The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States
Serving our Community for 30 Years!
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March 2021
LUSUS Newsletter
The Online Newsletter of PALCUS
In this issue...
PALCUS News
- Portuguese-American and PALCUS Member, Tim Perry, Appointed Chief of Staff of Department of Homeland Security
- PALCUS Vice-Chair Katherine Soares' interview about PALCUS and the partnership with Rede Global
- PALCUS Director Daniel DaPonte's Interview regarding Consular Services
- PALCUS FYI Webinars
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PALITICUS: Genevieve Azevedo
- PALITICUS: Rhode Island Attorney General, Peter Neronha
- PAWEA Blog: Notable Portuguese Women Who Wrote Their Names in History (Even After Men Hid All The Pens)
- PALCUS Virtual Intern: Isabella Carrera
- PALCUS Member Spotlight: JC de Melo
- PALCUS Member Spotlight: Zachery Ramos
- PALCUS Business Marketing Program
- #SupportPortugueseBusiness Campaign #PortugueseHeroes Campaign #SupportOurElders Campaign
Embassy Row
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Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC: PORTUGUESE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU - WEBINAR ON "CLIMATE CHANGE - BUILDING A TRANSATLANTIC RESPONSE: OCEANS AND CLIMATE DIPLOMACY
- Embaixada dos EUA em Portugal: 2021 Alumni Innovation Engagement Fund
Gateway Featured Business
- Pacheco Insurance Agency, Inc.
Community News:
- Portugal’s EU Presidency with Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital
- Bruma Publications: A publishing project for the Portuguese-American Experience in the Western United States
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Tagus Press, the publishing arm of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, announces the publication of Freedom Sun in the Tropics by Ana Maria Machado, translated by Renata Wasserman.
- MAPS Purchases New Office Building in Lowell
- BOOK: Portuguese in California - The History of Generations By Nelson Ponta-Garça
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Portuguese-American and PALCUS Member, Tim Perry, Appointed Chief of Staff of Department of Homeland Security
Mr. Perry is an executive, attorney, and policy advisor with experience across the national and homeland security enterprise. He currently serves as the appointed Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Prior to his appointment at ICE, Mr. Perry was Governor Gavin Newsom’s appointed Chief of Staff and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the largest and most active of all state homeland security agencies. Prior to Cal OES, Mr. Perry was a member of the Los Angeles office of WilmerHale.
Prior to joining WilmerHale, Mr. Perry was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, where he was the securities fraud coordinator and a member of the Major Frauds and Special Prosecutions section. While an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Perry received the Department of Homeland Security ICE 2014 Director’s Award for Superior Dedication to Teamwork, the Homeland Security Investigations’ 2012 Executive Associate Director’s Award for Outstanding Investigative Accomplishments, and the U.S. Attorney General’s Award.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Perry served as a law clerk to the Honorable Peter W. Hall on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Perry has also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joyce L. Kennard on the California Supreme Court and has worked as an adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine University School of Law.
Mr. Perry earned his JD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. Before attending law school, he was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where he monitored the implementation of portions of the 1996 constitution and received his M.Sc. in Political Studies. Mr. Perry received his BA from Brown University. He is a member of the California and Washington, DC bars.
Congratulations Tim!!
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PALCUS Vice-Chair Katherine Soares was interviewed on Negocio Fechado about PALCUS and the partnership with Rede Global
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PALCUS Director Daniel DaPonte was interviewed on Especial Informacao on SPT/SIC Internacional regarding Consular Services provided to the Portuguese Community in the US |
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PALCUS FYI Webinars
Join us for our upcoming webinars
Do you have questions about various processes for applying for citizenship, registering a marriage, getting a power of attorney, etc.? Join us for a bi-weekly series where Honorary Consul in Miami, FL, Carolina Rendeiro, will answer your questions so that you can be fully prepared when filling out your paperwork and have everything you need for your consular appointment.
