A celebration of Puerto Rican heritage in Springfield, Massachusetts on the eve of Election Day put Hispanics’ growing political power on display.
A surge in the number of Hispanics calling Springfield home in the past decade lifted the city’s population to a modest 2 percent gain in the 2020 U.S. Census.
There are more than 54,000 Puerto Ricans living in Springfield – about a third of the city’s residents. They are a growing economic and political force, said Democratic State Representative Carlos Gonzalez.
“Not only in Springfield, but in Chicopee, and in Holyoke, and Westfield and Easthampton—places we never thought possible,” he said.
The ranks of Latinos in the western Massachusetts legislative delegation, which currently includes Gonzalez, State Rep. Orlando Ramos, and State Senator Adam Gomez, both Democrats from Springfield, is likely to grow after the votes are counted in this year’s election.
Democrat Shirley Arriaga, who faces an under-financed independent on the ballot, is favored to win Chicopee’s 8th Hampden District House seat. She would succeed State Rep. Joe Wagner, who is retiring after a 30-year career on Beacon Hill.
Gomez, who in 2020 became the first Puerto Rican elected to the Massachusetts Senate, made a significant legislative mark in his first term. He sponsored the bill -- which passed over a veto by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker -- to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver’s license.
He’s campaigning to save the law now from the repeal effort that is Question 4 on the ballot.
“If you like the work that Adam Gomez is doing for the Hampden District, please vote yes on 4,” Gomez said.
Puerto Ricans first settled in Massachusetts in large numbers in the late 1940s. It has been a slow climb up the economic and political ladder. Springfield City Councilor Maria Perez recalled lobbying then-Governor Michael Dukakis in the 1980’s just to get a single day proclaimed to recognize the contributions of Puerto Ricans to society, culture, the economy, and politics in Massachusetts.
“It has been hard work,” Perez said. “Are we there yet? No!”
A ceremony to kick-off Puerto Rican Heritage Month has been held in Springfield each November for 33 years.
The celebration Monday ended with the raising of the Puerto Rican flag over the esplanade in front of City Hall.
