I joined members of the Brazilian community at the 5th Annual Brazilian Expo in September 2014.
Supporting the Brazilian New England Chamber of Commerce (BRANECC)
I am incredibly proud to represent a legislative district that has one of the highest percentages of Brazilian-Americans, not only in Massachusetts, but in the entire country. Helping immigrants flourish in Massachusetts, including the Brazilian community, is one of my top priorities as state Senator. I am proud to support the Brazil New England Chamber of Commerce (BRANECC), to highlight the contributions that Brazilian-born small business owners have made to communities across the region, and to provide training and education to entrepreneurs in the Brazilian community.
BRANECC is the brainchild of Ilma Paixao, general manager of WSRO 650 AM, the United States’ largest Portuguese-language radio station, based in Framingham, who has dedicated decades of her life as an activist in the Brazilian community.
The mission of the Brazil New England Chamber of Commerce is to create opportunities to remind everyone in Massachusetts of the contributions that the Brazilian community has made to Massachusetts, the richness of the Brazilian culture, the generosity of the Brazilian people, and to connect the community with the significant number of entrepreneurs and small business owners that are Brazilian. The Brazilian community contributes significantly to the culture and richness of our Commonwealth and we share many of the same values and history with the Brazilian community.
Over the past twelve years being a legislator, I have had the opportunity to get to know many members of the Brazilian community, including my District Director, Danillo Sena. Danillo’s story of success, like so many other Brazilians, is that of living the American Dream. Danillo’s success story reminds me that Massachusetts is, and must remain, a welcoming place for all immigrants.
If you’re interested to support BRANECC, please contact Danillo Sena in my office at Danillo.Sena@masenate.gov or 978-460-8564, or Thiago de Faria Dias, Executive Director of BRANECC, at thiago@branecc.com or 978-798-4489, or visit the website www.branecc.com. In addition, if you’d like to get a better understanding of some of my work for the Brazilian community, please read my speech here, which I was proud to give in Portuguese at the Brazilian Expo in September 2014.