THU, MAR 25 AT 12 PM EDT
THU, APR 8 AT 12 PM EDT
THU, APR 22 AT 12 PM EDT
THU, MAY 6 AT 12 PM EDT
THU, MAY 20 AT 12 PM EDT
Watch the March 11th session HERE
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MEET THE ARTIST - MICHAEL DE BRITO
TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021 AT 7 PM EDT
Michael De Brito–New Jersey, 1980 Studied painting at Parsons School of Design and New York Academy of Art. De Brito has had multiple solo and group exhibitions with the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in New York, Galeria Graça Brandão in Lisbon, Portugal, and the Collins Galleries in Cape Cod. His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London, Abbaye Saint André in France, Museu Afro in Brazil, and University of Maine Museum of Art in Bangor. In 2011 De Brito was commissioned to paint Justice Rui Manuel Gens de Moura Ramos, Presidente do Tribunal Constitucional from 2007-2012. The painting now hangs in the Tribunal Constitucional Lisbon, Portugal. De Brito is a recipient of the Pollack-Krasner Grantand received the Frank C.Wright Memorial award. His work is in the collections of the Nevada Museum of Art and the Tribunal Constitucional in Lisbon. He is represented by Collins gallery in Cape Cod and Galeria Graça Brandão in Lisbon.
This event is part of the Portuguese American Art Gallery virtual exhibition, made possible by PALCUS, PUSCC, The Embassy of Portugal and FLAD.
Link to register for the webinar:
LUSO-BRAZILIAN HEALTH NETWORK KICK OFF
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2020 - 4 PM ET
The Luso-Brazilian health Network is to advance the knowledge of public health of individuals of Luso-Brazilian descent through networking, education, advocacy, and health policy to promote health and wellness, eliminate health disparities, and sustain physician viability.
Link to join webinar:
MEMBERS ONLY DISCUSSION FORUM
THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2020 - 5 PM PT/8 PM ET
As part of our efforts to improve member engagement and ensure that our members' input is heard, we are hosting a quarterly "Members Only Discussion Forum" that will be an open discussion forum to ask questions, provide suggestions, etc. Please join us for our second session Thursday, April 8th at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
The Members Only Discussion Forum will be held virtually via Zoom.
All PALCUS members in good standing are invited to attend the meeting.
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PALITICUS is being published on numerous podcast networks, including:
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PALITICUS: Genevieve Azevedo
Today's guest, Genevieve Azevedo worked as Extra Help Election Specialist I at Merced County Office of Voter Registrar in Merced, California. Listen in as she tells us about her work.
https://soundcloud.com/paliticus/paliticus-ep-038-genevieve-azevedo
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PALITICUS: Discussing Law Enforcement Reform with RI Attorney General Peter Neronha
Join us for a discussion about law enforcement reform with Rhode Island Attorney General, Peter Neronha.
On November 6, 2018, Peter F. Neronha was elected as Rhode Island’s 74th Attorney General. As the top legal official in Rhode Island, Attorney General Neronha leads an office that prosecutes criminal cases; represents state agencies, departments and commissions in litigation; initiates legal action when necessary to protect the interests of Rhode Islanders; and oversees the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
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PAWEA Blog: Notable Portuguese Women Who Wrote Their Names in History (Even After Men Hid All The Pens)
We are celebrating Women’s International Day — the whole month of March!
And what better way to do it than by commemorating the ones who defied the establishment and wrote their names in history?
Our first series of articles depicts the achievements of Portuguese women who broke the glass ceiling in their fields and in society, paving the way for all that followed.
Notable Historic Women
From Carolina Beatriz Ângelo to Maria Lourdes Pintasilgo, we explore the achievements of women who challenged male-dominated fields, and the work that is still to be done.
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PALCUS Virtual Intern: Isabella Carrega |
We are thrilled to be working with Isabella Carrega of Delaware Township, NJ as one of our PALCUS Virtual Interns! Isabella attends Bucknell University and has recently been elected Hunterdon County Republican Committeewoman and will be helping us grow our Portuguese American Elected Officials Database.
Welcome Isabella!
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PALCUS Member Spotlight: JC de Melo |
PALCUS Member JC de Melo has written a new book: I've Got tickets to Heaven
I've Got tickets to Heaven is meant to be, as the author claims, no more than reproductions of café style conversations amongst friends about themes well familiar to humans. These conversations, at one stage of their friendly encounters, eventually evolve and connect with more serious gatherings of civic and social nature.
The novel is helped by the characters' combination of organized events and collective duties, as well as the unexpected outcomes along their way of impacting their own personal lives' fulfillments. It also helps that this small group of acquaintances grows in respect and admiration for each other. Their impact on others in the society they live in is so subtle and yet so necessarily magnanimous. It is at one time very contagious and life's changing...
