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From YouTube: We Are Boston 2022: From Dreams to Action
Description
Mayor Michelle Wu, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA), and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts host We Are Boston 2022: From Dreams to Action. 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.
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A
B
Thank
you
to
the
boston
chinese
freemasons
for
that
spectacular
lion,
dance
performance
to
celebrate
the
lunar
new
year.
Welcome
to
we
are
boston,
2022
from
dreams
to
action.
The
city
of
boston,
mayor's
office
for
immigrant
advancement
has
been
hosting.
We
are
boston
since
2006
to
celebrate
our
rich
cultural
diversity
and
the
contributions
immigrants
have
made
to
our
amazing
city.
B
B
I'm
excited
to
serve
under
your
leadership
and
make
some
big
things
happen
these
next
few
years
and
to
blue
cross
blue
shield
and
andrew
thank
you
for
hosting
us
in
this
wonderful
space
and
helping
us
make
this
in-person
event
a
virtual
one
so
quickly.
I
also
want
to
thank
our
corporate
sponsors.
We
could
not
host.
B
We
are
boston
without
you,
I'd
like
to
take
a
moment
to
recognize
you
for
your
generous
donations,
especially
our
champion
sponsors,
our
bella
insurance
foundation,
clarman
family
foundation
and
state
street
corporation
and
our
visionary
sponsors,
eastern
bank
foundation
and
tufts
medical
center.
This
year,
we've
raised
a
hundred
and
sixteen
thousand
and
five
hundred
dollars
and
counting
sponsorships,
for
we
are
boston
fund,
our
mini
grants.
So
last
year's
sponsors
funded
this
year's
160
000
in
mini
grants,
and
this
year's
sponsors
will
fund
the
mini
grants
for
next
year.
B
It's
so
encouraging
to
know
that
in
these
politically
divisive
times,
boston
is
a
national
leader
in
celebrating
the
value
of
immigrants
to
our
society.
I'd
also
like
to
take
a
moment
to
honor
our
non-profit
partners.
You
worked
tirelessly
through
the
panda
bank
in
2020
and
then
again
throughout
2021.
B
B
Now
more
than
ever,
the
impossible
seems
possible,
together
with
our
non-profit
partners,
foundations,
corporate
sponsors
and
all
of
you,
we've
been
taking
action
and
we're
going
to
going
to
take
our
collective
action
to
the
next
level
in
the
coming
years.
So
dreams,
big
and
small
are
possible
for
people
personally
and
on
a
systematic
level.
B
With
that,
I
would
like
to
introduce
one
of
our
hosts
for
the
evening
andrew
dreifus,
the
president
and
ceo
of
blue
cross
blue
shield
of
massachusetts
he's
been
an
advocate
and
supporter
of
immigrants.
In
this
event,
for
a
long
time
really
demonstrating
the
importance
of
how
private,
nonprofit
and
government
sectors
can
come
together
in
a
meaningful
way,.
C
Good
evening,
everyone,
my
name,
is
andrew
dreyfuss,
president
and
ceo
of
blue
cross
blue
shield
of
massachusetts.
It's
my
honor
to
welcome
you
all
to
tonight's
reception.
We
at
blue
cross
are
incredibly
proud
to
host
this
event.
It's
a
celebration
of
our
city's
rich
cultural
diversity
and
a
recognition
of
the
significant
contributions
made
to
boston
by
immigrants
and
refugees.
C
C
This
is
a
historic
opportunity
for
all
of
us
to
create
a
truly
inclusive
culture
in
our
city
and
across
our
organizations.
That
brings
the
best
talent,
together
to
advance
big
ideas,
solve
complex
problems
and
address
the
deeply
rooted
systemic
inequities
in
our
society,
and
we
are
so
fortunate
to
have
a
mayor
leading
us
on
this
charge.
C
Mayor
wu
understands
that
the
city's
diversity
is
its
greatest
strength
and
that
the
immigrant
community
is
at
its
core
blue
cross
shares.
Mayor
was
vision
of
health,
equity
and
environmental
justice,
and
we
recognize
the
deep
interconnectedness
of
this
work
as
the
city's
health
plan
and
as
a
civic
organization
committed
supporting
wider
change
in
our
city
and
state.
We
are
proud
to
work
toward
this
vision
and
encourage
our
fellow
boston
businesses
to
join
with
us.
C
C
Immigrants
have
always
been
at
the
heart
of
boston
and
I'm
so
happy
to
be
part
of
their
celebration
tonight.
So
thank
you
to
mayor
michelle
wu
yusuf,
iwali
catherine
shaw,
the
boston,
chinese
freemasons,
the
blue
cross
black
professionals
network
and
the
entire
team
at
the
mayor's
office
for
immigrant
advancement
for
their
hard
work
in
planning
tonight's
reception.
B
B
I
also
want
to
thank
your
team,
especially
tammy
davidson
maria
fernandez
dominique
mike
grimmett
and
joey
lisano,
who
made
this
possible
now.
The
next
person
I'd
like
to
welcome
is
a
big
inspiration
for
this
year's
theme,
our
new
mayor
mayor,
rochelle,
wu
epitomizes
from
dreams
to
action,
not
only
because
of
who
she
is,
but
also
because
of
what
she
wants
to
accomplish
she's.
