By Dr. Joe Betancourt
Dec 18, 2023

Unidos Familia,

On behalf of the Unidos Executive Committee—myself, Grace Moreno, Zamawa Arenas, Rosalin Acosta and Juna Carlos Morales—and our Founding Steering Committee, let me begin by first thanking you for being part of this movement. 

Just a little more than a year ago we gathered at the Newbury Boston to first share the concept of Unidos in Power with many of you. It has been an exciting year, that among many things included our more formal launch of Unidos at Fenway Park in June. This week we returned to the Newbury Boston to celebrate our progress, network, inspire each other, and commit to support each and our community, Unidos. We thank Carlos Bueno of the Newbury Boston for his kindness, generosity and hospitality. 

Our hope and aspiration for Unidos is simple—we want to serve as a unifying platform, adding power and value to all the incredible Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations across the state—in support of the socioeconomic empowerment of our community, and our political strength and civic leadership. 

As one of the fastest growing and younger communities of color—close to one million strong—Latinos are shaping the present and future of Massachusetts. We are diverse, strong, resilient, hardworking, and we overcome tremendous obstacles—every day—to make a better life for ourselves, our families, and our communities. 

From our incredible gateway cities to greater Boston and the city itself—Latinos have been fueling the state’s robust growth for decades, and Massachusetts needs the Latino community to thrive and prosper if it hopes to thrive and prosper.

While we have experienced substantial economic progress over time, far too many Latinos in our state still have a difficult time making ends meet. Our Latino political representation and power is not commensurate with the size of our population, and the impact we have on our State. We are often an afterthought in policymaking, political circles, civic leadership, state and local recognitions, and our influence is well below its potential

But this is changing, and we will change it, Unidos. 

Over the last year we have: 

• Built a recognized brand, communications platform and hundreds have joined Unidos in Power 
• Organized an Executive Committee and Governance Structure consisting of leaders from our Latino-led organizations 
• Self-funded, and secured outside resources, totaling over 100K to help incubate this effort and grow from our volunteer model 
• Advocated for appointments in the Healey-Driscoll administration 
• Provided a venue for Latinos running for elected office to seek our support, and provided significant financial support to many this past election season 
• Created an English/Spanish website, and are building our advocacy platform 
• Collaborated with, and identified synergies with the Governor’s Latino Empowerment Advisory Council 
• Been a presence at Latino events, and have begun to establish teams in different regions across the State 

Just this month, Grace Moreno visited Worcester, and with the support of Elizabeth Cruz, established our first Unidos regional team. This was followed by a visit to Springfield, supported by Andrew Melendez, to build another Unidos regional team. Lawrence and Lynn are our next stops.

And this is just the beginning. To fully realize our vision, we need you. We need each other, and we need:

• A communications hub that will keep us connected for advocacy on the key issues that impact our community.
• A platform for our Latino candidates so we can support them to get elected, and support them when they are elected
• Engagement, so we can grow our numbers, and let those across the state know we are a force that needs to be heard, respected, supported, and included.
• And finally, and most importantly, we need to build a diverse and representative coalition to support our Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations, bringing another voice, and a united voice in service of all they do for our community.

Make no mistake, our power is predicated on your engagement, and our numbers. We will get the respect we deserve, and have earned—when all those across our state see that Unidos represents many—it represents power—and it represents unity. Nos van a tener que escuchar, y respetar.

But there is work to be done, and our simple ask is that you help grow Unidos. 

We ask that each of you commit to spreading the word and to getting your friends, family, contacts and community signed up. Their signing up guarantees greater connection among us as a path to greater empowerment. 

We also ask that you support our Latino elected officials, and our aspiring Latino candidates.

And finally, we ask that you commit to civic engagement—with us at Unidos, or with any of our many strong organizations across the state. 

As we said this week…our call to action is “haz algo”. If we all do something, no matter how big or how small, to benefit Unidos, it will benefit all of us, and benefit our communities. 

Lots more to come in 2024, and in the meantime, we wish you happy holidays and an amazing new year.

Mil gracias

Joe