The book can be purchased at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Congratulations John!
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PALCUS Member Spotlight: Zachery Ramos |
PALCUS Member and past recipient of the PALCUS "Promessa" Award Zachery Ramos was honored for his work to promote literacy.
Zachery Ramos, President/Founder of the Gustine Traveling Library, is one of 30 literacy leaders named to the International Literacy Association’s (ILA) 2021 30 Under 30 list. The global list celebrates rising innovators, disruptors and visionaries in the literacy field.
The 21-year-old of Gustine, California, was recognized for his hard work and dedication to the youth of California. Ramos’s work in supporting youth literacy and education in his state has been recognized by local leaders and residents alike. He has to date given out over 20,000 free books and raised over $20,000 for numerous literacy causes.
Congratulations Zachery!
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PALCUS Business Marketing Program
PALCUS has recently launched the Business Marketing Program that provides companies and organizations in our community the ability to promote their products and services to the community through our network.
Here are some recent results from dedicated newsletter campaigns:
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Aren't these great results? Please consider doing a dedicated newsletter with PALCUS, or other marketing vehicle in our business marketing program designed to help raise awareness of Portuguese owned businesses.
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#SupportPortugueseBusiness Campaign
Restaurants selling takeout or gift certificates?
Online stores selling merchandise or gift certificates?
Artists selling prints or artwork online?
Musicians holding livestream concerts?
Any Portuguese business that is open and selling a product or service during this time of lockdown, please email your details to us at palcus@palcus.org and we will share with our nationwide community! We have to help each other get through this, and we WILL get through this! #SupportPortugueseBusiness
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#PortugueseHeroes Campaign
PALCUS recognizes all Portuguese Americans working on the front lines, in many different essential service roles. We can't do this without you! Thank you! Obrigado! You are our #PortugueseHeroes!
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#SupportOurEldersCampaign
We have partnered with several Portuguese-American organizations who are already doing amazing work to help our elders, and we want to support these efforts. Below are several ways you can help, including:
- Sending cards and messages of support
- Sponsoring a meal (or meals) for the elderly
- Donating a device to enable video chats
- Delivering activity sheets to the elderly
Join us and help support these organizations who are supporting our elders!!
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PALCUS was able to donate $3,000, split equally between the 4 participating organizations.
Thank you to everyone that contributed!!
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PORTUGUESE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU - WEBINAR ON "CLIMATE CHANGE - BUILDING A TRANSATLANTIC RESPONSE: OCEANS AND CLIMATE DIPLOMACY
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2021 Alumni Innovation Engagement Fund
The Embassy of the United States in Portugal announces an open competition for past participants (“alumni”) of U.S. government-funded and U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to submit applications to the 2021 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2021). We seek proposals from teams of at least two alumni that meet all program eligibility requirements below. Exchange alumni interested in participating in AEIF 2021 should submit proposals to alumniportugal@state.gov mail address by May 3, 2021, 8:00 A.M.
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GATEWAY FEATURED BUSINESS |
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Pacheco Insurance Agency, Inc.
Pacheco Insurance Agency is an Independent Insurance Agent providing professional service for the Fall River, New Bedford, and Westport, Massachusetts.
For your peace of mind, Pacheco Insurance Agency, Inc. provides the coverage tailored to your insurance needs and provides the full range of personal and business insurance including Personal Auto, Homeowners, Commercial Property, Bonds and Life Insurance.
To look for more Portuguese businesses and organizations throughout the US (or add your own), please visit the Gateway online.
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Portugal’s EU Presidency with Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital
Portugal’s EU Presidency with Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital arranged by the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston.
March 18th at 5.00 PM CST
The European Union presidency program focuses on five main areas, which are in line with the goals of the EU’s strategic agenda: strengthen Europe’s resilience, further confidence in the European social model, speed up a fair and inclusive digital transition, promote a sustainable recovery, and reaffirm the EU’s role in the world, ensuring that this is based on openness and multilateralism. Join our dialogue with Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital and learn how Portugal plans to meet the presidency objectives, showcase the vibrant culture of the nation and, in the given climate, what challenges the current presidency might be facing.
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Bruma Publications: A publishing project for the Portuguese-American Experience in the Western United States |
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The Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute held a virtual ceremony and panel to kick off a new project. Bruma Publications will be working with the Fresno State University Press to publish academic and literary works about the Portuguese-American legacy in California and the Western United States.
