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| 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今 (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4月19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9月12日，大選將為11月7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.
