Press Release: 2021-07-23
Friday 7/23: Somerville and MIRA Celebrate Immigrant Contributions with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
Friday 7/23: Somerville and MIRA Celebrate Immigrant Contributions with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley:
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2021 |
Contact: |
WHO: | Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07); Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone; Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA); SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs; Regina Bertholdo — Enrollment Office Director, Somerville Public Schools; Ben Echevarria, Executive Director — The Welcome Project. |
WHEN: | Friday, July 23, 2021,4-6 pm |
WHAT: | Celebration of Immigrant Contributions and Call for Pathway to Citizenship for All Undocumented Immigrants — Free Music, Ice Cream, Art Exhibition, Community Organizations, Speaking Program, and more! |
WHERE: | East Somerville Community School at 50 Cross St., Somerville, MA 02145 |
The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) and Somerville’s SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs will host an event tomorrow, Friday July 23, to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of immigrant communities and call for a permanent pathway to citizenship for all 11 million immigrants living without legal status in the U.S.
The Texas court ruling against DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) halted more than 60,000 pending DACA approvals and created uncertainty for the more than 600,000 current DACA holders. This decision underscores the need for bold and decisive action to protect all immigrant communities in the U.S., which is why we’re doubling down on our call for Congress to pass a permanent pathway to citizenship.
This Friday’s event will feature live music from the Somerville Latin music group Camelia, ice cream from Boston Ice Cream Events, and an art exhibition from Iaritza Menjivar, telling the story of her Guatemalan and El Salvadoran immigrant family. We’re also privileged to host a speaking program including: Somerville’s own Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07); Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone; Ben Echevarria, Executive Director of The Welcome Project; Regina Bertholdo, Enrollment Office Director, Somerville Public Schools; and MIRA’s Joel Rivera, Director of Organizing.
The event is free to attend and open to the press — registration is online for the public at bit.ly/svillecelebration723.
Please contact Daniel Pereira at dpereira@miracoalition.org with any questions or inquiries before the event; please reach out to Karissa Hand at khand@miracoalition.org to coordinate on-site and day-of interviews or coverage.