Francisco Viveiros was born in Ponta Delgada and, since 2018, has been the president of the New England Azorean House in Fall River, where he settled in 2006 thanks to a business opportunity.
In addition to being a goldsmith, a profession he embraced in 1982, and owning a jewelry store, his desire to contribute to the community makes him a member of the Advisory Council of the Portuguese Consulate in New Bedford. Therefore, his workspace is often sought after by Azorean emigrants who need help.
"Often, people come into my jewelry store and ask, 'Are you the Consul?’", says Francisco Viveiros, laughing, explaining that this happens because, in general, "the consulates in the Portuguese diaspora do not work properly," failing to respond to "requests as simple as access to the consulates themselves.
Given that this is an aging community, Francisco Viveiros uses his "privileged contact" with the consulate to schedule the most urgent meetings, which, even so, "take place within 15 days, three weeks, or a month”. He gives the example of elderly people who have retired in the United States and who, due to an address error, have not received their retirement checks for a few months.
As a result, the counter of his jewelry store often becomes a counter for the Portuguese Consulate in New Bedford, where forms are filled out and emails sent to the local Social Security office to have the checks forwarded.
Viveiros’s involvement with the community – since he arrived in the United States in 2006 –has come very naturally, as he recalls: "Without realizing it, we get involved with the community from the moment we have new ideas. We are recent migrants, we bring new ideas, we travel a lot to Portugal and the Azores, and we see a kind of contemporary culture that is not known here," says Francisco Viveiros.
On the other hand, even though he is in the United States, the president of the New England House of the Azores says that he maintains a bond with his native archipelago, towards which he feels a responsibility at the social level, giving as an example the fact that every year between 40 and 50 barrels are sent to various institutions in the Azores with clothes or non-perishable food items inside.
As far as the Azorean community in Fall River is concerned, there is also an added social responsibility, complemented by the distribution of various goods, considering that "living in the United States is not always the dream it used to be”.
On the other hand, associations in the United States are experiencing difficulties, and the New England House of the Azores is a good example, given the challenge of presenting a new list that would allow a new president.
The main challenge faced by associations with roots in the Azores is, above all, the fact that we are dealing with "a society of aging emigrants," considering that "the younger ones move away, either because they have to work or because they look for other economic conditions, and end up disconnecting from the associations themselves.”
In Francisco Viveiros's opinion, associations in the United States are preparing to "go through a period of limbo, just like in the rest of the world," although in countries like Brazil, their strong ties with Portugal and the Azores in particular have re-emerged with "enormous vigour”.
However, and considering that "the Azorean identity is very much alive, many years from now, the younger generations will rediscover the Azores" and, as a result, associations will be revitalized.
