Mauricio Perea honored at Latino Excellence Awards

FRAMINGHAM – On October 26, the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus hosted their annual Latino Excellence Awards at the State House to commemorate Latino community leaders and trailblazers that are moving the needle forward in cities and towns across the state. Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, and Representative Bud Williams featured among the speakers at the event. Representative Jack Patrick Lewis was proud to nominate Mauricio Perea, Chairman of the Framingham Cultural Council, to be recognized at this year’s ceremony.

Mauricio Perea is an indispensable member of the Framingham community. Born and raised in Mexico City, it was there that he developed a deep appreciation for art, specifically watercolor paintings. For the last twenty years, Perea has drawn on this inspiration for his own art. He enjoys representing Mexican traditions in his art, particularly that of “The Day of the Dead” and one of the typical characters of this celebration, “La Catrina.” As an artist, Perea was thrilled to join the Framingham Cultural Council in 2020 and work to advance the council’s mission to promote programs and activities that enhance the cultural life of the city. Perea is also a member of the Autism Alliance of Metrowest and works as a Kindergarten teacher in Framingham Public Schools, where he assists children with autism.

Rep. Lewis expressed gratitude for Perea’s contributions, saying, “Mauricio is steadfast in his commitment to making Framingham and the Metrowest region the best that it can be. On the Cultural Council, he has worked tirelessly to bring much-needed funding to the Framingham arts and make the city a vibrant, beautiful place to live and create art. His contagious spirit of service and kindness also shines through in his work at our schools and the Autism Alliance. It was a joy to host Mauricio at the State House to be recognized for an award he so deeply deserves.”

Mauricio Perea expressed appreciation for the award, saying, "Thanks to State Representative Jack Patrick Lewis for his recognition of the importance of the art and culture in Framingham. To me, this is the result of what happens when our legislators value art and culture as a way to unify our communities. I hope that other people in similar positions can take a moment to see Rep. Lewis’ actions to celebrate our achievements in this great city of Framingham.”