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波士頓市長吳弭(Michelle Wu，左起) 頒獎給亞美社區緊急紓困基金代表，劉安琪，
以及右起陳玉珍，鄺寶蓮等人。(MOIA提供)
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(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓綜合報導) 波士頓市移民進步辦公室 (MOIA)主辦，強調移民對波士頓也有貢獻的「我們是波士頓 (We Are Boston) 」活動，今年以「從夢想到行動」為主題，訂今晚 (3月3日) 在網路上舉行。 波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu) 在接待會中談及她的來年目標，並頒發「我們是波士頓社區支持獎 (We Are Boston
Community Champion Award)」給由6個地方機構組成的「亞美社區緊急紓困基金 (Asian Community
Emergency Relief Fund)」。
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| 藍十字藍盾執行長Andrew Dreyfus致詞。(MOIA 提供) |
該基金在新冠病毒疫情期間，發出50多萬元給因為疫情失去收入，無法取得公共福利，還面對著反亞裔種族歧視的許多家庭。 「我們是波士頓企業領袖獎」頒給了Arbella保險基金會，因為該機構慷慨支持移民的非牟利機構，擁護「工作及家庭流動法 (Work and Family
Mobility Act)」。
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| 波士頓市市長吳弭(中)與MOIA辦公室主任Yusufi Vali (右一)及其工作同仁。(MOIA提供) |
去年11月才當選波士頓市長的吳弭 (Michelle Wu)表示，”作為移民的女兒，我知道移民家庭及社區在使我們的城市更親切，更有彈性，更歡樂上有多重要”。”如果我們要為每個人打造波士頓，就必須在我們努力時，把我們的移民社區放在心中”。 本屆活動贊助單位暨共同主辦者的麻州藍十字藍盾執行長Andrew Dreyfus表示，在新冠病毒疫情期間，很多移民及難民都是前線工作人員，既是領袖，也是創造改變者。
波士頓市移民進步辦公室(MOIA)主任Yusufi
Vali表示，今年的「我們是波士頓」活動以「從夢想到行動」為主題，因為這是該行動的時候了，好讓移民的夢成為現實。
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| 亞美社區發展中心(ACDC)主任劉安琪代表亞裔社區緊急紓困基金致詞。 (MOIA提供) |
MOIA有大約12名工作人員，致力協助移民融入社區，改善生活，發揮己長。該機構衛移民社區提供法律服務，英語課程，社會融合，精神健康等各方面的支援，最近還在籌辦協助在美國境外已有專業證照者得以發揮所長的項目。 「我們是波士頓」今年有27家企業贊助商，共捐贈11萬6500元，將用於支援服務移民的非營利組織。今年的頒獎晚會將在MOIA的臉書網頁上直播 facebook.com/BOSImmigrants。
WE ARE BOSTON 2022: FROM DREAMS TO ACTION
BOSTON
- Thursday, March 3, 2022 - Mayor Michelle Wu, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant
Advancement (MOIA), and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts hosted We Are Boston 2022: From Dreams to Action on March 3, 2022. The annual reception
celebrates Boston immigrants and their contributions to the City. It also
highlights how government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors can work together
for advocacy and change.
“As a
daughter of immigrants, I know the vital role that our immigrant families and
communities play in making our city more welcoming, more resilient, and more
joyful,” said Mayor Wu. “If we want to build a Boston for everyone, we must do
so with our immigrant communities at the heart of our efforts.”
“Immigrants
and refugees are frontline workers, leaders, and changemakers. Throughout this
pandemic, they have helped sustain our schools, our businesses, our hospitals -
our entire community. And they are leading the call for equity at this critical
moment in our country’s history,” said Andrew Dreyfus, President and CEO of
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, event co-host and in-kind sponsor.
During
the reception, Mayor Wu addressed her goals for the upcoming year and named
this year’s honorees. She awarded the 2022 “We Are Boston Community Champion
Award” to the Asian Community Emergency Relief Fund, made up of six local
groups. The Fund distributed more than half a million dollars to families that
lost incomes because of the pandemic and could not access public benefits, all
while facing anti-Asian racism. The 2022 “We Are Boston Corporate Leadership
Award” went to Arbella Insurance Foundation because of its generous support of
immigrant nonprofits and because of Arbella’s advocacy for the Work and Family
Mobility Act.
“The
theme of this year’s We Are Boston is
‘From Dreams to Action,’” said Yusufi Vali, Director of the Mayor’s Office for
Immigrant Advancement. “We picked this theme because this is the time for
action so immigrant dreams can become reality.”
Director
Vali spoke about how MOIA worked with public, private, and nonprofit sectors to
help immigrants recover from the pandemic, grow immigrant wealth and wages, and
respond to the inhumane treatment of Haitians at the border. He also spoke on
the department’s goals to build out City resources for legal services, ESOL
classes, social integration, and mental health.
Twenty-seven
corporate sponsors funded this year’s We
Are Boston. Their donations totaling more than $116,500 dollars will go
towards operational support and capacity-building for immigrant-serving
nonprofits. This year’s champion sponsors are Arbella Insurance Foundation, The
Klarman Family Foundation, and State Street Corporation; and the visionary
sponsors are Eastern Bank Foundation and Tufts Medical Center. Corporate
sponsors are invited to participate in this year’s workshop about how to
leverage the diversity and skills of immigrants to benefit their businesses and
drive Boston’s economy.
We Are Boston 2022: From Dreams to Action is available to watch on MOIA’s Facebook page:
facebook.com/BOSImmigrants.
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