603 Diversity Issue 9

Q4 2023

NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BUBBLE TEA CRAZE

MEET PORTSMOUTH’S

Poet Laureate

Diannely Antigua’s captivating verse demonstrates poetry’s power to find healing and spiritual sustenance.

MACDOWELL LEADER SEES BRIGHT DEI FUTURE

MURALS UNLEASH THE POWER OF ART

Black Lives Matter New Hampshire is a union of BLM Seacoast, BLM Manchester, and BLM Nashua formed in September 2023. The harmonized mosaic of voices, experiences, and viewpoints, amplifying the notion that the quest for racial justice transcends conventional borders. By synergizing our unique strengths, these organizations within the Black Lives Matter Movement forged a more formidable and cohesive entity, poised to tackle the urgent challenges confronting Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities across New Hampshire. At Black Lives Matter New Hampshire, our mission is clear: to dismantle anti-Blackness, eradicate systemic racism, champion racial equality, combat racial injustices, put an end to police brutality, and advocate for justice for all Black lives in New Hampshire. Our unwavering commitment lies in nurturing dialogues around racial equity, passionately advocating for change, and fostering collaborative efforts with our communities, local governments, and organizations to forge a just and equitable future. We achieve this by cultivating conversations centered on racial equity, provide racial equity trainings to businesses and organizations, focus on developing our youth into the next generation of racial and social justice fighters, relentless advocacy for the Black community, and the celebration of Black Excellence at our Annual Gala and Awards Ceremony & Conference. Email: info@blmnh.org | Facebook: Black Lives Matter New Hampshire | Instagram & Twitter: @BLMNH_

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is proud to underwrite 603 Diversity and to devote this advertising space to promote nonprofit organizations working to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in New Hampshire.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

FROM PUBLISHER

THE POWER OF ART TO CHANGE HEARTS, REVEAL

n October, I was invited to join Isadora Rodriguez-Legendre, executive director of the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities, on the council’s “That’s Inclusive” podcast. Isadora invited me on the show to talk about our 603 Diversity magazine, but I was just as interested in hearing from her about how we, and the media in general, could provide better representation of the community the council represents. A high priority, she says, is ensuring that disability rights are among the topics people consider when talking about diversity, equity and inclusion. The conversation led us on a path toward a word that has come up again and again over the course of my career: “story.” Whether we’re talking about DEI broadly, or the specific goals of the disabilities community, I think story is one of the best tools we have to work past the pushback: the denial that there’s even a need to be addressed, or the fear that acknowledging the needs, the feelings or the rights of other groups will somehow lead to one’s own needs, feelings or rights not being acknowledged or met. Data doesn’t convince most people. I’m not saying data — the facts — aren’t hugely important. They are. But even in the face of reliable data, we can all recall watching an argument unfold on social media in the comments section: Two people throw facts back and forth in response after response. Both bring their own experts and carefully curated slice of the truth. And no one changes their minds. Data is one way of representing truth. But perhaps not the most convincing way. A well-told story, even if the story is fiction, can reveal truths about the human condition that are so compelling they do open people’s minds to ideas — and to evidence

truths

and data — those minds had previously failed to acknowledge. The motivational speaker Becky Curran, who advocates for changing how little people and people with disabilities are perceived, talks about the power of story in her TedX talk. She recalls a colleague: “He had a disability story, but not anybody else in that company knew that story. I want more people to be able to hear these stories, so we can all realize we can relate in more ways than we think we can. We’re all on this Earth together, and we all want to be a part of it and just be appreciated and accepted.” When I think of story, I don’t just think of the written word. I think of the arts broadly, music, theater, dance, visual arts. All of these are able to speak first to the heart, to open it. And they speak across all cultures, revealing experiences that are at once deeply individual and entirely universally human. We have three pieces in this month’s issue that explore the power of art to unite, to heal, to make people feel seen, to get at the universal truths of human existence. Yasamin Safarzadeh writes about a powerful mural project in which Kimball Jenkins partnered with MyTurn to give Manchester teens summer internships to create art at Manchester High School West (page 10). Further on, we have a feature on Chiwonsio Kaitano, the recently appointed 10th executive director of the MacDowell Center, an iconic force for art and diversity, not only in New Hampshire but globally (page 14), and right after that, an interview with Diannely Antigua, Portsmouth’s 13th poet laureate (page 16). It’s no surprise that art is featured so often in this magazine. It’s one of the most powerful ways we have to find the universal in the spectacular tapestry of our state’s diversity. 603 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 1

