Portuguese and thinking of moving to Mass... questions! (Worcester, Brockton: crime, public schools)

[Heather68]

Hi gang, quick question:

My Dad is black and my Mom is Portuguese. I'm hoping to reconnect with Portuguese culture by moving to Massachusetts, probably Worcester to live, and Bedford/FA to explore on weekends. I've heard lots of horror stories about anti-black racism in MA. As someone both black and Portuguese, what should I expect to run into out there if I move there...? Feel free to be brutally honest. I need to know if I or my future children will be in danger.

Sadly this is a serious question.

[TheWereRabbit]

I think it's really exaggerated. You'll find just as much racism anywhere, it exist, but isn't prevelent. New Bedford and Fall Riv are very portuguese areas but there also a lot of Cape Verdeans who are black but share a lot with portuguese culture. Regardless, you shouldn't have a problem.

[pause]

You should also check out towns like Brockton , Randolph, Braintree, Stoughton, etc. Most of these towns are located on the South Shore, and there are plenty of Portuguese, Cape Verdeans and Brazilians within these suburban/urban areas.

[leorah]

Hi Heather68,
I'm a Jewish Caucasian and I married into a Portuguese Catholic family from the New Bedford area. My in-laws' family members and friends hailed from Portugal, the Azores and Cape Verde, with skin colors varying from very light to very dark. They all accepted me without question and that's certainly saying something. I don't know about the Worcester area, but I can tell you that the Cape Verdean/Portuguese cultural influence in the New Bedford/Fall River/Wareham area is significant and pervasive. If you want to immerse yourself in all things Portuguese, you can do that here. We have Portuguese feasts, parades, restaurants, food and clothing stores, bakeries, jewelers, music stores and sports clubs. While I'm sure there is some racial distrust in certain quarters, people of Portuguese descent are such a statistically large portion of the population that the impact is minimal. In addition, nearby Brockton and Randoph are among the most racially diverse cities in Massachusetts. I can't imagine you would have any problems at all if you moved to this area and from what I know of Worcester, it's pretty similar.

Good luck!

[freckles888]

i think lowell is also a possibility for you to find portugese cape verde people. i personally love new bedford area despite all the problems down there--i wouldn't put kids in the public schools in new bedford they are terrible.

[freckles888]

to answer your racism question. yes, i have heard MA is very racist. i can't speak to this personally because i am very white, this is just what i've heard from people who have moved here from other states. i was surprised and sorry to hear this but, i have to believe it is true. i think the difference in the racism here is that people are not openly racist in MA it is much more veiled and "covert" perhaps. but of course one of the great thing about MA is that there is a lot of diversity so it might depend on where you are living in the state. i guess you need to come for a visit and see for yourself. BTW western MA is very beautiful and i see a good deal of diversity out that way but stay away from springfield.

[Parsec]

You should consider Hudson, depending on where your job will be located. There's actually a fairly large Portuguese population there (the library has an English and Portuguese section), and the schools are much better than Worcester, Fall River, New Bedford, or any of those larger cities. You should find many families who share the same values as you there.

[jeffisok]

Originally Posted by Heather68

Hi gang, quick question:

My Dad is black and my Mom is Portuguese. I'm hoping to reconnect with Portuguese culture by moving to Massachusetts, probably Worcester to live, and Bedford/FA to explore on weekends. I've heard lots of horror stories about anti-black racism in MA. As someone both black and Portuguese, what should I expect to run into out there if I move there...? Feel free to be brutally honest. I need to know if I or my future children will be in danger.

Sadly this is a serious question.

You absolutely want Fall River or New Bedford Areas. It's mostly Portuguese there. Some black and whites. You won't find much racism (Other than the normal, It's everywhere) there. Good luck. I need to get my hands on some good Linguica. So hard to find outside of southeastern Mass.

[pondhopper]

I second the Hudson area too, many Portugese families, and low racism from my experience. You can experience the Portugese connections and still be mainstream with the non-Portugese community. There are Portugese clubs etc available.

[Dugy00]

I am also portuguese, naturalized by my white american father. I left a post about a hate crime in Chatham, MA and a HARWICH DUI, both hate crimes I think. Anyway, good luck.