Grantee Partner Spotlight:
NUBE

Neighbors United for a Better East Boston

photo of a large gathering of people, 3 at the front, 1 speaking, facing a crowd of over 30 in seats in a large room
A NUBE member informs residents of East Boston and beyond about local and statewide issues.

In 2011, two weeks after arriving in East Boston from El Salvador, Enilda “Eny” Lovo met Gloribell Mota. “My cousin introduced me to Gloribell, and I learned that she had been the first Latina to run for state rep—in 2007,” Eny recounts. “Although she lost that race, we believe she won, because for the first time the Latino community came out to vote. They had 800 more voters than ever before, and the momentum kept going afterwards. It inspired the idea of NUBE, an organization that would mobilize the Latino/immigrant community to get out and vote in local elections.”

NUBE — Neighbors United for a Better East Boston — immediately became a big part of Eny’s new life in Massachusetts. Like her fellow volunteers, she was dedicated to helping build a prosperous community where neighbors supported and encouraged each other. After two years, Gloribell rewarded Eny’s dedication with a paid position at 10 hours a week.

But by 2015, Gloribell felt she needed some time off, and soon after she left, NUBE folded. Neighbors continued to request the civic programs they’d become accustomed to, however, and over a two-year period, active members fought to launch the organization again. “We started with new programs, mission, and vision, in 2017,” recalls Eny. “Gloribell came back, and in 2019, she told me it was time for new leaders to step up. She offered me a full-time position, and in 2022, I became executive director and lead coordinator.”

“I was nervous at first,” Eny continues, “but now I’ve received coaching for a year in the Transformational Leadership Cohort program through The Lenny Zakim Fund, so I’ve learned and developed my skills as a director and organizer.”

Currently NUBE has more than 40 active volunteers and 5,000 members. From 100 to 200 participants attend most of their events, and 600 people came out for a recent non-citizen voting simulation. Their mission of using civic engagement to shift political power is getting clear results. “In 2010, NUBE started with 6% of the Latino community going out to vote and today in 2023 we are at 58% of our Latinx Community,” Eny says.

NUBE has also celebrated some major milestones, such as the 2023 purchase of their Community Movement Building in partnership with Ayni Institute Inc., and some substantial legislative successes, including the 2022 passing of the Fair Share Amendment Act, a 4% surtax on income above $1 million to invest in education and road and bridge improvements. Also in 2022, the passing of the Work and Family Mobility Act allowed Massachusetts driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. This achievement was very personal for Eny, who went on a hunger strike for five days with 16 other people to bring attention to the issue.

Municipal or state IDs for undocumented persons is still a top issue for NUBE, which holds an annual Membership Assembly to vote on each year’s top three priorities. Noncitizen voting and rent stabilization are the other two top priorities this year. “In 2022, we had 19,000 Latinx voters,” Eny explains. “A year later, we only have 17,000—a roughly 10% drop. Our numbers are going down as rents go up. Sometimes the rent increases are as much as $500 a month, which leads to displacement.”

Though East Boston is known for its Latin population, NUBE’s outreach embraces a wide range of interests. Throughout the year, they use public forums, educational materials, movie nights, and other efforts to build community around key events such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Earth Day, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Eny explains that all of NUBE’s efforts center around four core circles of action:

  1. Welcome: Greeting and sharing resources with new members of the community
  2. Justice: Advocacy for key issues, such as rent stabilization
  3. Civic: Promoting voting and engagement with local elections and ensuring everyone is aware of their rights and resources, such as being able to apply for affordable housing
  4. Abundance: Living NUBE values, sharing your individual abundance to help create a vibrant economy and environment for all of East Boston.
photo of 3 boys who look to be teenagers posing in front of a table with the boy in the middle dropping a ballot into a box that says 'VOTE'
“Eastie Vota” T-shirts help spread the message at a noncitizen voting event.

The Abundant Leaders Program (Lideres Abundantes) is one of NUBE’s cornerstone projects, training and encouraging two or three members a year so they might lead the community in the future. “One of the members of our program was a shy 16-year-old who barely spoke at all. We sent him to youth organizing training, and now he’s 18 and just incredible,” Eny says. “He knocks on doors and talks to everyone and engages with the elder community and helps them get to the polls to vote. At a recent civic forum, Representative Ayanna Pressley commented on how impressed she was with NUBE youth and their activism. With passionate young organizers like him coming up in the community, I’m confident NUBE will continue to have a strong impact when my time comes to hand over the reins to a new leader, just like Gloribell did with me.”

Current needs at NUBE include funding/donations and volunteers who can assist with communications and technical planning and projects, including basic database management for Lead Weaver. If you’d like to get involved, please write to info@nubeastboston.org or call 857-326-9775.