The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States
Serving our Community for 29 Years!
Make Portuguese Count™ Crowdfunding

February 2020
LUS US Newsletter
The Online Newsletter of PALCUS
 
In this issue......
 

PALCUS News  
  • Congressman Juan Vargas joins the Portuguese American Caucus 
  • PALCUS now accepting Internship Applications!
  • Portuguese Connection offering discounts to PALCUS Members
  • PALCUS Make Portuguese Count™ Campaign UPDATE
  • PALCUS DIrector Fernando G. Rosa recognized as Volunteer of the Year
  • Have you completed the PALCUS INDEX NATIONAL SURVEY yet?  
  • PALITICUS New Episode: National Conference 2018 - Florentino Gregorio
  • Member Spotlight: John Motta meets Vice-president Pence
  • Member Spotlight: Patricio Enterprises celebrates 15 years in business
     
Embassy Row
  • Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC: Joana Vasconcelos at MassArt Museum, (MAAM), Boston, Massachussets
  • Embaixada dos EUA em Portugal: SelectUSA Seminar
Gateway Featured Business
  •  Anchor Construction
Community News:
  • AÇORIANOS NO MUNDO
  • New book looks at Portuguese-American voting trends.
  • Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute Lectures for Spring 2020
  • Author Conceicao Andrade to give presentation about her latest book
PALCUS NEWS

Congressman Juan Vargas joins the Portuguese American Caucus 

PALCUS is excited to announce that Congressman Juan Vargas  (D,CA-51) is the newest member of the Portuguese American Caucus in the House of Representatives.
Congressman Vargas represents California's 51st Congressional District, which is home to more than 2,000  Portuguese according to the last American Community Survey.
 
Welcome Congressman Vargas!
PALCUS now accepting Internship Applications!

Apply NOW for the PALCUS Summer Internship program in Portugal during June and July!!
We have three positions, two for PALCUS Members and one for PFSA Members.
Deadline is March 15, 2020.

Portuguese Connection offering discounts to PALCUS Members

Want to learn Portuguese in Lisbon while enjoying a fabulous stay in one of the most beautiful countries of Europe? PALCUS Members now get a discount at Portuguese Connection!

Discount on Portuguese classes held in Lisbon
*  10% extra discount over all our classes (except Private lessons: 5% extra discount).

Discount on Portuguese Online lessons
* If the student books the package of 20 online lessons, we offer 1 extra free lesson;
* If the student books the package of 30 online lessons, we offer 2 extra free lessons;
Use the promo code PALCUS when purchasing classes online


PALCUS Make Portuguese Count™ Campaign UPDATE

U.S. Census is coming soon in March! Are you ready?

Be like Mikel, Emilie and John - 
Pledge to Write "Portuguese" in the 2020 Census!
(L-R) Mikel Santos, Emilie Portal and John Santos
Courtesy of Benvinda Santos taken at Memorial Day Farmingville, NY Parade with the participation of the Portuguese-American Center of Suffolk County (Clube de Farmingville), an affiliate of NYPALC.

PALCUS Make Portuguese Count™ by the Numbers (so far!).......
 
MPC Affiliated Organizations: 220
Has YOUR organization registered?  Register Here

MPC Captains Nationwide: 75   Meet Our Captains Here

Events Attended: 190   (May, 2019 - February, 2020)

Campaign Buttons: 15,000        Printed Materials Distributed: 40,000

Would your club, organization, school, church or business like to help spread the word with information and printed materials?  
Contact Marie Fraley directly to put you in contact with a Captain in your area! marie.fraley@palcus.org
 
Watch for our Special Make Portuguese Count™ Newsletter dedicated to all the news about our participation as a community in the 2020 Census.

Visit our Facebook Page  @Make Portuguese Count
   
Week of March 2 - 6, 2020
Make Portuguese Count™ in the 
Portuguese Classroom!

Teachers of Portuguese can take advantage of the 2020 U.S. Census coming this March!  
Use this "teachable moment" to engage your students with lessons in civic engagement, ethnic identity and Portuguese Pride in your own Portuguese classrooms.

Teachers at the "Encontro de Professores de Português" at Rhode Island College in October, 2019 adapted lessons from the U.S Census website "Statistics in Schools" to teach about the Census. The lessons were refined and translated into Portuguese by Dr. Silvia Oliveira and her interns at the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies for grades K - 12. 