6 0 3 D I V E R S I T Y. C O M

COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION A central part of McLane Middleton’s statement of core values is our commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion. It’s what we believe in.

Contributing Writers Alberto Ramos Joanna Kelley James McKim Emily Reily Beth Santos Lisa Carter Suzanne Laurent Yasmin Safarzadeh Contributing Photographer Robert Ortiz Contributing Artist Richard Haynes Editor/Publisher Ernesto Burden x5117 ernestob@yankeepub.com

As part of that commitment, we are proud to announce we have achieved certification under the Mansfield Rule; a national initiative aimed at closing the diversity gap in the legal profession.

Managing Editor, Custom Publishing Robert Cook x5128 editors@603diversity.com

Learn more at McLane.com/Mansfield

Creative Services Director Jodie Hall x5122 jodieh@yankeepub.com

Managing Editor Mike Cote x5141 editors@603diversity.com

Senior Graphic Desinger Nancy Tichanuk x5126 nancyt@yankeepub.com

Always on the air Always online Always on demand Always on the beat Always on your mind Always on.

Senior Production Artist Nicole Huot x5116 nicoleh@yankeepub.com Sales Executive John Ryan x5120 johnr@yankeepub.com Operations Manager Ren Chase x5114 renc@yankeepub.com Digital Operations and Marketing Manager Morgen Connor x5149 morgenc@yankeepub.com Billing Specialist/IT Coordinator Gail Bleakley x113 gailb@yankeepub.com

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

GROUP

100% Employee-Owned

250 Commercial Street, Suite 4014 Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 624-1442, fax (603) 624-1310

News from New Hampshire and

89.1 Concord/Manchester | nhpr.org

2 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Contents Features 14 MacDowell ’s Chiwoniso Kaitano 16 Portsmouth’s Poet Laureate Diannely Antigua

22 Authentic Latin American Fare in Exeter

24 Alas De Frida’s Mexican Cuisine

18 New Hampshire Loves Bubble Tea

27 Celebrating Indonesian Culture

UPFRONT & PROFILES

ESSAYS & MORE

From the Publisher

Our Contributors

30 Diversity News from the Granite State News Collaborative

Upfront: Great Bay Community College and Little Indonesia

32 Essay: Restaurants Should Hire Those Living with Disabilities

Upfront: Colors of Change Murals

34 Essay: Understanding the Value of DEI

42 Calendar: Events That Make a Difference

36 Essay: DEI on the Ski Slopes

44 Shout Out: Honoring Will Arvelo’s Work

38 Essay: The Rejection of Affirmative Action

10 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 3

Rise

A MISSION ON THE

AY N

To illustrate the mission of 603 Diversity, Seacoast artist Richard Haynes has provided one of his recent designs to accompany our motto “Live Free and Rise.” We are selling T-shirts and other merchandise featuring Haynes’ design, or a design created by art student Chloe Paradis, to benefit the Manchester Chapter of the NAACP. Visit 603Diversity.com to buy one today.

A RT

RIC

Live Free and Rise

UNDERWRITERS ROCK! The 603 Diversity underwriters provide a significant financial foundation for our mission, enabling us to provide representation to diverse communities and for diverse writers and photographers, ensuring the quality of journalistic storytelling and underwriting BIPOC-owned and other diverse business advertising in the publication at a fraction of the typical cost. We’re grateful for our underwriters’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in this magazine, their businesses and their communities.

