Boston, MA: Representatives of the Tibetan communities of Massachusetts attended the Barney Frank Celebration of Life held on Monday, 8 June 2026, at Faneuil Hall in Boston, to honour the extraordinary life and legacy of former Congressman Barney Frank, a longtime champion of equality, civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, democratic values, and the Tibetan people.
Born in 1940, Congressman Barney Frank devoted much of his life to public service and democratic governance. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1973 to 1981 before being elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he represented Massachusetts for 32 years, from 1981 to 2013. Congressman Frank passed away on 19 May 2026, at the age of 86, leaving behind a powerful legacy of courage, wit, public service, and principled leadership.
The Celebration of Life was followed by a reception at the University of Massachusetts Club in Boston, where members of the Tibetan community had the opportunity to personally convey their condolences and gratitude to Congressman Frank’s husband, Jim Ready, and other members of his family.
The Tibetan delegation included representatives from both Boston and Western Massachusetts. Among those in attendance were former members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Thondup Tsering and Dhardon Sharling; Tenzin Kelsang Phunkhang, President of the Tibetan Association of Boston; Yonten Gyatso, President of the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts; and approximately 20 other members of the Tibetan community, including elders, youth, and second- and third-generation Tibetan Americans.
For the Tibetan people, Congressman Frank’s legacy holds a particularly special place. In the early 1990s, he played an instrumental role in sponsoring the provision in the Immigration Act of 1990 that advanced the Tibetan resettlement initiative that allowed 1,000 displaced Tibetans from India and Nepal to immigrate to the United States. This historic initiative transformed the lives of Tibetan families and helped lay the foundation for the growth of vibrant Tibetan American communities across the country.
Today, more than 25,000 Tibetans live in the United States, with thriving Tibetan associations across many states. These communities continue to preserve Tibetan language, culture, identity, and democratic values while contributing meaningfully to the civic, cultural, and economic life of the United States. The children and grandchildren of the first Tibetan resettlement families are now growing up as Tibetan Americans and emerging as future leaders and seeds of the Tibet movement.
At the reception, Thondup Tsering offered remarks on behalf of the Tibetan people. Drawing on the history of Congressman Frank’s support for displaced Tibetans, he expressed deep gratitude for Congressman Frank’s visionary leadership, compassion, and commitment to the Tibetan people.
“In 2024, during the Tibetan New Year, we had the special opportunity to welcome Congressman Frank to Amherst and to thank him in person for his leadership in introducing the 1,000 immigrant visas for displaced Tibetans,” Thondup Tsering said in his remarks. “On that day, he was deeply proud and happy to have led what became one of the most successful immigration and resettlement initiatives in the history of this great nation.”
Members of the Tibetan delegation were deeply honoured to attend the Celebration of Life and to convey, in person, the gratitude of the Tibetan people to Jim Ready and Congressman Frank’s family. They expressed that Tibetans will always remember Congressman Frank’s role in helping displaced Tibetans rebuild their lives with dignity, opportunity, and hope in the United States.
The Tibetan representatives also had the opportunity to meet with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jim McGovern, both steadfast friends of the Tibetan people. They thanked them for their continued leadership and support for Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan people’s struggle for freedom, dignity, and justice.
The participation of Tibetan community members in Congressman Frank’s Celebration of Life was a meaningful moment of remembrance and gratitude. It reflected the deep and lasting bond between Congressman Frank’s legacy and the story of Tibetan resettlement in the United States.
Congressman Barney Frank’s contributions to the Tibetan people will continue to live in the hearts of Tibetans across generations. As Tibetan Americans build strong communities, preserve their identity, and carry forward the movement for Tibet, they do so with profound gratitude to leaders like Congressman Frank, whose moral courage and public service helped open a new chapter in Tibetan American history.
The Tibetan community joins Congressman Frank’s husband, family members, friends, colleagues, and the people of Massachusetts in mourning his passing and celebrating his extraordinary life.
May Congressman Barney Frank rest in peace.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Washington DC
