Contacts:         Rev. Dieufort Fleurissaint: 617-799-7009
                               Dr. Géralde Gabeau: 617-447-6522

​Where:           JFK Federal    Building, Government Center, Boston MA
 
When:             Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
 
Boston, MA.  The Haitian American community in Massachusetts and its allies are calling for a massive rally protest on Thursday, May 18, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. in front of the Kennedy Building; immediately following the raising Haitian Flag ceremony in front of Boston City Hall.
 
Haitian Americans United Inc. (H.A.U.) and its partners condemn the silence of the international community and the Biden Administration on the current political crisis in Haiti. This event will highlight the ongoing acts of aggression violence, kidnapping, looting, and rape perpetrated all day long against our brothers and sisters in Haiti by the armed bandits. The crisis will not stop until Haiti can see the light of improvement of its security system, said” Reverend Dieufort  J Fleurissaint HAU Chair, and True Alliance Center, Executive Director.
 
HAU is expecting community leaders, prominent members of the clergy, students, and elected officials from various municipalities, to speak at the rally.   Please contact H.A.U. for more information or for an interview opportunity with the organizers and their partners. 
 
 (H.A.U.) is a non-profit, non-sectarian, and non-partisan community organization working to improve the quality of life for Haitians and Haitian-Americans in Massachusetts and Haiti – using education, socio-economic empowerment, and cultural development. The organization is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and celebrating Haitian Heritage, by promoting patriotism to unify the diverse populations of the Haitian Diaspora
 

​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Monday, July 27, 2020
CONTACT:       Italo Fini, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
(774) 232-8550 | [email protected]
Frank Soults, SEIU 32BJ
(860) 471-5692 | [email protected]
Driver’s License Bill for Undocumented Immigrants moved to Economic Development Bill
Black and Brown Immigrants Demand: “If Not Now, When?”
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BOSTON – On Friday, the Driving Families Forward Coalition sanctioned adding the Work and Family Mobility Act as an amendment to the Economic Development Bill, which is scheduled for consideration in the State House today. One hundred forty businesses have endorsed the drivers’ license act, which would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a regular Massachusetts driver’s license, thus boosting revenue and economic activity in the state.

But while the bill’s economic benefits have always been undeniable, the moral imperative has never been stronger. By last count, the Economic Development Bill has 499 amendments. Only one of these has led advocates to camp out in front of the State House for over ten days, facing brutal heat and racist threats (see Cosecha press release here). Only one has inspired labor leaders from across Massachusetts to pledge themselves to a fast. Only one has moved over 190 faith leaders from across the state to sign a letter of support [LINK].
 
Most recently, Virginia became the seventeenth state to allow licenses for undocumented immigrants, yet the Massachusetts legislature continues its historic recalcitrance to support its one million foreign-born residents, a shameful history that has killed every single major piece of legislation raised primarily to protect immigrant rights. As the legislature demands action for Black and brown residents facing police brutality, they have so far refused to pass the only bill that would directly end a primary justification for profiling Black and brown drivers (a bill that is also endorsed by Mass. Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association). Whether documented or not, immigrants also make up a disproportionately large segment of the essential workforce, and the driver’s license bill would help stop the spread of the coronavirus by allowing these workers to avoid crowded carpools, busses and trains. Not passing the bill, in effect, promotes contagion.
 
"Allowing immigrants to have a driver's license is a matter of human dignity,” said Cindy Rowe, Executive Director of the Jewish Alliance of Law and Social Action. “Right now, every time undocumented immigrants drive to get to their essential jobs -- stocking grocery store shelves, taking care of our elderly parents, cleaning our health care facilities -- they risk family separation and deportation. How can we ask them to keep us safe and healthy when we aren't willing to protect them, their health, and their families?"
 
Rowe was involved in organizing the faith letter sent to the Legislature with over 190 signatures and in preparing a video from some of those leaders pleading for passage.
 
The economic rationale for the bill is clear. According to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, upwards of 275,000 undocumented immigrants resided in Massachusetts as of 2017. The driver’s license bill would permit a great proportion of these immigrants to pay licensing fees, guaranteeing a massive infusion of revenue into the state’s dwindling coffers, as well as providing an economic booster shot during a pandemic. Advocates in New Jersey, which recently passed its own version of the bill, estimate that insurance companies will gain over $200 million in premiums and the state over $11 million in license fees.
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The Driving Families Forward Coalition unites over 200 organizations in the goal of making drivers’ licenses accessible to all qualified state residents, regardless of immigration status.

 
                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT INFORMATION
 True Alliance Center, Inc.
Reve. Dieufort Fleurissaint
Tel: 617.749.6947
 
Email: [email protected]
​
 
 True Alliance Center Stands With Black Lives Matter Movement and Against Systemic Racism
 
(Boston, MA, July 6, 2020)–––True Alliance Center (TAC) stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the peaceful protests around the country and around the world. The killings of our Black brothers and sisters can no longer be pushed to oblivion. The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery highlight the continued systemic racism and oppression that unjustly targets Black bodies. We stand with the families of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and every family who has unjustly lost their loved ones. It was heart-wrenching to watch the video of George Floyd begging to breath. "I can't breathe" has left an indelible print in our memories. Watching a Black man take his last breath should never be pleasurable or taken with a cavalier attitude.

TAC is dedicated to serve the immigrant community for the betterment of tomorrow. Silence is violence. We acknowledge that in order to stimulate positive change, we have a responsibility to fight against silence, and use our platform to condemn injustice, and advocate for just, fair, and equal society. Silence should not be tolerated from institutions and organizations who were built to promote social equity and equality.
 
We speak out against injustice of any kind and wherever it comes from. As Haitian immigrants,  we understand the impact of racial prejudice has on the lives of people of color in the United States and around the globe.  We personally experience racism in many settings and on many occasions. We empathize with all who have experienced injustice at the hand of law enforcement and the criminal justice system. We say NO MORE to police brutality and the casual murder of Black men and women. TAC will continue to ensure that Black immigrants know their lives matter.
 
True Alliance Center, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization founded and incorporated in Massachusetts on July 26, 2010. It is a faith-based charitable organization that seeks to promote advocacy in the Haitian community related to education, housing, immigration, health and economic development. It was established in response to the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010.
 
 
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