
Speakers represented groups including La Colaborativa, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and Immigrant Family Services Institute. Photo by Claire Law.
Around 100 people gathered last Monday night at First Parish in Brookline to learn about ways they can help immigrants in the Boston area.
They filled the first 10 pews in the sanctuary — a room with arched entryways, stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings with exposed wooden rafters.
“It’s hard to know where to begin, in figuring out what we can do as the changes happen in this country with the new administration,” said Bob Taube, 77. “I’m hoping to learn what others are thinking and what they’re doing, and finding some way to participate.”
The forum, hosted by Activist Evenings, the Brookline branch of D.C.-based left-wing nonprofit Indivisible, was one of several recent meetings organized by Brookline residents, many of whom are members of various congregations.
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Laura Walters, an organizer of the forum, said many residents across various faiths and congregations have come together in a renewed collective effort, connecting with one another and the broader Brookline community, to share ways people can help immigrant families nearby. Activist Evenings, Walters said, is co-led by five women, some religious and some not.
“We’re reaching beyond our own faith communities,” said Walters, one of the group’s five leaders.
Jennifer Wofford of Brookline hosted a Zoom event Thursday, the third in a series of virtual meetings she has led in the past couple of months to share ways people can support immigrant families, either volunteering or lobbying campaigns.
“We try to create space and ways that people can take action, without any pressure,” said Wofford, a social worker. “They can come to the Zoom and just listen. They can come to the Zoom and decide, ‘I’m willing to go to a rally at the State House,’ or, ‘I’m willing to go talk to my senator,’ or they can say ‘I really want to help families.’”
Another group, the Newton-Brookline Asylum Resettlement Coalition, made up of members from seven congregations, held a Feb. 15 panel about keeping immigrants in the community safe, drawing around 60 in-person and 20 online attendees. It helps asylum-seeking families in the Boston area with finding work, English classes, legal advice, medical care, registering kids for school or day care, and getting rides to medical appointments and grocery stores.
The group, which serves two to three families at a time, partners with organizations like the Brazilian Worker Center and Jewish Family & Children Service of Metrowest.
Co-chair Jenny Berz, who attends Temple Beth Zion, said the organization is assembling a new volunteer list to help “fill in the gaps” its partners might be overwhelmed to fill.
“Organizations are full,” Berz said. “They are not able to provide as much to each family. They can call us and say, ‘There’s a family living in Brookline … We’ve been able to do XYZ, but they really need help finding a job.’”
On their way in, attendees of the Monday forum picked up “Know Your Rights” cards, reminders of constitutional rights people can exercise when questioned by police or immigration officers. They were available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese. Photo by Claire Law.
Monday’s forum brought together a mix of Brookline residents.
Gwen Lindquist, a member of United Parish in Brookline, said she came to the forum to learn where her actions would be most effective. Lindquist said she has always been involved in volunteering in general but not as much on immigration.
“I’m here to learn and determine whether this is where I should put my energy and my ideas, but I feel like I have to do something right now,” Lindquist said. “I’m so disappointed with the government and how they’re handling things, especially with the immigrant community.”
Her husband, Jim Lindquist, 70, said he recently signed up for Allies for Immigrants, a program run by Boston Cares and English for New Bostonians that trains volunteers to tutor adults in English or help them prepare for the citizenship exam.
Ruth Dinerman, 65, said she is not religious and came to the event after seeing an email about it.
“I’m trying to find what I can do that will be effective and will help protect the values that I hold dear,” Dinerman said.
Aurora Charbonneau, 17, said she helps babysit for an immigrant family staying at her neighbor’s house, and came to the event to find more ways to help. Charbonneau said she and her younger sister started volunteering with the Dominican Republic Medical Mission Club at Brookline High, which traveled to the Caribbean country to help doctors with tasks like taking measurements, body mass indexes, and eye tests during wellness exams.
“It was originally to help Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic, but we also realized that a lot of refugees started coming to the Boston area,” Charbonneau said. “So we figured we could help here.”
At the forum, leaders from various advocacy groups and nonprofits spoke about legislation they are working on and volunteer opportunities people could participate in.
State Rep. Tommy Vitolo, who represents most of Brookline, said during the event that he is co-sponsoring a few bills spearheaded by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition and the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action. The bills would prevent police from entering or renewing agreements with federal immigration enforcement, restrict how they can ask Massachusetts residents about their immigration status, and fund legal representation in court for immigrants facing deportation.
“I think it’s incumbent on all of us to figure out how we can maintain this American dream, and keep our country available for folks who want to come here, and work hard, and be part of our community, and our culture, and our country,” he said in an interview afterward. “There’s limits to what we can do at the state level, and I hope we’re able to get all the way to those limits.”
This story is part of a partnership between Brookline.News and the Boston University Department of Journalism.




