Dear friends,
The 2002 World Cup Final between Brazil and Germany changed the course of my life. I was a young professional living in Cambridge, livin’ la vida loca, and I had attended a party where I met a Brazilian named Dauro. We struck up a conversation and he invited me to an outdoor screening of the World Cup Final at the Brazilian Cultural Center in Cambridge. It was the first time I had witnessed the ballet that is Brazilian soccer– pure elegance and a play style choreography that I had never seen before. As the final seconds of the game ticked away and it looked like Brazil would triumphantly win 2 - 0, a mob of Brazilians began hugging me like I was their long lost brother. Each person laughed and cried in my arms as Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho celebrated on the field.
I had found my tribe. To this day, they are my closest friends. And my connection to them led me to meeting the mother of my children, the birth of my twin sons and my entry into a true community of solidarity.
A community of solidarity– this is the gift of the World Cup. In a polarized world, soccer brings us together. You don’t even need to be a soccer fan to know its powerful impact on communities.
I was inspired by a video that Dr. Geralde Gabeau, Executive Director of the Immigrant Family Service Institute (IFSI), shared with the local Haitian community. Haiti is playing in its first World Cup since 1974 and she reminded our Haitian brothers and sisters to celebrate responsibly because unfortunately we live in a country where people of color are overpoliced and where ICE will detain immigrants on a whim. While I am a forever fan of Brazilian soccer, my heart will be with the Haitian national team.
We have some important wins to celebrate this month at the Collaborative. We hired Noel Martin Rubio as our new Development Director– a star in the making. We landed a $150,000 Cummings grant thanks to the magic of our grant writer, Janey Tallarida.
To share a personal win, my twin sons, Francesco and Leonardo, graduated from high school this past weekend. Students at Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINcA) and Sociedad Latina also celebrated graduation wins!
Please keep our immigrant communities in mind as you watch the World Cup. When you support MIC in whatever capacity, you are making the choice to be a true champion. And you are hoisting the World Cup trophy with our immigrant communities.
In solidarity,
 
Frank DeVito |
