To the editor:

With the recent passing of Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem — two extraordinary women who made the world a better place — I couldn’t help but reflect on the other inspiring and impactful women that we have left, and on how fortunate I am to know some of those women right here in our own community.

One of them is Ana Barboza-Motta, the woman leading the committee responsible for one of Bristol’s most beloved traditions: the Bristol Fourth of July Celebration.

Now, it is clear that Dolly, Gloria, and Ana could hardly be more different. Yet all have at least three things in common: they inspire, stand up for what they believe in, and lead with both conviction and heart.

That kind of leadership takes courage, and we need more of it.
So, with that, I think Bristol is lucky to have Ana leading the charge as we head into the 242nd Fourth of July celebration. We were fortunate to have her lead the 241st, too.

In just a few weeks, fall will arrive. The leaves will turn shades of red, orange and yellow, and the nights will grow cooler. We’ll trade the refreshing to-go drinks that quenched our thirst during the return of summer concerts at Independence Park for cups of hot chocolate. Tourists will turn their attention from the red, white and blue stripe down the road to a giant illuminated snowflake, wrapped in the chill of the night. And the Bristol Christmas Committee will emerge from its slumber, ready to try once again to pull off the greatest small-town visit from Santa.

But for Ana and the Fourth of July Committee? It is Fourth of July all year long.

The Bristol Fourth of July Committee is a true labor of love. It requires an enormous amount of time, energy, patience, and dedication. And leading that effort requires someone who is willing to carry a tremendous responsibility on behalf of an entire community. Ana is that someone.

We talk a great deal about the women who have changed the world from afar. But there is something deeply valuable in seeing that kind of leadership up close and something beautiful about recognizing those qualities in the women we encounter in our own lives, too — women like Ana.

Most people—and Ana herself would undoubtedly be the first—thank the Fourth of July Committee as a whole for the extraordinary effort that goes into Bristol’s celebration. And that gratitude is deserved. A celebration of this size and significance is the work of an entire team of dedicated people. But every team needs a leader.

So, as much as Ana dislikes being singled out or standing in the spotlight, I think she deserves her moment.

With that, I extend a sincere thank you to Ana, and hope others will too, for her energy, courage, commitment, and for reminding us that some of the most meaningful leadership we will ever encounter is happening right here in Bristol.

Emily Marshall
Bristol