Dear Leading Ladies,
We had the privilege last week of talking with Leading Ladies supporter Giseli Cruz-Nascimento to discuss her experience and perspective as a member of the local Brazilian community.
Giseli has been in the US for 36 years, following her husband who arrived six months before her. His employer, a wholesale flower distributor in Boston, sponsored them so they could receive Green Cards. Otherwise they planned to return to Brazil rather than remain in the US illegally. After five years, they were able to apply for citizenship.
As Giseli told us, “At first my husband came with no intention of staying. Then the economy in Brazil and the political atmosphere were really bad. Inflation was running at 100% a month, the government froze our money, and the corruption was beyond what we imagined it could be. We had no hope the country would get better. We then decided we would stay 2 or 3 years.” That has stretched into more than three decades.
We asked Giseli to answer some questions about the Brazilians in our area and the challenges now facing them.
Q. Tell us a little about the local Brazilian community.
A. Most of the community is connected through church. Work also connects people, with the majority of Brazilian residents employed in cleaning/housekeeping and construction.
Q. Can you describe the present fears and concerns of the community?
A. Lots of people are returning home, since most come here with no intention of staying for a lifetime. The majority work in the US to own property back in Brazil. Once they have a home, farm or a small business to generate income, it's easier to make the decision to go back on their own and not by deportation.
Q. Can you give me some examples of people and families that have been affected?
A. I work for a painting contractor, helping manage projects, assisting customers with color selection, and doing job quotes and billing. Earlier in the summer, a worker was arrested at his house. They knocked on his door; once he opened it, he and his son were arrested. After paying a lawyer and legal fees, the worker was able to get released on bail. Currently, he is waiting for a court date. The son was deported to Brazil. Commercial vans (with lettering and ladders) are a frequent target. A lot of companies are having a difficult time having workers willing to drive the company vehicle. Companies are also struggling to get workers for the same reason.
Q. How are you protecting yourself?
A. Although I’m a citizen I fear being stopped by ICE. I do have copies of my passport in my car and handbags.
Q. What about the children in the Brazilian community? What are parents advising them to do if stopped? How are parents telling them to protect themselves?
A. One thing I know for sure, is that lots of families are seeking legal guardians for their children in case the parents get arrested, particularly if their children are citizens and parents aren’t, in hopes that the children won’t be taken by the government agency.
Q. What support would the Brazilian community like from the broader community, from neighbors and friends, from agencies and others?
A. Most people would like a system where they will be allowed to live legally in the US. Demonstration of welcoming and compassion are very important. Some town mayors have measures to assure the community that they are sided with the immigrants, such as not allowing a “work van” to be towed after the vehicle owner has been arrested.
Q. Anything else you would like to tell our Leading Ladies readers?
A. It’s an extremely difficult decision to leave your home country. You leave behind part of your identity, your family, friends, community. You then arrive in a place where you need to learn a new language, overcome discrimination, and make new friends, if you are lucky! Even now that I have lived longer here than in Brazil, I still speak with an accent and when I go “home” people ask where I’m from, because my Portuguese now sounds different too. It’s a constant reminder that I’m not from there either. Once you start to lose family members, your children haven’t grown up with cousins, grandparents and extended family. I realized that it was a big price to pay, but until now it was somewhat worth it. At this political moment we are living in, it’s extremely hard to believe it was all worth the sacrifices. I used to believe that the US had a judicial system that worked, a constitution that was honored, and, for the most part, people could be themselves without being judged. The beauty of America was that it was a big melting pot.
Thank you, Giseli, for sharing your story and that of people you know. Your words are powerful, your perspective eye-opening.
Everyone, please share what Giseli has taught us. First person stories are hard to ignore. As the great documentarian Ken Burns has said, “the only thing that changes people is storytelling.”
Best,
Therese (she/her/hers)
Judy (she/her/hers)
Didi (she/her/hers)
Leading Ladies Executive Team
Leadingladiesvote.org
ladies@leadingladiesvote.org