The Census begins to arrive in homes by March 12th.  
Be ready with your lessons easily accessed at the Digital Commons of the 
James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.

 Link to our Webpage for Details  Need flyers and posters?  Contact marie.fraley@palcus.org 
U.S. CENSUS  VIDEO em Português 

CENSUS Video in POrtuguese em Português

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INTERVIEW
Katherine Soares, PALCUS Vice-Chair
 Interview with Luis Pires, "Especial Informação" 
Make Portuguese Count™ on SIC 

Watch the interview here  em Português


Visit  www.palcus.org/makeportuguesecount  for more information.
Make Portuguese Count™ in made possible by the generous support of:


Have you completed the  
PALCUS INDEX NATIONAL SURVEY?

We need to hear from you!

This survey will help us gain a better understanding of our Portuguese-American communities in order to serve you better. In this survey, people who reside in the United States and are Portuguese or of Portuguese descent are asked to complete a short questionnaire that asks about their demographic and socioeconomic characteris tics as well as their community concerns.
  • It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire. 
  • Your participation in this study is completely voluntary
  • Your survey responses will be strictly confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the aggregate for statistics only..

 
Dulce Maria Scott, Ph.D.
Many thanks to  
Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, 
Anderson University 
and PALCUS Research Consultant 
for her work  in the design, analysis and reporting of the 
PALCUS Index National Survey (2017, 2019).

To see the results of the first PALCUS Index Survey, visit  https://www.palcus.org/index
PALCUS Director Fernando G. Rosa 
recognized as Volunteer of the Year

The Newington Town Council prior to its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, approved a motion to recognize Fernando G Rosa as the volunteer of the year.

Congratulations Fernando!!
PALITICUS New Episode: 

NationalConference2018 - Florentino Gregorio

This is the fifth in a series of PALITICUS episodes in video forma recorded at the Inaugural Portuguese American National Conference in Washington, DC.! Today's episode features Florentino Gregorio, President and CEO of Anchor Construction in Washington, DC
Show more

PALITICUS - NationalConference2018 - Florentino Gregorio
PALITICUS - NationalConference2018 - Florentino Gregorio

Member Spotlight: John Motta meets Vice-president Pence

PALCUS Member John Motta met with Vice-President Pence to discuss the business environment in New Hampshire.


Member Spotlight: Patricio Enterprises celebrates 15 years in business

Congratulations Patricio Enterprises!! And thank you,  Gabriel Patricio, for being a PALCUS Supporter.


EMBASSY ROW


On February 22, Joana Vasconcelos will unveil Valkyrie Mumbet, an inaugural site-specific work in her first U.S. solo museum exhibition at the MassArt Art Museum (MAAM), in Boston, Massachussets. 
See  more  on the exhibition of one of the most celebrated Portuguese contemporary artists. 

SelectUSA Seminar

registration is required by sending an email to 
amchamportugal@mail.telepac.pt

GATEWAY FEATURED BUSINESS
 
Anchor Construction Corp. of Washington, D.C.
 

Since 1985, Anchor Construction has been a trusted general contractor in utilities and infrastructure construction to federal, state and local government agencies, private organizations and commercial institutions throughout the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan regions.
 
To learn more about Anchor Construction,  visit their  Website .
 
To look for more Portuguese businesses and organizations throughout the US (or add your own), please visit the Gateway  online.
   
COMMUNITY NEWS
AÇORIANOS NO MUNDO
 
É uma plataforma online, que vai permitir a todos os açorianos por nascimento, ascendência, afinidade (casamento/união de facto), que tenham residido nos Açores por um período mínimo de cinco anos, e que se encontram a residir fora da Região Autónoma dos Açores, uma maior proximidade com o arquipélago e, consequentemente, uma efetiva participação no futuro dos Açores, através da adesão ao processo eleitoral para a escolha dos representantes das suas comunidades, que, posteriormente, integrarão o  Conselho da Diáspora Açoriana (CDA).