THANKS TO THE UNDERWRITERS OF THIS ISSUE FOR THEIR SUPPORT: 4 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Diversity Equity & Inclusion

Workplace Innovation Challenge Jan 23, 2024 to March 15, 2024

8-week online learning experience Understanding the circumstances and dynamics that create true diversity, equity, and inclusion is crucial to developing NH workplaces and communities that excel and thrive. Create supportive workplace cultures. Recognize patterns of exclusion or inclusion. Hear relevant stories and case studies. Lead beyond the organization by taking collective action. Understand the NH context and how to best support and amplify this work.

Presenting sponsor:

Learn more and register at nhbsr.org/DEI

Join our team to make a difference!

Compassionate, caring, and innovative employees are what makes this a great place to work!

At our core, we are caregivers who aspire to make our community a healthy and safe place for all who seek care from us, as well as for our staff. With our distinctive backgrounds, diverse races, ages, different sexual orientations, gender identities, and individual religious beliefs, we are dedicated to work together to care for everyone in our community. It is this mission that unites us as one.

ExeterCareers.com 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 5

OUR CONTRIBUTORS Joanna Kelley Joanna Kelley is the founder of Cup of Joe Cafe & Bar in Portsmouth. Joanna is passionate about nonprofit and advocacy work in the state. She is one of the founders of The New England BIPOC cultural festival and a serving board member for many organizations including: The Seacoast African American Cultural Center, Strawbery Banke Museum, 603 Forward Foundation and The Chase Children’s Home. Joanna also serves as the assistant mayor of Portsmouth. She is the first African American who was elected to Portsmouth City Council and the first African American assistant mayor in the state of New Hampshire.

Beth Santos Beth Santos has a background in international development, thoughtful community building and social enterprise. She set out to change the landscape of travel for women worldwide by creating the first iteration of Wanderful — a travel blog aimed to explore the diverse and shared experiences of women traveling the world. Today, Wanderful has exploded to an international community and social network with the active participation of over 40,000 women and gender-diverse people of all ages and backgrounds.

Alberto Ramos Alberto Ramos heads the recently formed Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access at Plymouth State University. He serves as the chief diversity officer and affirmative action officer. He has partnered with PSU Black and Latinx student unions, PSU Pride, the Multicultural Club, faculty and staff to form a council of principal advisors and launched a Student Leadership Program. Ramos holds an M.A. in teaching English as a second language, and a B.A. in communication studies and travel and tourism.

News reports and other journalism relevant to New Hampshire’s diverse communities is provided by a partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative, a collective of around 20 local media, education and community partners working together to produce and share news stories on the issues that most impact our state. The GSNC specializes in in-depth, investigative solutions and accountability reporting on the issues that impact Granite Staters most. 6 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Emily Reily joined Yankee Publishing as an assistant editor with New Hampshire Group in September 2023. Emily writes for 603 Diversity, New Hampshire Magazine, and other Yankee publications. Her work has appeared in various local and national newspapers including New York Times for Kids and Washington Post Magazine. A former newspaper photojournalist and current music critic, Emily lives in Dover.

Courtesy photos

Emily Reily

James McKim James McKim, who was involved in the original plannng of 603 Diversity and has written essays for past issues, serves as managing partner of Organizational Ignition. He is driven by an intense need to help organizations achieve their peak performance through the alignment of people, business processes and technology. He is recognized as a thought leader in organizational performance, the uses of neuroscience and program management.

Lisa Carter

Robert Ortiz

Lisa Carter is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for building brands. As the owner and chief engagement officer of Drinkwater Marketing and Productions, she works with small businesses and large enterprises to develop brand, digital and event marketing strategies to drive revenue. Prior to launching Drinkwater, she spent more than 20 years in the corporate sector building product and brand strategies for top Fortune 500 companies such as The Limited Corporation, Timberland Footwear and Staples Inc.

Primary photographer for 603 Diversity is Robert Ortiz of Robert Ortiz Photography. Ortiz began his photographic career at 15, and has chronicled everything from local weddings and events to the lives of the native peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. He lives in Rochester with his wife and son and 15-year-old daughter, Isabella, who is currently in training as his photo assistant.