The kick off event was about 45 minutes long and included the presence and remarks by our most awesome interim President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval and a brief lecture from Dr. Onésimo Teotónio Almeida. An icon in Portuguese Studies and the Portuguese-American community in the US. He is a Professor at Brown University. The Consul-General of Portugal in SFO and members of the Bruma boards were also present and provided remarks.
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Tagus Press, the publishing arm of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, announces the publication of Freedom Sun in the Tropics by Ana Maria Machado, translated by Renata Wasserman.
Based on the author’s own experiences of life, exile, and return under the dictatorship that gripped Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s, Freedom Sun in the Tropics follows Lena, a journalist, as she resists violence and political repression, and decides to flee to Paris. Upon her eventual return, Lena soon discovers that the dictatorship’s prison walls have enclosed private lives and hold strong even after the collapse of authoritarianism. With friendship, truth, and family broken, she struggles to make the difficult return to freedom and regain a sense of life—and simple decency—on the other side of trauma. Originally published in 1988, Ana Maria Machado’s novel vividly captures one of the darkest periods in recent Brazilian history.
Freedom Sun in the Tropics is volume 8 of the Brazilian Literature in Translation Series, edited by Dário Borim (UMass Dartmouth) and Cristina Mehrtens (UMass Dartmouth).
To purchase Freedom Sun in the Tropics, please visit the University of Massachusetts Press website by clicking HERE. The book can also be purchased on Amazon by clicking HERE. For more information, please contact Mario Pereira, Executive Editor, mpereira6@umassd.edu
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MAPS Purchases New Office Building in Lowell
The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) purchased a new building on February 10, 2021 to house the organization’s Lowell Office.
The two-story brick building – located in the heart of the Portuguese-speaking community on 490 Central Street – will soon undergo renovation work before officially opening to the community in July of this year.
With this new space, MAPS hopes to improve access and increase its visibility, creating a new vibrant community hub. The decision will also allow the organization to become more self-sufficient by saving on rental costs and generating rental income from the second floor unit, which the organization hopes to lease.
MAPS expanded its services to Lowell in 1997 at the request of the city’s growing Portuguese-speaking community. The organization provides free citizenship assistance, immigrant integration, HIV/STI, domestic violence and sexual assault and family support services, and more to thousands of community members each year at its current Lowell office on 11 Mill Street.
“As I signed the purchase documents, I imagined how proud our founding members must have been in 1976 when they purchased our building in Cambridge,” said Paulo Pinto, MPA, MAPS Executive Director. “I am overjoyed to be able to continue the legacy of our visionary former Board members Duke Carvalho, Manny Borges, and many others of a strong and vibrant community organization.”
“This is a historic moment for MAPS and the Portuguese-speaking community in Lowell and a big step towards the self-sufficiency of the organization,” said Susan Pacheco, MAPS Board President. “This investment is a testament to MAPS’ healthy financial state, its outstanding leadership over the years, and the incredible support and generosity of the countless community members who have contributed to MAPS’ success over the last 51 years.”
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BOOK: Portuguese in California - The History of Generations By Nelson Ponta-Garça
HISTORY, HERITAGE, HOME.
This premier showcase of the Portuguese Diaspora experience in the rich history of the development of the world Diaspora, offers a comprehensive historical overview of this unique and vibrant ethnic group.
The series captures the full essence of the Portuguese contribution to the World. Our acclaimed media initiatives, TV documentaries and books feature the heritage and history of the main centers of Portuguese living abroad.
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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
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Are you a PALCUS member yet?
We are stronger together!
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If 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!
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Portuguese Activity Book
PALCUS has designed an activity book for children and seniors. It's packed with word searches, coloring and other activities all centered around Portugal! This is the perfect way to have kids and seniors alike keep busy while celebrating their Portuguese Pride!
It's available for purchase on Amazon and shipping is free when you purchase 2 or more books!
New Christmas Edition now available!
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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!
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Jobs for Portuguese Speakers
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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.
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PALCUS has earned the 2019 Gold GuideStarUSA Nonprofit Profile Seal of Transparency. Visit our profile HERE
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Contact Information
Phone: 202-466-4664
9255 Center St., Suite 404
Manassas, VA 20110
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