The
reason
I
believe
now
is
the
time
for
action
and
boston
is
the
place
to
make
dreams
happen
for
her
immigrants,
as
I've
gotten
to
know
her.
D
Thank
you
sophie
and
to
your
whole
team
for
making
this
event
possible
and
to
blue
cross
blue
shield
andrew
and
everyone
who's
joining
to
support
our
immigrant
communities.
This
evening
I
am
so
proud
to
be
able
to
host
this
event
with
the
mayor's
office
for
immigrant
advancement
as
a
daughter
of
immigrants.
D
I
know
the
vital
role
that
our
immigrant
families
and
communities
play
in
making
our
city
more
welcoming
more
resilient
and
more
joyful.
I've
also
known
my
whole
life.
What
it
feels
like
to
face
barriers
in
moments
of
need,
how
frustrating
it
can
be
to
find
that
even
the
most
basic
services
are
inaccessible
for
language
or
culture.
D
What
it's
like
to
be
reminded
that
so
many
of
our
systems,
weren't
built
with
us
in
mind,
which
is
why
tonight's
theme
from
dreams
to
action
feels
so
appropriate
and
so
urgent,
because
if
we
want
to
build
a
boston
for
everyone,
we
must
do
so
with
our
immigrant
communities
at
the
heart
of
our
efforts,
we
must
design
structures
and
processes
that
see
and
value.
All
of
us,
that's
why
our
administration
is
prioritizing
meeting
people
where
they
are
across
all
our
departments.
D
Thank
you
to
the
many
activists
and
community
leaders
here
tonight
who
have
refused
to
stop
pushing
for
meaningful
change.
It's
that
same
dedication
to
creating
a
better
life
for
the
next
generation
that
defines
so
many
immigrants
dreams.
It's.
Why
so
many
immigrants,
including
my
family,
came
to
this
country
in
the
first
place,
and
it's
why
I'd
like
to
thank
moya,
yee
human
services,
the
caribbean
youth
club
and
their
10
partner
non-profits
for
giving
those
dreams
life
through
the
dreamers
fellowship.
Thank
you
for
your
impact.
D
Since
the
summer
of
2020
300
immigrant
students,
regardless
of
their
immigration
status,
have
received
valuable
leadership,
training
and
hands-on
work
experience
for
years.
We
heard
that,
because
of
their
status,
it
would
be
impossible
to
offer
these
students,
professional
development
and
a
stipend.
D
D
This
year's
we
are
boston.
Community
champion
award,
goes
to
the
asian
community.
Emergency
relief
fund
made
up
of
the
asian
community
development
corporation
chinese,
progressive
association,
vietnamese
american
initiative
for
development,
asian
american
resource
workshop,
greater
boston,
legal
services,
asian
outreach
unit
and
the
cambodian
mutual
assistance
association.
E
E
To
make
matters
worse,
our
communities
have
also
been
facing
rising
anti-asian
racism
as
part
of
the
relief
fund.
We
set
up
hotlines
in
mandarin
cantonese,
vietnamese
and
kamai
and
worked
with
other
asian
community
organizations
throughout
the
region
to
ensure
immigrants
with
limited
english
proficiency
and
those
most
in
need
could
access
help.
E
Through
this
work,
we
have
gained
a
deeper
understanding
of
the
needs
of
the
most
vulnerable
among
us,
and
our
collaboration
continues
beyond
this
relief
fund
to
advocate
for
a
long-term
systemic
change
through
language
access
and
data
equity,
better
worker
protections
and
resources
for
equitable,
coveted
recovery.
Thank
you
for
this
honor.
D
Our
next
award
is
the
we
are
boston,
corporate
leadership
award
given
to
a
corporation
that
has
demonstrated
a
deep
commitment
to
boston's
immigrant
communities.
This
year
the
award
goes
to
arbella
insurance
foundation,
our
bella
created
its
foundation
in
2004
and
has
been
recognized
every
year
since
then,
as
a
top
charitable
contributor
in
our
region.
Thank
you
to
the
foundation
for
your
generous
support
of
our
immigrant
nonprofits
and
for
your
commitment
to
creating
a
welcoming,
inclusive
city.
Congratulations
on
receiving
this
year's
corporate
leadership
award.
F
Well,
thank
you
mayor
wu
and
yusefi,
and
the
whole
crew
and
team
at
the
mayor's
office
of
immigrant
advancement.
We
are
so
honored
and
privileged
to
receive
this
award
today
at
arbela.
We
recognize
that
we
all
come
from
immigrant
families.
All
of
our
families
came
here
as
immigrants
at
one
time
or
another,
and
they
all
went
through
suffering
and
challenges
to
not
only
get
into
the
country
but
to
be
accepted,
and
those
of
us
who
have
descended
and
been
benefited
from
the
struggles
that
they
went
through
and
the
support
they
gave.
F
B
You
mayor
wu
and
again
a
big
congratulations
to
our
honorees
tonight.
When
I
started
as
director
of
moya
in
2019,
we
were
five
people.
