Portal da Açorianidade

The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, will begin tomorrow a four-day visit to the United States of America on behalf of the President of the Government. He will attend the Azores Day proclamation sessions at the Assembly and Senate of the State of California and also the ceremonies marking the Day of Portugal, of Camões and the Portuguese Communities. On the first day of the visit, June 8, Artur Lima will meet the President Pro-Tempore of the California State Senate, Toni G. Atkins, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Shortly after, the Vice-President of the Government will take part in the extraordinary sessions of the Assembly and Senate of the State of California, where the proposals for the Resolution of the Azores Day, Portugal Day and Portuguese Heritage Month in Califonia, submitted by Representative Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Senator Henry Stern, respectively, will be put forward for formal approval. On the same day, at 12 pm, Artur Lima will have lunch with the Luso-elected and community leaders of the State, an initiative promoted by the California Portuguese American Coalition. On June 9, the Vice-President of the Regional Government will travel to the city of Tiburon to open the “Portuguese Dairy Mural Wall,” a tile mural first designed on canvas by artist João de Brito. It intends to show and highlight the important role played by the dairy establishments, operated by Luso-Azoreans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in the history and development of this place and of the State in general. On June 10, Artur Lima will participate in the official ceremony and parade of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities in San José. These celebrations are promoted by the Portuguese Historical Museum. Later in the day, the Vice-President of the Regional Government celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Luso American Education Foundation at a celebratory dinner held at the Portuguese Athletic Club in San José. On the following day, June 11, Artur Lima meets with the Diaspora Councilor for California, Zeto Carvalho, the Director of the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI), Professor Diniz Borges, and other members of Azorean organisations. California is the US state with the largest Portuguese presence, with the vast majority of these citizens being of Azorean descent, especially from the central group of the archipelago, which has led to the existence of several communities of Azorean emigrants and their descendants spread across different cities. During this visit to California, the Vice-President of the Government, Artur Lima, will be accompanied by the Regional Director for the Communities, José Andrade.