For 22 years, Sawyer has led SEACMA to help Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees become contributing citizens in Greater Worcester while helping them to preserve their unique cultural heritage, which includes helping entrepreneurs turn their startups into functioning businesses.
People from Vietnam, in particular, make up a significant portion of Worcester’s immigrant population, as the country was the No. 1 country of origin for Worcester immigrants in the 1990 U.S. Census and was the No. 2 country in the 2010 Census, and places like China and India typically are in the top 10.
Her role in aiding Asian immigrants and hosting the Asian Festival and Moon Festival – events typically drawing up to 3,000 – become much more poignant in the last year, as hate crimes against Asian people have risen across the country, leading SEACMA and Sawyer to become voices of calm and reason.
What do you think the future holds for Central Mass.? “Central Mass. is a destination of choice for many immigrants, refugees and English Language Learners who are brilliant, hardworking, innovative and are born-entrepreneurs. Central Mass. will have a more vibrant future if the city invests in these folks via technical assistance, grants and low-interest business loans.”
Double dare: ”I graduated from MIT’s EMBA program at the age of 67 because of a challenge from SEACMA youth.”
