Members of New Hampshire’s Brazilian community celebrated that country’s independence Thursday at Nashua City Hall. Mayor Jim Dochness offered a proclamation noting Brazilians' fierceness in breaking free from Portuguese colonialism. He highlighted the country’s cuisine, businesses, and the popular Brazilian Fest, which gathers hundreds of people at Greeley Park every summer.
The Brazilian flag has an inscription that reads “Ordem and Progresso, which comes from French philosopher Auguste Compte’s motto of positivism, “Love as a principle and order as the basis.”
For Bruno Barreto, love is indeed a force that guides him. He is a Christian and a mortgage broker who talks passionately about his purpose of helping people find a home. He has lived in the U.S for 23 years and sees the Brazilian flag raised at City Hall as a stepping stone to building multicultural inclusion.
“[People] sometimes see New Hampshire as anti-immigrant, but we are trying to berate these stigmas,” he said. “Taking the blinders off, that New Hampshire is an open state.”
For Barreto, that goal should inspire immigrant voters for the next local and national elections. Barreto preferred not to share if he is a Democrat or Republican; for him, that is irrelevant as he assesses each parties’ proposals, especially when it comes to the right to mobility for undocumented immigrants.
“We see other states opening their door to [undocumented] immigrants to have driver’s licenses,” he said. “That’s definitely an issue we face in the state right now.”
Mariana Silva is a real estate agent who has a business in Nashua. She lives in Massachusetts but is deeply connected to Nashua's Brazilian community. She hopes immigrant voters can think about what the city needs next.
“The main concern is the increase in real estate taxes,” she said, “which is really sad because I have a lot of people who can afford to buy in a different city but not in Nashua.”
Rod Nascimento brought his wife and daughter to the celebration. He has a business insurance company, and he says he appreciates how easy it was to open his business in Nashua.
He is not a citizen yet, but he says he is excited that in five years, he will be able to honor the American flag and Declaration of Independence.
“It would be a pleasure to be an American,” he said.
Although he won’t be able to vote this November, he would like to see candidates who propose more programs for English language learners. He would also like to see more job opportunities.
“We don’t need food stamps; we need jobs to grow up with the city,“ he says.
Bruno D'Britto, director of the New Hampshire Brazilian Council, organized the event and shared a bright green and yellow frosted Brazilian cake with the attendees.
“This is just the beginning; big things are coming,” he said. “We are together.”