Courtesy photos

Suzanne Laurent Raised in a diverse community in Boston, Massachusetts, Suzanne Laurent worked as a registered nurse for the Boston Head Start Program. She moved to Toronto, Ontario, in 1982, and unable to work as a nurse, Laurent pursued a career in photojournalism. She has been a resident of New Hampshire since 1987. She has an extensive award-winning background in journalism. She is also a juried photography member of the New Hampshire Art Association and a published poet.

Yasamin Safarzadeh Our events calendar was compiled by advocate, coordinator and educator Yasamin Safarzadeh, a native Angelino and current resident of Manchester. Safarzadeh hopes to secure a future for a more diverse young adult population in New Hampshire to ensure a more prosperous and effective future for all. DM her at phat_riot on Instagram. 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 7

UPFRONT

Two organizations with similar missions, Great Bay Community College and Indonesian Community Connect, have partnered together to increase access to educational and professional resources. From left: Tom Andruskevich, GBCC chief business affairs officer; Dr. Cheryl Lesser, GBCC president; Raude Raychel, ICC president and founder; Ivana Tuati, ICC Indonesia secretary; Miles Lius, ICC summer intern 2023 from UNH. (Photo courtesy of GBCC)

Opportunities and support Great Bay Community College and Little Indonesia Link Up n BY BETH SANTOS

wenty-six years ago, Raude Raychel watched her father develop Seacoast New Hampshire’s first Indonesian community. At first it started with just a handful of people gathering in their home for religious services. Over time, her father’s role as a pastor broadened to supporting a wide network of immigrants as they got settled, found jobs and made their home in New Hampshire. Today, the Seacoast is home to nearly 5,000 Indonesians, and Raychel is the founder and president of Indonesia Community Connect, an organization that provides support and resources to the local Indonesian community while also expanding awareness of Indonesian culture throughout New Hampshire and the United States. While many Indonesian community organizations focus on celebrating culture and creating awareness through food and events, ICC also focuses deeply on helping local Indonesians find work, opportu-

8 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

nities and support as New Hampshire residents. “Most of the other Indonesian organizations really just do festivals or bazaars, which is great. Food is a great thing,” Raychel says. “But for us it’s really about having that local impact, because we have community members that live here, and we want to make this place home. So we want to make sure that whatever the needs are in different sectors, we reach them.” That type of support includes interpretation services, workforce development and even assistance navigating U.S. procedures and systems. “There’s a huge gap of cultural difference — how the court system here runs, for instance, and how Indonesia is different,” Raychel says. By helping Indonesians navigate these systems, ICC is also educating the local community about how their systems are different, in hopes to foster more tolerance and understanding among locals. Helping people navigate new cultural systems is what brought ICC to form one of its most exciting projects yet: a partnership with Great Bay Community College, where ICC and GBCC will work together to help Indonesian community members access educational support and resources, including better understanding career options, advising on coursework, understanding education financing, and even translation and interpretation services. “We want the people to really grow in New Hampshire,” Raychel says. “And so that that idea of really connecting with Great Bay Community College is very important. The impact of it is going to be huge.” Cheryl Lesser, president of Great Bay Community College, said the partnership was “a matching of missions.” “When I first met Raude Raychel, we were kind of saying the same

thing. I obviously focused on the educational piece and she on the community,” Lesser says. “Our students are housing insecure, and they’re food insecure. They need all the same types of things (that ICC offers). So we really found this common ground, that a rising tide floats all boats.” While GBCC’s first priority is education, it’s also well connected across the entire Granite State. Great Bay hopes to use its vast network of partners to help ICC achieve its goals, whether helping them access funds for workforce development, or getting connected with social services. “For folks that want what I call a beautiful life, however they define it, part of that typically has to do with having some type of education, whether it’s training, a course, a degree or a certificate,” Lesser says. “That’s the beauty of being at a community college, because we’re so flexible. There’s a lot that we do. And with Great Bay being part of the system, we cover the whole state, we have resources for people everywhere.”

