WORCESTER — It was a celebratory weekend for much of Worcester’s Ghanaian community as the new Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Ghana opened its doors on Park Avenue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 24 and a crowd gathered on Vernon Hill the next morning to celebrate.
During a special Jan. 25 thanksgiving service at the New England Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church on Vernon Street, Honorary Consul Kennedy Asafo-Adjei, U.S. Rep. James McGovern and Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty all addressed a congregation full of families, their speeches frequently punctuated by an “Amen” from the pews.
“The enthusiasm level is very, very high. Every one of us is happy,” Asafo-Adjei said. “It’s not meant for Massachusetts alone but for all of New England — those in New Hampshire, those in Rhode Island, those in Vermont. It goes far.”
The new Worcester consulate is located in Suite 601 of the Park View Office Tower at 255 Park Ave. and offers visa services to those planning to travel to Ghana, passport services to Ghanaian citizens and travel advisory on Ghana’s entry and exit requirements, laws, customs and health regulations. The office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Ghana also maintains an embassy in Washington, D.C. and a consulate in New York.
“The Ghanaian community here is vibrant, hardworking, generous, caring. We’re blessed that they’re here,” McGovern said.
In a 2022 Telegram & Gazette article, Asafo-Adjei estimated Worcester’s Ghanaian population to number close to 38,000, and after speaking at the Jan. 25 church service, he said the new consulate had fast become a necessity for the rapidly growing community.
“Our population keeps growing, so it was time we need this kind of service here to help us facilitate traveling back home, plus some of the visas and passports we need,” Asafo-Adjei said. “Often, we have to travel to New York or Washington to get a visa to travel back home. It was becoming difficult.”
Honorary Consul Kennedy Asafo-Adjei after a special thanksgiving service at the New England Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church Jan. 25, which celebrated the new Honorary Consulate of Ghana on Park Ave. in Worcester.
Asafo-Adjei grew up in Ghana and came to Massachusetts in the 1990s, going on to work as a director, producer and editor at WCCA-TV, Worcester’s public access television station, and serve multiple terms on the Worcester Citizens Advisory Council.
He has also organized several community initiatives for Ghanaian Worcester residents and other African immigrants in the area.
“We’ve considered Massachusetts, and for that matter, Worcester, as our home,” Asafo-Adjei said. “The door has been opened to us and the city has been so good to us, so therefore it is also our responsibility to do our best and live peacefully with each other.”
Both McGovern and Petty emphasized the positive impact of immigration in Worcester in their speeches, translated into the Twi language by an interpreter, and reassured the Ghanaian audience that the city would protect them against new federal anti-immigrant policies.
McGovern criticized an executive order new President Donald Trump issued in the hours after his Jan. 20 inauguration that attempted to end the long-standing practice of automatic citizenship for any child born in the United States, which was codified into the U.S. Constitution as part of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.
The order would end birthright citizenship for U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. A federal judge blocked the order Jan. 23 in response to a lawsuit by 18 states, including Massachusetts, referring to it as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
McGovern addressed fears that federal agencies would separate families based on citizenship and immigration status, saying Trump “doubled down on cruelty and division” in the first few days of his second term as president.
“Many of you have children born in the United States. Let me assure you they are full United States citizens regardless of the status of their parents, and they are full United States citizens regardless of what Donald Trump says,” McGovern said, answered by cheers. “Donald Trump may think he is king, but he is not.”
After the service, in the hallway outside the church sanctuary, McGovern handed out pamphlets from the City of Worcester outlining constitutional rights and advising the city’s residents on staying safe.
“We want a country where everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like or where they’re from, is respected and included,” McGovern said. “We want a world where justice, equality, and equity are not just words but principles that we live by.”
Petty, meanwhile, discussed the possibility of raids by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which arrested several people in Boston and Chelsea Jan. 22, according to WCVB.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Jan. 21 that it would end a policy prohibiting ICE from arresting people at public schools, houses of worship and hospitals. In response, Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Rachel Monárrez sent a letter to parents and staff saying the school district would not “coordinate” in the event of an ICE raid on a Worcester school.
Petty said as soon as Trump was elected in early November 2024, his office began working with the school district on plans to protect Worcester students and families from unlawful detainment. In addition, he said, his office is handing out free “Know Your Rights” cards to anyone concerned about being stopped by ICE agents.
“Hang in there. We have your back,” Petty said. “This is your city and this is your country.”
Asafo-Adjei said in the same way that McGovern’s and Petty’s speeches were informative about current federal, state and local policy, the new Honorary Consulate of Ghana would keep Ghanaians in New England up to date on community issues and laws in both Ghana and the United States.
“(McGovern and Petty) are here, and they were able to tell us what is going on,” Asafo-Adjei said. “The consulate is going to do a lot, and I believe it will serve the people and link to our officials and among ourselves, how we communicate information to our people so we know what is going on and what we can do to help each other.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Ceremony celebrates opening of consulate of Ghana in Worcester