Register here
New book looks at Portuguese-American voting trends.
On Jan. 23, McGlinchey was at UMass Dartmouth's Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives to launch the "The Final Report: A History of the Portuguese American Citizenship Project 1999-2016."
Written by him, the "Final Report" is the story of how and why the Project was created and what it accomplished.
"The 50 percent rule I heard when I first started [the Project] was that 50 percent of the Portuguese don't become citizens; 50 percent of them don't register to vote, and 50 percent of those that register, don't vote - that's 50%," McGlinchey pointed out during his presentation.
Without promoting any party or cause, the Project carried the message that voting is not only a vital civil right but brings with it a greater good benefit for the entire community.
"You need votes - that's the currency that keeps you alive," McGlinchey said.
With the help of local Portuguese organizations and churches, the Project was able to get more Portuguese-Americans registered and interested in politics.
The results proved to be very positive, including here in BristolCounty.
"We found out they [Portuguese-Americans] vote a lot," McGlinchey said. "They outvote the city all the time. That's a hard fact..."The fifty percent rule goes out the window. So you're dispelling myths."
During its 16 years, the Project submitted over 50 periodic reports on its programs for its Board of Directors and principal sponsors at the Luso-American Foundation and the Regional Government of the Azores.

Read the full article here
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute Lectures for Spring 2020
Author Conceicao Andrade to give presentation about her latest book "Stories of My Azorean Grandmother"

Date:  Wednesday, February 26, 6-7PM. 
Local: 19633 Fisher Ave, PoolesvilleMD, 20837
TELL US YOUR NEWS!!
 
We would love to hear what you have been up to. Events, Promotions, Graduations, Awards, Lectures or News the community should know about.   Send us an email to be featured in our newsletter:  palcus@palcus.org
JOIN PALCUS
Are you a PALCUS member yet?  
We are stronger together!

I f you agree with the work undertaken by PALCUS to build the social, cultural and political capital of our community, then please join us and become a member today!

Strong membership participation means a stronger voice in the national Portuguese-American agenda. In order to advance Portuguese language education, increase presence in the congressional caucuses, and provide economic opportunities, the collective voice of thousands is needed!  

In addition, PALCUS is a member-driven non-profit organization that depends on membership dues and fundraising events to fund its operations.  Members of the all-volunteer board of directors donate their time and personal funds for travel, lodging and tickets to attend networking events and planning sessions so our administrative costs are relatively low but nonetheless critical to doing business on a daily basis.

There are membership categories to suit every budget and level of interest.  Please click on our membership webpage and join our voice today!


 Questions? Contact Graci for more information! 


Did you enjoy this newsletter? Do you know about all the programs PALCUS offers our community? Please visit our website and become a member today! 
We can't do what we do without your support!

Newsletter Archive

Read past issues of the LUSUS Newsletter at http://www.palcus.org/#!lusus-newsletter/cbac 

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Jobs for Portuguese Speakers
Jobs for Portuguese Speakers

If you want to put your Portuguese language skills to use in your next job, there are many opportunities out there! Visit the  Jobs for Portuguese Speakers Facebook page to see some job openings.

Contact Information

Website:  www.palcus.org
Phone: 202-466-4664

9255 Center St., Suite 404
Manassas, VA 20110
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PALCUS Mission

In order to create a singular voice to advocate  for the Portuguese-American and Luso-American communities at large, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States Inc. (PALCUS) was founded in 1991 as a non-partisan, non-profit, organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. 
 
The PALCUS mission is to address domestic and international concerns of the Portuguese-American Community.
 
The Council conducts an expanding program of educational and public affairs activities on issues of interest to the Portuguese-American community and of salience to the Luso-American Relationship.
 
PALCUS is committed to serving the community through increasingly active government relations efforts, the promotion of a greater awareness of ethnic accomplishments and encouraging stronger ties between Portugal and the United States. In this role PALCUS advances the community professionally, politically and culturally while working to ensure that issues directly affecting our community are addressed through our network of government and community leaders.

PALCUS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the IRS tax code and  incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia.  Donations are tax deductible to extent allowed by law and will be acknowledged.

PALCUS has earned the 2019 Gold GuideStarUSA Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency. Visit our profile HERE
Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States, Inc.
9255 Center Street, Ste. 404, Manassas, VA 20110
Email: palcus@palcus.org   PH: 202-466-4664   Web: www.palcus.org
EIN: 52-1739459
Copyright © 2019, PALCUS. All Rights Reserved.