West Haven. Tucker started her career as a registered nurse working in intensive care, became an APRN in cardiology and now is a doctor of nursing, “all while serving on many boards and maintaining involvement in community outreach,” her daughter said.
In addition to her experience on the City Council and Board of Health, Tucker is vice chairwoman of the West Haven Democratic Town Committee, and previously served on the Board of Fire Commissioners for the City of West Haven Fire Department — Allingtown. She is also an elected lifetime member of the National Black Nurses Association, and the former president of the Southern Connecticut Black Nurses Association.
“If there's an opportunity for her to develop professionally, she takes it on with a work ethic that is unmatched,” Williams said.
Education has been a foundational element in the life of Tucker, who holds bachelor's and doctorate degrees in nursing. Her doctoral work resulted in a dissertation on transitional care for patients experiencing heart failure after they have been discharged from the hospital, according to Williams. Tucker's body of work led to the development of the Transitional Care Center at Yale New Haven Hospital.
The importance of education was a lesson that Williams said her mother learned from her parents, the late John and Carrie Mayes, who both lived in the Deep South before moving to Connecticut in the 1960s. John Mayes' upbringing during the Jim Crow Era made him realize that education was “imperative,” and he chose to instill those values in his family, Williams said. “My mother tells me that many conversations in her home as a child were centered around the importance of education,” Williams said. “The words of my grandfather were no matter where you go in life, the one thing that can never be taken from you is your education.”
Watching Tucker endure those late-night study sessions in grad school is what Williams said motivated her to pursue a college degree. But what mosts impressed her about her mother, she said, is “witnessing the continuation of her involvement in the community.”
“I was never short of amazed at what she's been able to accomplish,” Williams said. “My take away from what I've had the privilege to witness first hand in my family are that there are no ceilings, despite the efforts that may seem to be in place to limit us as people, as women, as Black women.
“Also that there is power in education,” she added. “With it you can go anywhere.”
Tucker said she mirrored her parents by choosing to raise her family in West Haven, which she called a “close, tight-knit community” whose members share bonds that “stand the test of time.” Tucker added that her deep-rooted love for the city is the reason why she chose to serve as the Councilwoman for the “super 7th district.”
“I remain committed to serving this district and all the city of West Haven has to offer,” Tucker said. My goal is to make West Haven a more beautiful, friendly, safe place to live and to raise a family.”
E. Carl Howard, last year's award winner, was on hand Thursday to present Tucker with her honorary black jacket, emblazoned with the Black Heritage Committee logo and the words “Citizen of the Year.”
West Haven High School seniors Ayannah Obas and Jo'Vante Witter, and juniors Dana Davis and Malachi Calhoun also received leadership and academic awards during the hourlong ceremony. “I am always blown away at how well our students represent not only West Haven High School, but the community,” Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro said. “I think you're going to find that there's no finer young men or women anywhere.”
The celebration featured two performances by the WHHS Bel Canto Choir, led by Director Jason Thomas, whom Mullins recognized as the first Black choir director in the school's history. Stephanie Townsend also delivered a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to start the program.