When Democratic politician John Fetterman was elected vice-governor of the US state of Pennsylvania in 2018, his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, pinned a post on her Twitter profile: “Pennsylvania, your Deputy First Lady is a former immigrant. Illegal. Thank you.”
Born in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian Gisele never hid that she lived in the US as an illegal immigrant for 15 years until she got her green card (residence visa) in 2005 and citizenship in 2009.
But in 2018, her claim was notable because she had been called “illegal” by a rival of her husband.
But Gisele’s response showed that she was not ashamed of her story and would not allow it to be used as a crime.
However, the episode wasn’t the last time he was attacked for being an immigrant. Last year, a video of a woman cursing a Brazilian in the supermarket went viral on the networks, causing public outrage.
Politically active and very active on social media, Gisele has been at the center of her husband’s U.S. Senate campaign this year – Fetterman was elected senator from Pennsylvania with 50.5% of the vote.
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The election of Fetterman is a key victory for the Democrats in the Senate race in an election where the imbalance between Democrats and Republicans in the House could define the future of President Joe Biden’s administration.
It was also a historic victory: no Democrat had held the Pennsylvania senator seat since 1962.
For Fetterman, the campaign itself was already a challenge: He suffered a stroke before the primaries and was still speechless in August, when he appeared in public for the first time since the medical incident.
Opponents and journalists cast doubt on his health, but The New York Times claimed in the recent debate that he was “fluent enough to present his Democratic vision for a state that can determine Senate control.”
poor at the pool
With victory, Fetterman, Gisele and their three children – Grace, Karl and August – must move from Pennsylvania to Washington DC.
The family dog, who has already won the CW’s ‘Dog of the Year’ award, is also expected to go. Representing Brazilian tradition, Gisele adopted a caramel mutton called Levi.
Despite being the state’s deputy governor, Fetterman and his family still live in his home in the small town of Braddock, where they met and where he is mayor.
The couple never occupied the official residence in the state capital. Instead, the house’s huge pool was used to teach swimming to children and teenagers who would not normally have access to this activity.
The couple told the American media that staying in the family home and using the swimming pool in the official residence were Gisele’s attempts. But Fetterman has the same relaxed stance.
He’s 2 meters tall, has a deep voice and several tattoos, is known to walk around in shorts and a T-shirt, and says he’s only wearing a suit (worn for official events) – not exactly the first image that comes to mind when I think about it. someone with a bachelor’s degree.
Spoiled on social media, he often jokes and openly provokes Trump supporters.
Gisele’s focus has always been on charity work, who came to live in a one-bedroom apartment in New York with her mother and brother before her family didn’t have immigration papers.
After getting a visa and majoring in nutrition, she became an activist against hunger and for food equality.
It was even through a letter from him to Fetterman asking about his plans to revitalize the city where the couple met.
Among other initiatives, the Brazilian is the co-founder of 412 Food Rescue, which sends volunteers to collect near-expiry food in supermarkets and deliver it to NGOs that serve vulnerable people.
He also created the Free Store, a place to distribute free food, blankets, baby care products, and bicycles for low-income people – all donated by volunteers from various parts of the country.
Image: Playback/Twitter
‘I am proud of my wife’
Fetterman has already said that his wife’s actions and views have influenced many of his political stances, such as his position on immigration – he opposes numerous anti-immigration measures created and proposed by Republicans.
“I’m proud of my wife’s story and the sacrifices her mother made while trying to build a better life in the United States, because it didn’t happen,” says Fetterman, in an explicit campaign video that features an image of the Democrat standing next to Gisele. I wouldn’t have my wife and my wonderful family for that.”
After her sister suffered seven robberies in Rio de Janeiro in the same year, Gisele’s mother, Ester Barreto, moved to the United States without a visa and left her middle-class life in Brazil to find a cleaner job in New York.
In the video, Fetterman recalls the poem written on the Statue of Liberty: “Send me your poor, tired masses who want to breathe freely.”
“As long as we stay true to that original feeling, America will continue to grow and evolve. Because immigration makes America America.”
Fetterman declared himself progressive. He is in favor of criminalizing abortion, American intervention in other countries, public funding for health, decriminalizing marijuana, and reforming the US criminal justice system, which today is highly incarcerated.
As mayor of Braddock, Fettermann began celebrating same-sex marriage when conservative notary officials refused to do so.
He has also supported the Black Lives Matter movement, but says the idea of cutting the police budget is “nonsense”. He supports policing, but says police officers need to engage more with the community.
– This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63578655.
source: Noticias
