The President of the Regional Government is the guest of honour at the solemn commemorative session of the Portuguese Heritage Day in the State of Massachusetts to take place in the city of Boston Tuesday, June 4.
Vasco Cordeiro was invited by the members of the Portuguese Caucus at the Massachusetts Parliament, led by Senator Marc Pacheco and Representative Tony Cabral, to participate in this ceremony marking the 35th edition of these celebrations to be held at the Massachusetts State House.
Established in 1985, Portuguese Heritage Day is promoted annually by the Portuguese American Legislative Caucus as a way of recognising and honouring, through the "Portuguese Heritage Awards," the Portuguese-American personalities for the role they play in their communities in various domains.
This year, 19 personalities will be honoured, eight of whom are of Azorean descent.
It is estimated that more than 500 thousand Americans of Portuguese descent are residing in the State of Massachusetts, where Portuguese is the second most spoken foreign language after Spanish.
The Azoreans have settled over the years in several communities throughout the State, namely in Fall River, New Bedford, Hudson, Peabody, Lowell, Stoughton, Cambridge, Somerville, Ludlow, Milford and Taunton.