A Portuguese Colonial in America, Belmira Nunes Lopes

Book excerpt: A rare insight into the life of a Cape Verdean American, this memoir tells of an everyday woman's life of extraordinary measure—the small ways in which she contributed and inspired those around her. Belmira Nunes Lopes worked for equality, for the recognition of her culture, and fought a personal battle of identity. Composed from interviews with her niece, Belmira's story speaks of her upbringing in America without fully understanding her full ethnic and cultural background until adulthood, details how her family immigrated from Cape Verde and struggled to make a life in their new nation, and covers the impact she strove to have on the world during her long and unique life.