Economic Contributions of Brazilian Immigrants in Everett, Massachusetts.

Presenter: Mallory Elizabeth Sweeney

Faculty Sponsor: Patricia Machado

School: Northern Essex Community College

Research Area: Migration and Refugees

Session: Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Auditorium, A88

ABSTRACT

Brazilian immigrants contribute over one billion dollars annually to the Massachusetts economy. Some reports show that Brazilian immigrants exhibit self-employment rates of over 25%. They own numerous small businesses and make up a large percentage of the workforce in the greater Boston area. Everett has the second-largest Brazilian population in Massachusetts. Brazilians have completely transformed Everett’s commercial areas and own a large portion of the businesses. There have been few studies in the past five years that highlight the significance of these contributions to the local economy; however, there are still barriers that prevent this success from being fully visible. This research will show the numerous ways in which Brazilian immigrants are a staple of the community. Through interviews with local business owners and data collection, it will explore what potential barriers are preventing recognition from policy makers, public institutions, and the media. Such barriers consist of census invisibility, undocumented status, and misclassification.  This issue contributes to the underfunding of services, contributions being excluded from policy design, and immigration enforcement. Research has been conducted in the past few years by institutions such as Instituto Diáspora Brasil, which have highlighted the importance of this community. This research will be focused on Everett’s Brazilian community specifically. The purpose of this research is aimed at underlining the significance of immigrant communities' expansion of the labor force and growth of the economy.

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