When you are a newcomer to a community, it can be hard to understand its struggles and the ways you can help others. And if you are here temporarily (like me – I came to Boston for two years of graduate school), it can feel easy to ignore local happenings. But people like Kannan, Brittany, Rene, Tania, and Luis arrived in East Boston as adults, and that did not stop them from getting involved in contributing to the East Boston they want to see. They supported others’ initiatives and created their own narratives of change along the way.
These are their stories, and their ideas on the ways you, too, can become involved if you are a newcomer to East Boston.
Environmental activism – Eastie Farm, Kannan Thiruvengadam
Youth arts and media – ZUMIX Radio, Brittany Thomas and Rene Dongo
Neighborhood organizing – Café o vino, Tania del Rio and Luis Bravo
Engagement opportunities recommended by Brittany, Kannan, Luis, Rene, and Tania:
Verónica Robles Cultural Center
Friends of the East Boston Greenway
Neighborhood of Affordable Housing – NOAH