Now
we
are
12
with
a
budget,
that's
increased
by
270
percent.
This
tremendous
growth
is
a
testament
to
your
partnership
and
the
hard
work
of
many,
especially
our
non-profit
partners,
community
leaders
and
my
team
and
I'd
really
like
to
thank
everyone
here
for
contributing
to
that
success.
B
B
As
I
promised
last
year,
we've
been
building
out
our
economic
integration
work
to
grow,
immigrant
wealth
and
wages.
Our
dream
is
to
solve
the
licensure
problem
at
the
state
level
for
foreign
trained
professionals,
people
who
are
educated
overseas
but
struggling
to
transition
their
skills
into
work
in
the
u.s.
B
The
first
step
in
doing
that
has
been
to
partner
with
african
bridge
network,
to
create
the
immigrant
professionals
fellowship
this
program,
places
foreign
trained
professionals
into
paid
fellowships,
with
leading
hospitals
in
greater
boston
at
a
time
when
the
healthcare
industry
desperately
needs
the
skills
and
diversity
of
immigrants,
together
with
the
office
of
workforce
development,
abn,
beth,
israel,
bmc,
boston,
children's
and
mgh,
I'm
proud.
We
could
make
this
happen
and
I
hope
more
cities
can
do
something
similar
until
we
solve
the
licensure
problem
at
the
national
level.
B
We'll
have
more
on
this
in
our
workshop
for
our
sponsors,
so
I
highly
encourage
you
and
your
company
to
attend
while
making
progress
on
our
strategic
plan.
My
team
also
successfully
tackled
some
unexpected
challenges
because
of
the
devastating
impact
of
the
pandemic,
we
managed
to
secure
a
million
dollars
in
arpa
funds
to
give
as
cash
relief
to
immigrants,
regardless
of
status,
that
money
served
more
than
1200
households.
B
B
There
are
some
critical
challenges
that
many
of
our
immigrant
communities
are
facing
today,
which
I
want
to
make
sure
moya
makes
progress
on
mayor
wu
already
touched
on
drivers
license
and
their
importance
to
our
immigrant
communities.
My
team-
and
I
are
also
working
on
expanding
legal
services
and
strengthening
legal
infrastructure
to
provide
pathways
to
status.
B
Legal
services
is
one
of
the
biggest
needs
in
the
immigrant
community
right
now,
thanks
to
our
volunteer
lawyers,
moya
has
free
immigration
consultations
and
the
city
of
boston
is
also
proud
to
have
launched
the
greater
boston
immigrant
defense
bond,
which
we
are
continuing
to
contribute
towards.
But
we
know
that's
not
enough.
B
Nonprofits
need
to
be
able
to
expand
capacity,
so
they
can
provide
culturally
competent
immigrant
legal
services.
We
launched
a
successful
pilot
with
ifc
to
support
haitian
residents
with
tps
and
asylum
cases,
and
we
want
to
build
on
that
work
with
more
partners
to
meet
this
critical
need.
I
also
want
to
develop
our
work
in
social
integration
for
our
immigrant
communities,
especially
with
esol
classes
and
mental
health,
working
in
partnership
with
the
city
council's
task
force
on
adult
literacy
and
organizations
like
english
for
new
bostonians
and
want
us
to
create
a
road
map.
B
B
B
Renato
castelo
on
my
team
and
african
bridge
network
have
been
working
hard
on
that,
so
don't
miss
it
with
that.
Our
last
performance
of
the
evening
is
katherine
shaw.
Performing
her
poem
blowing
barriers.
Catherine
is
an
8th
grader
and
is
passionate
about
creating
positive
change
in
her
community
in
her
free
time
she
helps
homeless
foundations,
soup
kitchens
and
senior
citizens.
B
G
G
All
we
know
about
the
wolf
is
that
he
lives
on.
No
one
knows
road
in
a
house
made
of
no
one
cares,
and
he
has
some
kind
of
lung
disease
that
causes
him
to
huff
and
puff,
which
makes
it
hard
for
me
to
believe
he
can
blow
any
house
down
what,
if
all
the
wolf
wanted,
was
a
cup
of
sugar
to
bake
his
or
hers
or
theirs?
G
Why
do
we
assume
the
wolf
is
a
guy
anyway?
What?
If
all
he
wanted,
was
a
cup
of
sugar
to
bake
her
grandmother,
a
birthday
cake,
just
like
a
story
with
one
perspective,
assuming
everyone
can
pay
for
health
care,
causes
people
to
suffer
in
the
eyes
of
the
pigs.
The
wolf
is
the
bad
guy
in
the
eyes
of
ignorance,
equitable
health
care
is
not
an
issue.
G
We
need
to
huff
and
puff
and
blow
these
barriers
down.
I
am
bringing
light
to
this
issue
because
people
need
high
quality,
affordable
health
care
to
get
there.
We
need
to
hear
everyone's
stories
and
make
decisions
with
multiple
perspectives
in
mind.
Multiple
perspectives
bring
diversity
to
the
table,
and
diversity
at
the
table
brings
equitable
change.
We
need
leaders
execution
to
bring
strong
solutions.