Brazilians add a touch of home

EVERETT -- On Norwood Street, Brazil's green, yellow, and blue flag proudly proclaims the revival of an old city block in Everett Square, the heart of this traditionally Italian-American city.

Sal & Brase, a restaurant with a tilted beer mug on its sign, pulses with the rhythm of Rio de Janeiro. Nena's Grill offers a Brazilian buffet in a spot where Brigham's long dished out ice cream, at Broadway's corner.

Mary Santos Simonelli, who immigrated 20 years ago after meeting her Everett-born husband on Copacabana Beach in Rio, sells homes to newcomers from her homeland. And just down the street, Procasa leases villas and apartments in Brasilia.

Coconut-kiss cake, cheese bread, and fresh-brewed Brazilian coffee draw crowds to Bread & Co., a Padaria Brasileira with lofty goals. ''We'd love to see this become a Brazilian Starbucks," said Petra Maia, 25, who owns the Brazilian bakery with her husband, Ronaldo. ''That really is our dream."

Across the North region -- from Malden, to Peabody, to Gloucester -- newly arrived Brazilians are reshaping their communities. They're opening shops, praying in churches, buying homes, and working as dishwashers, house cleaners, and construction workers, among other jobs.

''There is opportunity for immigrants in small cities," said Hudson Vargas, owner of the Brazilian Convenience Store on Main Street in Gloucester. ''In a big city like Boston, there are too many people looking for work."

Brazilians made up the single largest group of immigrants to Massachusetts from 2000 to 2003, accounting for one out of five newcomers, according to a report released last summer by MassInc, a nonprofit public policy think tank. Brazilians overall made up 19 percent of the 115,482 new immigrants to Massachusetts during that period, the report said.

One observer said the numbers are not surprising, given the poor economic conditions in Brazil, South America's largest and most populated country, with some 186 million people.

''There is a culture of emigration in Brazil," said Dario Borim, an associate professor at the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. ''It's fair to say it started to develop in the 1980s, when the economy really went down. There was high unemployment and high inflation. The economy could not sustain a growing population. It still can't."

The number of Brazilians living north of Boston is difficult to estimate. According to the 2000 census, there are 39,000 people claiming Brazilian ancestry living in Massachusetts. But most observers say the number is much higher; perhaps as many as 200,000 to 250,000 people, based on the number of people looking for work, attending churches, and enrolling in local schools.

''I would say the vast majority are undocumented, here illegally, just trying to make a living," said Ana Amaral, a former workers' rights advocate at the Brazilian Immigration Center in Allston, who now works for Jobs for Justice in Boston.

But census data from 1990 and 2000 reflects a significant spike in several communities, including Everett, Peabody, and Gloucester, where Brazilian culture and commerce are flourishing.

Brazilians, whose first language is Portuguese, are creating a huge demand for English language classes at community adult education programs.

In Everett, Brazilians account for at least 60 percent of the 400 people on a waiting list for English as a Second Language classes taught nights at Everett High School.

''Brazilians are our largest group," said Meg English, director of the Everett Literacy Program, which runs adult basic education classes. ''We've seen a huge influx of them in the city over the last few years."

Church attendance is also strong. The Community of Christ Brazilian Church meets in a storefront on Main Street in Gloucester. Brazilian Masses at Catholic churches in Everett, Gloucester, and Peabody are big draws. At Our Lady of Fatima in Peabody, a Brazilian Mass on Sunday nights attracts 200 to 300 people each week.

''Their sense of church is very real," said Sister Ellen Dabrieo, pastoral associate at Our Lady of Fatima who also worked as a missionary in Brazil.

''And for them, it's not enough just to go to Mass. They're very keen on helping one another out, whether it is to find a job or housing."

Life is not easy for all these new arrivals.

Brazilians, particularly those here illegally and those with limited English, risk exploitation. Afraid of being turned in, they will often take jobs working long hours for low wages, a labor advocate said.

''They're in a tough spot," said Amaral, a Brazilian immigrant who now does worker outreach for Jobs With Justice. ''Now is the worst time of year, because people are out of work. Many of them don't speak English, so they have to be careful someone is not going to just use them for a day job."

But while many struggle for work, others are flourishing. Just take a walk down Norwood Street, where Portuguese is spoken as much as Italian was decades ago. ''It's really like a little Brazil here," said Simonelli, 45, who owns Simonelli Realty.

Simonelli estimates she sold $60 million worth of homes to Brazilians last year, many in Everett and Malden. ''If people work in Boston, they want to be able to get there fast," said Simonelli, who recently moved to Melrose. ''I put the flag out in my window to let them know that I am here to help them."

Across the street at Bread & Co., there is no Brazilian flag in the window. And the name was chosen to appeal to all customers -- not just Brazilians.

''I wanted a nice place for Brazilians to gather," said Ronaldo Maia, 39, who immigrated 20 years ago, and now also runs an import/export company. ''But we also want everyone to feel welcome here."

He is also proud of the impact Brazilians have had on Norwood Street.

''Five years ago, Norwood Street was a ghost town," he said. ''There were stores boarded up, but now it's busy. We have made an investment here."