Conversations with Leaders
Social Impact Voices:听Protecting Our Neighbors
Brian Garvey, executive director of Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), the Commonwealth鈥檚 largest grassroots peace coalition, spoke about the intersection of peace activism and immigration policy in Massachusetts. Founded during the nuclear freeze movement to advocate for nuclear abolition, MAPA mobilizes communities to challenge powerful systems that perpetuate harm.
Garvey shared that the Saudi Arabian鈥搇ed war in Yemen inspired his involvement with MAPA and highlighted how the organization鈥檚 activism contributed to the first War Powers Resolution passed since the law鈥檚 creation. He connected this work to immigration policy, noting that abuses of power also occur at the state level through the inhumane treatment of undocumented individuals by the听U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
In an international city like Boston and across Massachusetts, residents are often denied due process. Garvey emphasized MAPA鈥檚 advocacy to expand the statewide, which would prohibit collaboration between state officials and ICE. He concluded with a call to action, urging residents to advocate for stronger protections for their neighbors.
Morgan Keating, SSW '27, Winston Center Graduate Assistant
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Common Ground Series:听Leadership Is Everyone鈥檚 Business
Effective leadership requires compassion and care for other people, not just management skills, according to Sarah Cabral, a professor at Santa Clara University.听
鈥淲hen you think of exemplary leaders, did they want to be the best in the world, or the best for the world?鈥� asked Cabral, CGSOM 鈥�13.听
Cabral hopes to challenge the idea that leadership is all about the individual鈥攁 mindset she said many students hold at the beginning of her class.
鈥淥ur motto, shared between Santa Clara University and Boston College and all the other Jesuit universities, is 鈥楶eople, for others, for and with others,鈥欌�� Cabral said. 鈥淎nd the biggest myth that I love to bust is that leadership is climbing the ladder.鈥�
Cabral emphasized her goal of developing leaders with conscience, competence, and compassion through five main tenets of leadership鈥攎odeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart.听
鈥淭he best leaders care about the people that they鈥檙e with,鈥� Cabral said.
She related this model through a case study of the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC) in San Jose, Calif. The center, fully funded by Santa Clara County, was among the first to offer culturally sensitive care aimed at reducing social and health disparities in the Vietnamese community.
In recent decades, Santa Clara County has become home to the听second-largest Vietnamese American community听in the United States, driven by mass immigration following the Vietnam War.听More than a quarter of Vietnamese adults do not have health insurance, and many Vietnamese immigrants face significant health disparities, according to Cabral.听
鈥淭here was a health assessment that was completed in the 2010s, and it found that over 26 percent of Vietnamese adults lacked healthcare coverage, and 16 percent were unable to afford doctor visits,鈥� said Cabral.听
She also discussed language barriers that limit healthcare access for Vietnamese Americans and their effects on the quality of care they receive. She shared the story of Betty Duong, the first manager of VASC, who had to function as her mother鈥檚 translator for much of her childhood.
鈥淸Duong] remembers being a kid and having to travel with her mom to healthcare appointments to translate for her,鈥� Cabral said. 鈥淪he鈥檇 be in third grade, they鈥檇 get there and be told, 鈥楽orry, we can鈥檛 let your kid translate for you鈥�, or 鈥楤ut we don鈥檛 have a translator, so you鈥檙e going to have to go home today and come back another time.鈥欌��
Creating VASC and advancing its mission of alleviating inaccessibility in healthcare was a challenging, hard-fought effort, Cabral said.听
鈥淚f you talk to those in the Vietnamese community, they at first went through the city of San Jose to try to establish even a cultural center where they could gather,鈥� Cabral said. 鈥淎nd then for one reason or another, that project fell through, and then they sort of regrouped and focused on pursuing a services center.鈥澨�
From dental care to English as a second language classes to after-school programs, VASC now supports the Vietnamese American community in a multitude of ways.听
More than 7,000 people have attended classes and workshops at VASC, according to Cabral. Its pharmacy has filled 41,000 prescriptions, and the center responded to more than 30,000 service requests in 2024 alone.
鈥淸Duong] really refers to it as a second home for Vietnamese Americans of Santa Clara,鈥� Cabral said. 鈥淎nd the evidence is certainly there in the numbers.鈥�
Cabral connected VASC鈥檚 success to the five tenets of leadership. By implementing the values of care and respect for others, VASC became one of the most influential organizations of its kind, she said.听
鈥淭he best leaders are building鈥攖hey build up others,鈥� said Cabral.
As a Jesuit university known for its management programs, Boston College students have a unique stake in the quest for meaningful leadership, Cabral said. Everyone should work to develop leadership qualities to make a social impact, she added.
鈥淓very single day, leadership is everyone鈥檚 business,鈥� Cabral said. 鈥淭he goal is to become an even better leader every day. We鈥檙e all on that journey. We鈥檙e all maybe at different points on that journey, but it鈥檚 everyone鈥檚 business, and we鈥檙e all becoming a better leader every day.鈥�
Adapted from听听article by Danica Bergen '29 and Leon Gopaul '28