Join us Thursday May 29th from 6pm to 9pm at Artists For Humanity!

Stronger in Community

This event celebrates our collective achievements, honors outstanding individuals, and provides essential resources for immigrants in 2025. It will feature a cocktail reception, entertainment, dinner, a speaking program, and the presentation of the Community Champion Awards.

We know that 2025 will be a challenging year for our immigrant communities. For the benefit of our country and our Commonwealth, will you join us in defending immigrant rights and inclusion during this critical time? We—and those we join in solidarity—welcome your partnership!

There’s still time to join us for Give Liberty a Hand!

MIRA’s Community Champion Award Honorees:

Ruthzee Louijeune

Ruthzee Louijeune, unanimously elected Boston City Council President, is a dedicated public servant committed to fostering shared prosperity in Boston with a focus on justice and equity.

Born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park to working-class Haitian immigrants, her journey is deeply rooted in the fabric of Boston. Ruthzee has chaired the Committee on Civil Rights and Immigrant Advancement, where she successfully advocated for the expansion of the Office of Returning Citizens, won financial support for immigrants and new arrivals, stood up for the rights of our LGBTQ+ siblings, and convened marginalized communities for a civil rights forum to tackle pressing issues together. 

Ruthzee is the first Haitian American elected to Boston municipal government, and the first Haitian American to serve as President of the council. Her multifaceted background and unwavering dedication to serving her community make her a transformative leader shaping the future of Boston.

Lino Covarrubias

Lino is the CEO of Jewish Family Service of Metrowest (JFS), a community-based social impact nonprofit organization serving over 8,000 individuals and families annually within the Metrowest and Greater Boston regions, supporting vulnerable children and families, individuals, immigrants, and older adults aging in place.

He is also a first-generation Mexican American born and raised in Southern California’s migrant agriculture region of the Imperial Valley. He worked with his parents in seasonal agriculture and met one of his heroes, Cesar Chavez, when he was seven years old. Chavez’s legacy of caring for migrant workers has inspired Lino ever since to fight for those in need. Under Lino’s leadership, JFS has accelerated reducing social, academic, and health inequity for community members experiencing financial distress, poverty, and racism and anti-Semitism.

Previous to joining JFS, Lino served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years as a Naval Officer. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a BS in Systems Engineering, and holds a Masters of Science Degree in Civil Engineering (Environmental Concentration) from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters of Business Administration from Babson College.

Read his powerful open letter: Keeping a Copy of My Passport in My Pocket

Dr. Robert Marlin

Dr. Marlin is Special Advisor for Healthcare Workforce Development to the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition and previously served as the MIRA Coalition’s licensed physician representative on the Massachusetts Special Commission on Foreign-Trained Medical Professionals. In these roles he developed the framework for the Physician Pathway Act (PPA) that was signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey in 2024, and provided critical expertise to advocacy efforts for the bill. The PPA creates a streamlined pathway for internationally-trained physicians to practice in Massachusetts in exchange for providing medical care to underserved state residents. 

Dr. Marlin is the chief of the Metta Health Center at the Lowell Community Health Center, where he practices primary care internal medicine with refugees and  immigrant communities facing systemic barriers. He is also a core faculty member for the Boston Medical Center Immigrant and Refugee Health Fellowship program. Prior to coming to Lowell, Dr. Marlin served for 13 years as the founding director of the Coordinated Care Program for Political Violence Survivors at the Cambridge Health Alliance and as an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Emcee

Oscar Margain

Oscar Margain is a multilingual, multimedia journalist whose stories have taken him from the U.S.-Mexico border to China and back. He spent the first seven years of his journalism career at the Texas-Mexico border covering major stories of national and international interest, including the immigration crisis, border security, the drug war and U.S.- Mexico trade issues. His work at the U.S.- Mexico border has earned him multiple awards including four regional Emmys! The Monterrey, Mexico, native is now based in New England as a general-assignment reporter for Boston’s NBC, NECN and Telemundo networks.

Performers

Host Committee

Thank You to Our Sponsors

(as of 5/15/25)

Please consider sponsoring the Give Liberty a Hand gala to affirm your investment in creating communities where all immigrants can thrive and fully participate in our social, economic, and civic life. Help us raise $250,000 by May 1st!

Golden Door Sponsors

Merrill Family Charitable Foundation

Welcome Home Sponsors

Citizenship Sponsors

Molly Carey

Fish Family Foundation

Kyra Montagu

Robin Nice

Bob Rivers

Freedom Sponsors

Audrey Augun & James Steiner

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Ellen Bruce & Richard Segan

Kathy & Lino Covarrubias

Foley Hoag, LLP.

MA Business Roundtable

Advocate Sponsors

Please email Dawn Miller at development@miracoalition.org to let us know if you will attend the event, the number of tickets you require, and guest names with any dietary restrictions.

Click here if you cannot attend but would like to donate.