Raychel feels excited about creating a cultural connection to not just offer resources but help build trust and understanding among the Indonesian community. “This is highlighting a sense of place and sense of belonging, and also the sense of trust,” Raychel says. “It doesn’t come naturally within some of our community members to know the resources available to them — that there’s a school, maybe there’s training, workshops, classes, whatever. The very first step of that process is to bring the awareness. And usually when they know that there is a partner with ICC, there’s trust there.” For both organizations, this partnership is just the beginning of a New Hampshire they’d like to see more of. “My hope for New Hampshire in the future is that folks don’t have obstacles and barriers to what they need. A New Hampshire that’s really, really, really supporting everybody,” Lesser says. “This is a tough time. It’s nerve-wracking and concerning as

a community college president. “How can I best use my voice, and how best can Great Bay and the community college system in New Hampshire be part of the solution, and not be part of the barrier making? I’m really proud of the conversations around belonging (that we’re having at Great Bay), and that we’re finding our voice in all of this.” Raychel is convinced that the partnership works both ways — not just benefitting the local Indonesian community, but helping New Hampshire become a more diverse and equitable place across the state. “This doesn’t just specifically benefit Indonesian people. This is an added value for locals, for Somersworth, for the surrounding cities, for New Hampshire as a whole,” she says. “We’re making the world’s first little Indonesia; the world’s first destination (of its kind). That’s where the community lives, that’s where the community gathers.”

603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 9

UPFRONT

‘Colors of Change’ Student artists create murals at Manchester High School West

n BY YASAMIN SAFARZADEH / PHOTOS BY ESMELDY ANGELES

Manchester High School West Mural Project facilitator Amber Nicole Cannan and MyTurn Executive Director Allison Joseph; Sheila Vargas, a representative from The Nature Conservancy in Durham; Artist Richard Haynes; facilitators Zeynab Osman; Jane Bama; Artist Jozimar Matimano; Kimball Jenkins Executive Director Julianne Gadoury; and Kimball Jenkins Lead Curator and Programming Director Yasamin Safarzadeh gather for a group photo at Manchester High School West. Interns include: Judith Nsimire, Clemence Masambeta, Mars LaFond, Sabrina Andino, John Reyes, Jufe Karabundika, James Ogunsuyi, Camila Tavarez, Diago C. Jiminez, Ava Conlon, Sofia, Sofia K. Condodemetraky, Sylvan Dustan, Janet Rodolf and Yvette Howell. 10 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Janet Rodolf stands in front of her mural that includes native species to New Hampshire like the red salamander and an eastern oyster.

hen Manchester High School West (a.k.a. West High School) students and faculty returned to the classroom in Manchester this fall, they were greeted by several, vibrant murals that signify the need to nurture biodiversity in the Granite State and the world. Everywhere they looked around the main entrance were more than 2,000 square feet of murals that were created this summer by student interns with the MyTurn program and Kimball Jenkins in Concord. The murals were unveiled to the public on Aug. 17. “I feel very strongly about climate change, because the wildfires have heavily affected people I know because of the poor air quality. Since I’m a graduate of 2023, which is also the 100th year of West High School being opened, I decided to incorporate both elements into one piece,” reflects Janet Rosado, 17, about her piece. West High School student Sabrina Andino, 16, is also proud of what she created. “My painting shows a bird getting pushed out of

Diago Champagne Jimenez created this amazing mural of bugs up close on a birch tree at West High School.

the city to represent how birds are affected by pollution in urban areas.” Central High student Camila Tavarez, 17, wanted to share some beauty from her native land. “I painted flowers because it is tropical and exotic like where I come from, that being Puerto Rico.” Kimball Jenkins partnered with MyTurn to give several Manchester area teens summer internships to work on the murals. West High School holds so much history in its halls. It’s a labyrinth of murals, awards, recognitions and labors of love. When Kimball Jenkins, an art and community center in Concord, was invited into the school, it was important that they spend time with West High School faculty and students in order to truly understand how to execute their annual summer internship project in partnership with MyTurn — a youth and young adult wraparound services organization, which offers comprehensive career services and academic support. Reada Shehabeldin, an intern of My-

