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The Lowell 100 – 1918 – 2018

Celebrating 100 years of service to immigrants in Lowell.

A Century of Service

In 2018, the International Institute of New England celebrated a century of service to the city of Lowell. Since we first began our official programs in 1918, the International Institute has resettled refugees, reunified immigrant family members, taught English and job skills, placed people in jobs throughout the region, and helped new Lowellians navigate an increasingly complex immigration system.

The Pillars of Our Past

Founded in 1918 as part of the YWCA, the International Institute of Lowell (IINE) is one of the oldest and largest social service organizations for new Americans in the region. Our purpose is to empower refugees and immigrants through resettlement, education, career advancement, and pathways to citizenship. Women have been integral to IINE’s mission, providing English lessons and domestic skills training to immigrant girls and women. By 1930, IINE broadened its services to the wider immigrant community, becoming independent in 1935 and supporting men and people of various religions.

From War-Torn Lands to New Beginnings

The International Institute of Lowell has supported various migration crises throughout its history. During World War II, it offered Red Cross training and immigration assistance. After the war, it resettled refugees from Europe and the Soviet Union. The 1953 Refugee Relief Act increased arrivals from China and Eastern Asia, followed by efforts for those fleeing the Azores and Cuba in the 1960s. In the late 20th century, it welcomed refugees from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, the Balkans, Central America, and Asia, as well as newcomers from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Iraq. In 2011, it merged with the institutes of Manchester and Boston to form the International Institute of New England.

Navigating New Horizons

Since its founding, legal and citizenship services have been a cornerstone of the International Institute of Lowell. In its first 20 years, the organization significantly assisted with naturalization applications, helping 81 clients in 1930 and increasing to 528 by 1939. These efforts established the Institute as a key source of legal information, aiding in family reunifications and immigration paperwork. Since its 2018 relaunch, IINE’s Legal Immigration Forms Service has supported over 200 Lowell, Boston, and Manchester clients in navigating complex immigration processes.

Empowering Voices Through Education

Since 1918, the International Institute of Lowell has offered English classes, starting with 16 courses and 187 students. In the 1930s, it expanded to include foreign languages like Russian, Italian, and Arabic. The focus shifted to nursing during World War II before returning to English. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Institute offered conversation and Speech Correction, as well as German, Portuguese, Armenian, and Spanish classes. Today, IINE provides extensive English instruction for refugees and immigrants and has launched a Certified Nursing Assistant training program to address the demand for skilled healthcare workers.

Building Futures Together

Annually, our organization serves nearly 2,000 refugees, asylees, and immigrants across three locations: Boston and Lowell, MA, and Manchester, NH. We believe that every immigrant and refugee is an investment in our country and communities. We aim to equip them with the skills and tools needed to achieve their dreams and contribute to New England’s growth.

IINE currently supports:

  • Refugees: Individuals fleeing persecution, war, or violence.
  • Low and Moderate-Income Immigrants: Those needing assistance with legal status, English skills, and living-wage jobs.
  • Unaccompanied Minors: Central American children seeking family reunification in the U.S.
  • Asylees: Individuals who obtain refugee-like status through U.S. courts.
  • Cuban/Haitian Entrants: Persons from Haiti and Cuba with special protected status.
  • Victims of Human Trafficking: Individuals coerced into labor or commercial sex.
  • Special Immigrant Visa Holders: Individuals and families who assisted the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

We are tied together in the world today, for good or bad. If something happens in Poland, in Greece, we get a large repercussion here. The ‘one-world’ idea is nothing new to International Institute policy, for we’ve always felt that the more understanding we have of people, the better for all of us.

– Clementina DeRocco, Director of the International Institute of Lowell from 1947 – 1959

Honoring the Lowell 100

More than 600 people gathered at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on May 1, 2018,  to mark the centennial of the International Institute of New England (IINE) and to recognize the enduring legacy of immigrants and refugees in the Lowell community.

As part of the centennial celebration, IINE invited the greater Lowell community to help identify 100 of the most admirable leaders from Lowell’s immigrant community who have made achievements in their fields, as well as locally-born Lowellians who have supported immigrants and immigrant issues.

Guest speakers included Massachusetts State Rep. Rady Mom, and Lowell City Manager, Eileen Donaghue. UMass Lowell professor Robert Forrant spoke about the history of IINE in Lowell, and about the research that went into sourcing the Lowell 100 honorees. 

You can learn more about the event and read about each of the 100 honorees in our excerpt from the Lowell 100 program.