Mayor Wu and the City of Boston Celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month with 1st annual City of Belonging Festival

Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) are celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month this June by hosting the first annual City of Belonging festival, a citywide celebration across the City's diverse neighborhoods with over 50 community-led events amplifying global art and culture through music, dance, performance, and community-building.

“As the daughter of immigrants, I know the vital role that our immigrant families and communities play in making our cities more welcoming, more resilient and more joyful,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This month is a time to celebrate Boston’s immigrant communities and for residents and families to be in community with each other. As we work to build a Boston for everyone, we are focused on promoting wellness, building community and creating space for joy across Boston’s neighborhoods.” 

For the City of Belonging festival, MOIA is partnering with over 30 diverse organizations to host events for residents and families throughout the month. Events include cultural celebrations, concerts, food and film festivals, performances, block parties, storytelling events, and activism workshops which are free and open to the public. For a full list of events and programming this month, please visit boston.gov/belonging.

MOIA also announced the official launch of their City of Belonging campaign to transform the city into a welcoming and empowering home for immigrants. This campaign will galvanize Boston’s immigrant community behind a shared plan to address social determinants of health for immigrants and harness the community’s collective power. This initiative will also mobilize and elevate the leadership of the immigrant community at the 1st Annual Immigrant Advancement Forum to be held fall 2024, culminating with Boston becoming a Welcoming Certified city in 2025. 

"The City of Belonging campaign marks a pivotal moment for making Boston a place where every resident truly feels they belong," said Monique Tú Nguyen, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement. "Through this groundbreaking effort, we will build a more just and equitable city for immigrant communities and all Bostonians."

The City of Belonging festival will conclude with “Belong in Boston,” a special concert in partnership with Sofar Sounds with a special curation of global acts that will create space for residents to be in community and enjoy emerging international performers. The concert will take place Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. in Downtown at a venue that will be announced closer to the date.

“We’re thrilled to partner up with the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement for this special run of shows,” said Ryan DiLello, Growth Manager, Sofar Sounds Boston.

“Amplifying and supporting an inclusive and diverse community of musicians is at the core of what we do in Boston. I hope these shows will deepen musical networks across cultures and provide Boston with some unforgettable nights in truly imaginative locations.”

This week, MOIA hosted their annual We Are Boston reception that celebrated the leadership in the immigrant community and the contributions immigrants have made to our City. The 2024 We Are Boston reception was held at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ headquarters. During the reception, Mayor Wu and MOIA recognized 1 More Rep Athletics (Business Leadership Award), Equity Now & Beyond (Community Leadership Award), Unafraid Educators (Education Leadership Award), Bethel AME Church (Interfaith Leadership Award), and Ajay Singh, Policy Advisor, City of Boston (Public Service Leadership Award), and three outstanding youth of the Immigrant Youth Advancement program. 

“Immigrants are a vital part of Boston, and we are thrilled to support the celebration of their contributions to our economy, culture and community,” said Sarah Iselin, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, We Are Boston 2024 venue host. “This celebration is also a call to action – to ensure we are all working together to create an inclusive city where everyone has the opportunity to grow and thrive.”