Turn Executive Director Allison Joseph, states that he enjoys working with MyTurn because “There’s no gatekeeping. Allison and Jocelyn are right here with us every day. It’s comfortable: the environment, the people, everything.” Oftentimes individuals referred to MyTurn include youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, those who are pregnant or have had children, people who are court involved, foster youth, and those with incarcerated parents. These partnership programs arose to center and amplify underrepresented voices. Richella Simard, a major facilitator in this internship, explains the program’s goal is to “create a space people want to come back to. These kids feel pressures from all over the place, product-based classes aren’t succeeding with our populations. We need our students to feel seen. Give them a reason to come back. When they trust you, they will want to be involved in the world you’re creating.” 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 11

UPFRONT

James Ogunsuyi shows off his second mural at West High School. The annual internship endeavors to teach participants to “engage in a curriculum that gives hands-on experience in project management, community development, budgeting, event management and the creation of a public artwork.” The breadth of this internship is so broad and immersive that both GearUp and The Nature Conservancy stepped up to help provide a more enriching program. Through these two organizations, Kimball Jenkins and MyTurn were able to take the 15 interns off-site to the University of New Hampshire’s Jackson Estuarine Laboratory. They were also able to sail a Portsmouth Gundalow to a nature preserve in the Great Bay Estuary and later visited the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. Within each of these seemingly disparate endeavors, a line was drawn encapsulating the theme of this year’s internship. How does rehabilitating riparian zones benefit our local biome? Why is art conservation important? And most importantly: How do you take these elements and make them into a painting? The first meeting was held at Manchester West High School’s cafeteria with artist 12 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

The joint fountain mural is one of the most impressive murals created at the school. Richard Haynes, Simard, lead faculty liaison, KJ, Sheila Vargas of The Nature Conservancy, and MyTurn. In this concept phase, it was hard to keep people at the table due to the fact that the courtyard shone through the windows like an irresistible canvas. Could the team partner with Manchester Grows, a local organization dedicated to providing fresh produce in our community, in order to rehabilitate the green space with pollinators, herbs and vegetables? How fantastic could the endeavor be if the team utilized pillars, fountains, garden beds and brick facades in order to take students outside of these walls and into the biomes of our local ecology? If you have a moment to attend one of the many after-school events Simard hosts at West High School, including Multicultural Fashion Shows, Pride, and Eid, take time to visit this courtyard. What you will see is a composition of 15 dedicated interns weaving their hopes, dreams and observations throughout this now-rehabilitated space. There are segments of poetry, local flora and fauna, multitudinous variations of insects, and even native oysters, all drawing

inspiration from the program’s off-site trips and lessons. The process to get these pieces finished was weeks of excavation into source material. The process included renderings, edits and re-renderings, preliminary drafts, final drafts, underdrawings beneath painted layers, mentorship from artists like Jozimar Matimano and Amber Nicole Cannan, and hours of negotiating students’ content and vision. At this summer’s reception, individuals from all sectors of the economy were present: mayors, aldermen, civil servants, engineers, musicians and, most importantly, the interns’ beaming faces. Sandra Almonte of Don Quijote’s Restaurant catered the event. The interns chose a string trio led by Nicholas So to play renditions of popular music. The event was vibrating with the energies of all the right stuff coming together at exactly the right time. When Janet Rosado and Yvette Howell spoke about the murals project, they noted it’s significance: “It’s funny to think that if we don’t act together to preserve and protect our environment now, these murals will be all that’s left of them in the future.”

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Chiwoniso wants to

Mac D

hiwoniso Kaitano is on a mission to elevate MacDowell, a bastion of artistic diversity, to the next level.

