LYNN — Josie Santos is from Brazil, and came to the United States when she was still in college.
Yet she’d use the word “diaspora” to describe not only her circumstances but those of any immigrant who comes to the United States to live.
The word “diaspora” is usually associated with the mass dispersion of an indigenous population to other areas where they are then left to assimilate on their own. It was most often associated with Jews who were cast out of Israel.
“But now,” says Santos, the Community Engagement Coordinator for Beyond Walls in Lynn, “it has a wider meaning. It can mean anyone who leaves their homeland to live somewhere else.”
That is why Santos, Adrianna Paz from North Shore Women of Color, and Nicole MacClain of the North Shore Juneteenth Association, Inc., chose the name for the event they’re running Thursday, Feb. 20, very carefully: The Diaspora Gala.
“It’s a statement,” said Santos.
“The goal of the event is to inspire Lynn’s young people to set high goals and strive to achieve them,” said Santos.
The group will do this by hooking up youth from the city with accomplished professionals of color, who can give them advice on how they achieved success; and with others who could serve as mentors.
“Our hope is that by putting the children in the same room with Lynn professionals of note, they will be encouraged by their journeys and subsequent success.”
The event, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature a panel of Lynn residents who will discuss their significant achievements. They include Ina Judge Howard Hogan, who was appointed to the district bench by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2016; Lynn Fire Chief Stephen L. Archer, the first African-American chief in the city’s history; Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, the CEO of Lynn Community Health Center, who was named by the Essex Media Group as Lynn’s Person of the Year; and Magnolia Contreras, MSW, MBA, the current director of community benefits at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
“There are a lot of people in this city who have achieved so much,” said Paz. “We want our youth to see that this accomplishment is attainable. These people have overcome obstacles, and a lot of them have come from the same environment a lot of youth are coming from.”
Santos has another reason why this event excites her.
“February is Black History Month, and a lot of the time, when we talk about it, we talk about the struggles. We want to talk about the accomplishments. There are people of color in Lynn with some very diverse accomplishments. We have engineers at the GE, teachers, administrators, police, firefighters, politicians. There are times I don’t think that’s highlighted enough.
“This is why we’re excited by this,” Santos said. “This event is an opportunity for our youth to see themselves in the professional men and women of color of our panel and our invitees, who are all potential mentors for the youth.
“The youth will be able to engage in conversation and hopefully recognize and learn from local professionals about the challenges they faced and how they were able to overcome them. Ultimately we want the youth to leave energized and inspired.”
