Hundreds of mourners and well wishers gathered at the Leo Mahoney Arena on the Fairfield University campus Saturday to celebrate the life of Carolyn Vermont, a noted local civil rights leader.
Vermont, who died in late February while visiting Jamaica, was lauded as a tireless advocate for those facing hardships, including discrimination and homelessness.
Gov. Ned Lamont called Vermont the unofficial mayor of Bridgeport, due to her advocacy work and its huge impact on the city .
“She looked out for family, she looked out for friends, she looked out for community,” Lamont said.
Vermont, a highly popular and respected community leader in Bridgeport, seemingly had boundless energy, according to mourners and well wishers.
Vermont’s daughter, Nicole Fuller-Smith, said her mother’s advocacy work did not prevent her from enjoying priceless moments with her family.
“What I will remember about her as her child are the birthday parties she threw me, how involved she was at my childhood school events,” Fuller-Smith said.
Vermont, a native of Jamaica, left her country to live in Bridgeport, where she quickly made a name for herself in the 1990s, as a tireless anti-gun violence advocate.
Vermont later served as president of the Greater Bridgeport NAACP branch and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Coastal Fairfield County.
Danielle C. Wong, the former Mayor of Bloomfield said Vermont supported her, during a trying time after she received a deeply hurtful hate letter.
Wong said Vermont helped her, without even trying to, when Vermont asked her to be the keynote speaker for a banquet held by the West Indian Association of Greater Bridgeport.
“I remember pausing when I got her message, because it was a moment where I was being torn down," Wong said. "And here's Carolyn, lifting me up, reminding me of my worth, calling me forward when I really wanted to just shrink and fall back."