As the 10th executive director in the

aspiring artists know about everything

many cultures have created literature,

MacDowell has to offer and they continue

music, painting and sculptures on its 500-

to be a welcoming, all-inclusive place.

acre campus that includes 32 studios.

When the MacDowell Board of Directors

The African American writer James

Peterborough organization’s history, she

hired Kaitano in February, she believes

Baldwin is just one of many celebrated

believes she was made for this challenge.

they also affirmed a basic truth: “The

artists who once took up residence in this

“What we have done for over 100 years

world has changed, and staying relevant in

quiet, peaceful corner of New Hampshire.

has worked extremely well. What we need

a changed world is important for MacDow-

The James Baldwin Library on campus

to do is make sure we are an organization

ell’s future,” she adds.

honors his legacy.

that stays relevant and represents artists

Kaitano understands and appreciates

“It’s something I am really proud of with

well in 2023 and forward,” Kaitano says.

the fact that MacDowell has been way

MacDowell, that we have this in our DNA,”

At a time when New Hampshire is be-

ahead of the curve when it comes to

Kaitano says.

ginning to embrace diversity, Kaitano sees

promoting diversity. Since its founding in

a golden opportunity to make sure more

1908, artists from all over the world from

For more than 100 years, some 8,800 fellows working in seven disciplines have

14 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Kaitano lead

Dowell

to greater DEI n BY ROBERT COOK / PHOTO BY ROBERT ORTIZ

been honored with 99 Pulitzer Prizes, eight National Medals for the Arts, 33 National Book Awards, 34 MacArthur Fellowships, 122 Rome Prizes, 31 Tony Awards, and 868 Guggenheim Fellowships, according to the MacDowell website. In July, Alanis Obomsawin, 90, an Abenaki documentary filmmaker who is originally from New Hampshire, was honored with the prestigious Edward MacDowell Medal. She is the 63rd award recipient and the first woman filmmaker and the first Abenaki person to win the medal. In some ways, Kaitano sees this as an

example of where she wants to take MacDowell. But the overriding question she wants to answer is: “How do we go from good to great?” MacDowell already has a great legacy for its foundation, Kaitano says. Long before the murder of George Floyd in 2020 that sparked the nation’s drive for greater diversity, equity and inclusion, MacDowell had achieved this through the universal medium of art, she says. Edward MacDowell, a well-known composer, and Marian MacDowell, a pianist, bought a Peterborough farm in 1896 and enjoyed making music there, according to the center’s website. Before Edward died in 1908, he directed Marian to create a community where artists could work with their peers. “The Peterborough Idea,” as it came to be known, enjoyed great support from former President Grover Cleveland, Andrew Carnegie and J. Piermont Morgan. They created the fund to make Edward MacDowell’s vision a reality. Marian toured the country to further his mission until her death in 1956. Fast-forward to 2023, and Kaitano wants to do the same thing as Marian MacDowell. Her message is that MacDowell is open to all artists regardless of race, country of origin, physical or intellectual disabilities, gender or sexual orientation. MacDowell exudes global diversity in its artistic community. “We have had as many as 50 countries represented in our cohort of fellows,” Kaitano says. MacDowell has always extolled these virtues, but Kaitano believes finding ways to open up the campus to even more artists of different backgrounds will be the key to MacDowell’s future success. “We are coming out of a global pandemic and racial reckoning,” Kaitano says. “My part of the story is to reach out to artists who may not feel we are for them.” For MacDowell, the societal push to create greater DEI here in New Hampshire and elsewhere dovetails with what they have been doing for more than 100 years. “It is not a trend or fad. We embrace peo-

