Gov. Patrick Poised to meet Africans in Mass.

Governor Patrick ( with green tie) attends the The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon and discusses the release of the New Americans Agenda Report held last November at the Great Hall, State House , Boston . Pic by Nguyaii Wa-Mbarii/Ajabu

By Harrison Maina, Ajabu Africa News Staff

BOSTON, Mass., APRIL 16_2010_Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick will join with members of the African community in Boston for "On Our Side: Communities Connecting for Deval Patrick" at the Tobin Community Center in Roxbury Crossing tomorrow, Saturday April 17 at 2.15 pm.

The event will be an opportunity for the Governor to speak directly with local residents about his administration's achievements, the upcoming reelection campaign, lay out his vision for a better Commonwealth, and answer questions from attendees.

This past weekend, Governor Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Murray officially kicked off their reelection campaigns, visiting 18 communities at 22 different events throughout the weekend, including rallies in Boston, Worcester and Holyoke.

 Governor Patrick, the first ever African American Governor of Massachusetts, has been in the forefront of fighting for the well being of minorities, including immigrants some of whom have arrived recently from Africa.

  According to the Migration Policy Institute based in Washington DC, the number of African immigrants in the United States grew 40-fold between 1960 and 2007, from 35,355 to 1.4 million. Most of this growth has taken place since 1990.

Compared to other immigrants, the African born immigrant tends to be highly educated and speaks English well.

 The last census data available from 2002 indicate that the population of the African born immigrants in Massachusetts was estimated to be 51,490. That number is expected to have grown significantly since then, with the most recent data expected to come out of the ongoing population census.

 The numbers indicate that the African constituency is growing in the bay area , so does their specific needs. Politicians will likely be more tuned to respond to the Africans needs to attract interest from this growing voting block.

  According to the Governors African Council (GAC), an independent community initiative that aims to strengthen the African Voice in Massachusetts through political and civic engagement, the Massachusetts governor recognizes the input that the hard working Africans are putting in the development of the economy and society in Massachusetts.

In recognition to the input of the vibrant African community to the social fabric of the bay state, the GAC has organized the first of many expected town hall meetings for Governor Deval Patrick to meet face to face with the hard to get African community.

Gov. Deval Patrick greets Nguyaii Wa- Mbarii, an Ajabu Africa photo journalist during the MIRA's Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon and release of the New Americans Agenda Report event held last November at the Great Hall, State House , Boston

The GAC's objective is to unify and increase the participation of the African community in the Massachusetts political processes and build a voice that can advocate for the community's needs.

The event will kick off at 2pm with speeches by local African community Leaders after which Governor Patrick will address the Africans at 3pm.
 
 The widely publicized event is expected to draw Africans from many cities across Massachusetts from as far as Springfield to Worcester, Lowell, Brockton, Lynn, Waltham and many other localities where Africans reside.

Organizers hope to use the event to showcase the African presence in Massachusetts while speaking out on issues and concerns of the African community.
 
A planned Q& A session with Governor Patrick will take place after the speech which is aimed at strengthening the African voice in Massachusetts.

After  meeting the Africans  in Boston, Governor Patrick will be meeting another growing  and important segment of the society in Massachusetts  when he addresses the Latino Chamber of Commerce in Springfield  for  another  event, still   in tune with the  "On Our Side: Communities Connecting for Deval  mission.

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