Immigrant activists seek unity of communities

Black elected officials and community activists broke bread with immigrant activists at the Freedom House Monday in an event aimed at fostering unity between communities.

The activists — who represented a broad range of organizations — needed to look no further than the quartet of Boston city councilors of color for inspiration. Councilor at Large Sam Yoon, who spoke on behalf of Team Unity, described how the councilors this year flexed their political muscle to usher in a new city council president.

While Team Unity does not have the seven votes needed to form a majority on the 13-member council, Yoon said, “Four is a majority of seven.”

The councilors helped elect to the presidency of the council Maureen Feeney, who told the council she would work for greater unity on the city council.

“Because we work as a team, we have a seat at the table,” Yoon said.

The activists at the dinner spoke in support of many of the same issues that the Team Unity members support: affordable housing, expanded job opportunities, better wages and working conditions for immigrant workers and civil rights.

While U.S.-born blacks and immigrants often have difficulty working together, those in the room Monday expressed a spirit of unity.

“I’m still here thanks to all the people you see here in this room,” said Obain Atouoman, a Cote d’Ivoire-born teacher at the Fenway High School who two years ago won the right to remain in the U.S. after his students and community activists waged a media campaign to block his deportation.

“I am living, breathing evidence that when people work together, things can change,” he said.

The dinner featured speeches by Cambridge Mayor Ken Reeves, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Executive Director Charles E. Walker and Chelsea Human Services Collaborative Executive Director Gladys Vega.

The dinner was convened by Union of Minority Neighborhoods Executive Director Horace Small, who urged the participants to work toward developing a unified plan.

“We all recognize now that if we don’t come together for a common agenda, we as leaders are a waste of time,” he said. “Common sense dictates that we have to stick together.”

Small said he plans to convene a conference of African Americans and immigrants in May where participants will be asked to work together on identifying priorities to fight for in next year’s state budget.

“Black and brown and yellow folk have to go from office to office and let people know what we need,” he said. “I’ll stand in solidarity with my sister from Chelsea,” he said, pointing to Vega. “That’s how it’s supposed to work.”

While African American and immigrant elected officials and activists in Boston have so far been able to work together on some issues, sharp divisions have emerged between blacks and immigrants in other states. In California, many African Americans voted in favor of Proposition 209, a 1996 ballot initiative that blocked immigrants from receiving state services in California.

While no such initiative has been proposed in Massachusetts, anti-affirmative action activist Ward Connerly is rumored to be mulling a ballot initiative drive aimed at outlawing racial preferences in this state.

“We have to be poised to educate the public to make sure they vote the right way,” Walker said. “They’re trying to turn back the clock on Brown v. Board of Education.”