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{"id":582,"date":"2017-03-01T14:07:17","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T19:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/?p=582"},"modified":"2017-03-02T20:04:02","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T01:04:02","slug":"uniting-the-undocumented-community-of-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/?p=582","title":{"rendered":"Gladys Vega Helps Unite the Undocumented in Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/iframe><\/p>\nFor\u00a0Gladys Vega, work at the Chelsea Collaborative doesn’t end when she leaves the office. (Video by Nyan Lynn)<\/em><\/p>\nBy Melody Keilig<\/strong><\/p>\nIf there is one thing that Gladys Vega wants the Latino immigrant community of Chelsea to know, it\u2019s their basic human rights.<\/p>\nVega, executive director of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chelseacollab.org\/\">Chelsea Collaborative<\/a>\u00a0, has been with the organization since the start 28 years ago. She applied to work as a receptionist and became the second staff member. The organization\u2019s focus is on community organizing, preservation of housing, immigrant rights, worker\u2019s rights, youth empowerment and employment, and citizenship services. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_589\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-589\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-589 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Gladys-Vega-sitting-at-desk-speaking-with-co-worker-300x197.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Gladys-Vega-sitting-at-desk-speaking-with-co-worker-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Gladys-Vega-sitting-at-desk-speaking-with-co-worker-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Gladys-Vega-sitting-at-desk-speaking-with-co-worker-1024x673.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-589\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gladys Vega (right) in her office in Chelsea. (Photo by Temi-Tope Adeleye)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cThe Latinos here have a place,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\nWhen Vega began working, she saw a need\u00a0<\/span>for a Latino voice in a social services organization from the growing population of immigrants in Chelsea.<\/p>\n\u201cAs I continued to learn more about Chelsea and the interests of the people, then I began to create programs for the Chelsea Collaborative that allowed our people to participate. Rather than having an executive board of directors coming up with a plan for Chelsea, the people of Chelsea can create the plan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XirDepM8N6g\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\nVega talked about the importance of political involvement. (Video by Nyan Lynn)<\/em><\/p>\nVega said communities of color need to know that if you want power, you have to fight for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to Vega, a common problem for Latino immigrants is lack of knowledge of their rights as residents of the state and the U.S.\u00a0With the Chelsea Collaborative, she is able to give them guidance and help them understand their rights. <\/span><\/p>\nHer\u00a0work schedule is never consistent, with immigrants recognizing her and asking for guidance in unusual places, such as the grocery store or while she is walking around town. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_590\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-590\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-590 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mural-in-the-hallway-of-La-Alianza-Hispana-300x200.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mural-in-the-hallway-of-La-Alianza-Hispana-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mural-in-the-hallway-of-La-Alianza-Hispana-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mural-in-the-hallway-of-La-Alianza-Hispana-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mural-in-the-hallway-of-La-Alianza-Hispana-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Mural-in-the-hallway-of-La-Alianza-Hispana-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-590\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A workers’ mural at the collaborative. (Photo by Temi-Tope Adeleye)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to disconnect from the needs of the community and not think about a family that you find living in a porch paying $650 for rent, with no access to a kitchen, hardly access to a bathroom, and with children under the age of three,\u201d she said. \u201cHow can you not be so emotionally drained at times when that\u2019s the reality of your people?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\nGood Relationship with Chelsea Police<\/strong><\/p>\nBecause of its status as a \u201csanctuary city,\u201d immigrants in Chelsea have\u00a0a good relationship with the local politicians and police department, making the possibility of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid unlikely.<\/span><\/p>\nChelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes affirms the strong bond between the department and the community.<\/p>\n“I knew that if the Chelsea Police Department was going to become the highly trusted law enforcement organization that I envisioned, with the optimum level of faith and confidence of the public that we serve, I desperately needed the support and assistance of Gladys Vega and her reputable organization,” he said in an email.<\/p>\nSince Kyes became the police chief in 2007, he worked with Vega on the youth employment programs that the collaborative offers teens.\u00a0Together, they mapped out plans for collaborating on the Summer Youth Employment Program and the CPD Community Action Team.<\/p>\nThey also discussed ways the police department can meet and work with the community on an ongoing basis and have been holding meetings several times a year to ensure that they are benefiting each other and the people of Chelsea.<\/p>\nIn the past, they have even set up public forums for Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials to talk with the community about their priorities and mission.<\/p>\n“For Gladys and I, it was important to keep the community informed and demonstrate that Chelsea police officers are there to be helpful and trusted.\u00a0 The Chelsea Collaborative has been absolutely essential in enhancing that level of trust that Chelsea residents have in their police department,” Kyes said in an email.<\/p>\nHowever, with the new administration, Vega remains worried about the massive immigrant deportations that President Trump promised throughout his campaign. <\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI have never shed as many tears as seeing the fear our undocumented immigrants have of our president,\u201d she said as she tried keep her posture upright and strong.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1ofAbNDemh8\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe> \nVega said her work puts her on an emotional roller coaster. (Video by Nyan Lynn)<\/em><\/p>\nThe Latino community is especially worried about the teenagers and young adults that have grown up in the U.S. and do not know much about their\u00a0native country. Vega said it would not be fair to deport them, as they have only known Boston as their home. <\/span><\/p>\nThrough community-oriented work, many of the young residents have gone to college and received Bachelor degrees. Some have run for political office, to give back to Chelsea, she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dtu6PWVz4Gk\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\nVega said her biggest reward is seeing youth return to help others. (Video by Nyan Lynn)<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThe children are not our future; they are our now,\u201d Vega said. <\/span><\/p>\nAlthough she has been with the Chelsea Collaborative for more than\u00a0two decades, Vega is never left without an important project or work to help the residents. She hopes that with the youth becoming empowered to receive an education, they can fight back against the stigmas that come with being an undocumented immigrant. <\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe are taking challenges and turning them into victories,\u201d Vega said. \u00a0\u201cIf you stand for your rights, we can win.” <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For\u00a0Gladys Vega, work at the Chelsea Collaborative doesn’t end when she leaves the office. (Video by Nyan Lynn) By Melody Keilig If there is one thing that Gladys Vega wants the Latino immigrant community of Chelsea to know, it\u2019s their basic human rights. Vega, executive director of the Chelsea Collaborative\u00a0, has been with the organization […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[21,24,28,20,19,23,25,18,22,26,27],"class_list":["post-582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-socialissues","tag-chelsea","tag-chelsea-collaborative","tag-employement","tag-ice","tag-immigrants","tag-latino","tag-social-services","tag-undocumented","tag-vega","tag-youth","tag-youth-programs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=582"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":653,"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582\/revisions\/653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/invisibleboston.micheli.emerson.build\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}