As a supporter and donor to the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) and member of the affiliated, Massachusetts Business Immigration Coalition, we stand firmly with the peaceful protesters who seek justice and systematic change. We strongly support peaceful actions as anything else imperils the whole community. We echo MIRA’s statement in this letter to FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston’s President, Steve Stern–“our fates are woven together. Black, brown, or white, we live together in a single Commonwealth, and yet experience it very differently. We will not rise out of this crisis until we recognize that justice, peace and prosperity for just some is not acceptable”. We join our elected officials, business leaders, civil society, faith leaders, and all people of conscience to seize the moment and commit to righting this wrong.
With a predominantly foreign-born workforce, FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston is a passionate supporter of continued employment opportunities and quality of life improvements in our immigrant communities. During last fall’s panel program sponsored by the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, Steve (pictured on far right) discussed the importance of immigrants to the home care industry, in general and the high-quality, dedication, and passion of FirstLight’s foreign-born, professional, employee caregivers. Steve also shared some of the day-to-day challenges which foreign-born caregivers face including child care, transportation, and housing.
FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston will continue to support the mission of both the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition and the affiliated, Massachusetts Business Immigration Coalition, and work together to seize the moment and help bring justice and systemic change.
Our commitment to social and economic justice also extends to two other organizations. We support WATCH CDC, a community organizing non-profit, serving the Waltham area, which is working to build a community in which residents of all backgrounds have sufficient resources to meet their needs, have a voice in local decision-making, are represented in positions of power, and have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. We also support Africano or African Cultural Services, a non-profit which organizes after-school programs, community cultural events, school outreach programs, and professional development opportunities to the African immigrant and low-income communities in the Waltham area.