Boston Brunch Honors Three African American Veterans, Mourns Event's Founder

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6245 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston marks fourth African American Veterans Appreciation Brunch with three awards and a tribute to the event's late founder. The City of Boston's Office of Veterans Services, Office of Fair Housing and Equity, and the Black Employee Network held the ceremony Saturday at the Thelma Burns Building, an ABCD facility in District 7, after the event outgrew its original home at the William E. Carter American Legion Post.

Veterans Services Commissioner Robert Santiago and Boston Planning and Development Agency Director Brian Golden, a 27-year Army Reserve officer, headlined an afternoon of remarks that also drew City Council President Kim Janey, Councilors Ed Flynn, Lydia Edwards, and Julia Mejia, and State Representatives Russell Holmes and Liz Miranda. A posthumous mayoral proclamation was presented to the family of Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Eric Hill, the event's founding master of ceremonies, who died in the past year; awardee Thaddeus Miles, an Air Force veteran and Director of Community Service at MassHousing, told the crowd, "We all rise as one." Meredith E. Tuitt, recognized as the first African American female aviation machinist mate jet mechanic in the Navy, announced her appointment to the Steering Committee for the Women's Veterans Network for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In the full story:

• Opening Ceremony and Elected Officials' Remarks
• Tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Eric Hill
• Commissioner Santiago's Historical Address
• Brian Golden's Remarks — Truman's Order and the Memorials of Boston
• City Administration Remarks — Martinez, Nelson, and the NAACP Convention
• Awards Presentations
• The complete report — 2,455 words

Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6245 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.