Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Pride was on full display on City Hall Plaza as Boston's Cape Verdean community observed the 50th anniversary of their homeland's Independence Day.
Boston's more than 15,000 Cape Verdean community makes up 8% of the city's population, a community that Mayor Wu said she is doing all she can to protect.
"We don't run away from diversity or equity or inclusion," Mayor Wu said. "We lean into making sure that our identities are the leading part of how we connect, how we build community, and how we make Boston the city that we will continue to be.
"Roxbury and Dorchester's Cape Verde population has grown by 48% over the last 25 years. As the growth continues, the mayor's Cape Verde liaison hopes that the community will embrace their homeland traditions.
"Learn your culture. Remember who you are, know who your people are, know where you come from, know your culture. Learn how to do all those things so we don't lose our culture, we don't lose our tradition, so then it continues," Eliseu Depina said.
According to the Immigrant Learning Center, more than half of the immigrants in the city have become U.S. citizens. Data from the Boston Indicators shows that approximately 184,000 immigrants reside in Boston, representing about one in every four residents. The 29% foreign-born population includes those without authorization, lawful permanent residents, refugees, and naturalized citizens. As tensions continue to mount between the city of Boston and the Trump administration over the immigrant population, Mayor Wu implored the community to stay strong in the face of adversity.
"We can't pretend that things that are happening at the federal level aren't causing a lot of stress across every part of our community. Our goal is to be a home for everyone," Mayor Wu said. "By everyone, we mean everyone and we're going to continue to do that and continue to fight for the city to be a place where we celebrate our cultures."
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin reports.