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星期一, 4月 03, 2023

波士頓市公民組織主任Henry Santana宣佈參選波士頓市不分區市議員

Henry Santana。 (圖片取自波士頓市府網站)
             (Boston Orange 編譯) 在波士頓市選區重劃的法律訴訟正在如火如荼進行之際,波士頓市府的公民組織 (Civic Organization) 主任Henry Santana (3) 日宣佈參選波士頓市不分區市議員。

             去年3月才上任的Henry Santana出生在多明尼加共和國的Bani,孩童時代移民來美,具西班牙語及英語的雙語能力,曾就讀波士頓公校,畢業於Lasell大學,擁有歷史及政治學士學位。他曾在MFS投資管理公司工作,也曾擔任波士頓市議員Kenzie Bok的地區主任,營運主任和任務丘及芬衛聯絡員。

             Henry Santana表示,他的故事就是波士頓市故事。他家經歷過從另外一個國家移民來這兒的所有挑戰,也得到波士頓市提供的所有機會。他參選波士頓市不分區市議員市因為他想用自己的平台來倡議公屋、公安,以及公民參與和環境正義。他的生活經驗教會了他合作的力量,用以打造更強壯、更有彈性的城市。

             非牟利機構「世代團結(GenUnity)」的執行長Jerren Chang表示,Henry Santana自己的移民經驗教會了他,摸索政府系統可以有多難,人們多迫切的需要打破這些障礙。Henry Santana有這遠見,要把人們團結起來,帶動改變,而且他也有不倦不悔,改善鄰里的紀錄。

             根據波士頓市選務局明列的參選規定,Henry Santana必須在419日前遞交文件,申請參選,然後他必須取得1500個選民支持的簽名,才能名列初選選票。今年的波士頓市初選將在912日,大選將為117日。

HENRY SANTANA ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FOR BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR AT-LARGE 

BOSTON (April 3, 2023) - Henry Santana today announced his candidacy for Boston City Councilor At-Large. Santana currently serves as Director of Civic Organizing for Mayor Michelle Wu, where he helps drive community engagement across the City. He previously served as Mission Hill liaison and Director of Operations for Councilor Kenzie Bok.

Santana grew up in public housing in Mission Hill after immigrating to Boston as a child from Bani, Dominican Republic. A bilingual English and Spanish speaker, he attended Boston Public Schools and led youth programming in Mission Hill before going to work for the City.

“My story is the story of Boston,” said Santana. “My family experienced all the challenges of moving here from another country, but also all the opportunities our city can provide. I am running for Boston City Council At-Large because I want to use my platform to advocate for public housing, public safety, civic engagement, and environmental justice. My own life experience has taught me the power of working collaboratively to build a stronger, more resilient city together.”

“We are so proud of Henry,” said Matilda Drayton, president of the Tenant Task Force at Alice Taylor, the BHA housing development where Santana grew up. “We need more candidates that know firsthand about living in public housing and can advocate for us.” 

In addition to investing in public housing, Santana is pushing for a truly trust-based approach to public safety. That means investing in the kinds of youth development programs that created a safe environment for him growing up, while also building strong relationships between community and police. He also knows that our communities cannot heal if we do not create strong pathways for returning citizens.

"As someone who's spent years working with incarcerated individuals, I know firsthand how important it is to have leaders who prioritize criminal justice reform and support reentry programs,” said David Jean-Jacques, Executive Director of the Big Hope Project. “Henry Santana is that kind of leader. He understands the challenges faced by the formerly incarcerated and is committed to ensuring they have the resources they need to successfully reintegrate into our community.”

In his work running the Office of Civic Organizing, Santana travels all over the city to better connect every neighborhood to city government. "I've seen firsthand how Henry Santana is committed to improving the lives of our neighbors in East Boston,” said Sandra Nijjar, Executive Director of East Boston Community Soup Kitchen. “As a City Councilor At Large, I know he'll fight to ensure that every person in our community has access to healthy food and a warm meal.”

It was Santana’s own immigrant experience that taught him how hard the systems of government can be to navigate, and how urgent it is to break down those barriers every day. “Each of us can contribute to building a community that works for all of us,” said Jerren Chang, CEO of civic nonprofit GenUnity. “Henry Santana shares this vision of bringing people together to drive change and has a proven track record of working tirelessly to improve our neighborhoods.”
To learn more about Henry Santana’s campaign for City Councilor At-Large, visit henrysantana.com or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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