ple from everywhere in a way we always have done. It really is part of our ethos,” Kaitano says. “Art can play a role in bringing people together. It tells a story of beauty with a universal language,” Kaitano says. “Every culture on earth has visual arts, literature and music. The art of creation itself has always been the heart of our humanity.” The art that artists will continue to create at MacDowell and elsewhere will continue to improve people’s understanding of one another, and people realize they share more in common than they may realize, Kaitano says. Kaitano’s journey to become the first African woman to lead MacDowell is as rich and diverse as the path she wants to create for the artist community. She was born and raised in Zimbabwe and earned a law degree at the London School of Economics along with a master’s degree in international affairs at Columbia University. She has also served on several boards for nonprofit organizations in New York City that further the arts and their power to bring people together. Kaitano believes her background gives her the vision to see MacDowell’s future direction from many sides. She understands it requires a delicate balance between preserving its heritage and mapping a way forward to ensure its sustainability and viability for another 116 years. Kaitano is based in MacDowell’s New York City offices, where fundraising is a big part of her role. She lives in New York with her husband, Andy Sabl, their 12-year-old son and her 20-year-old stepson. Occasionally, she will travel to the Peterborough campus to meet with her colleagues and attend important events. When she does spend time in Peterborough, Kaitano would like to see the campus embody as much diversity as possible given where and how art is created in 2023 and beyond throughout the world. “We are in a period of change,” Kaitano says. “We need to make sure we are dynamic and that we are meeting the needs of artists everywhere.” 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 15

Diannely Antigua

PORTSMOUTH’S POET LAUREATE

Transforming a painful past into a poetic refuge of healing and understanding n BY SUZANNE LAURENT

iannely Antigua sits by a window at a table at the Book & Bar in downtown Portsmouth surrounded by notes for lesson planning in the University of New Hampshire’s MFA writing program, where she is the inaugural Nossrat Yassini Poet in Residence. The poised young woman is Portsmouth’s 13th Poet Laureate. Her voice is steady and impassioned as she talks about her traumatic past — quite hopeless at times. Ironically, an unexpected and fierce thunderstorm tore through Portsmouth while interviewing Antigua. According to Atlas Mythica, storms are symbols of creation, destruction and renewal. In art and literature, storms represent personal trauma and pain. Antigua is a Dominican American poet and educator, born and raised in Massachusetts. She currently resides in Portsmouth. Her debut collection, “Ugly Music” (YesYes Books, 2019), was the winner

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of the Pamet River Prize and a 2020 Whiting Award. “The poems in this first published collection are paradoxical,” Antigua says. “Even in the darkest times, there’s music.” As a survivor, Antigua said it’s important to share her story and potentially reach others and provide support. When Antigua was 3, her mother fled her abusive husband, and took Antigua and her siblings from shelter to shelter all across New England, even as far as Connecticut. She still recalls celebrating Christmas in a shelter that year, even at such a young age. “The person who helped us get away from my father became my stepfather, and he was just as bad, if not worse,” she recalls. “He and my mother married when I was 7, and he was in and out of my house until I was 18.” The family moved to Haverhill, Mass., and another layer to this story is that they began going to a Pentecostal church when Antigua was 9. “It was very strict, and there was more abuse to come,” she says. “It was very isolating and cult-like. That’s what abusers do — they isolate you from other people. We were told the outside world was going to chew us up.” Antigua said her stepfather found a church business card at a payphone, and they started attending that Sunday. “So, I have this trinity of abusive father figures,” she says. “Writing came to be so important to me. It gave me a refuge. I wanted to see a therapist when I was 16, but my family said, ‘No, the church was against it,’ and as for medication, ‘absolutely not.’” Antigua began journaling when she was 9 after her oldest sister gave her a journal. From there, she started to explore poetry and fiction. “I was 22 when I (finally) got the help I needed,” she says. “I was done with undergrad (University of Massachusetts Lowell) and didn’t even have school to keep me

grounded. I was a really good student, and that was the stability in my life.” During the three years after she graduated, Antigua was in and out of hospitals seeking treatment for multiple suicide attempts and episodes of self-harm. “I tried to figure myself out, digging through all the trauma,” she said. In 2015, Antigua began her MFA degree at New York University, spending a semester in Florence, Italy, in the fall of 2017. “At that point, my book, ‘Ugly Music,’

“Everything has been said but one last thing about faith: it’s seeing the shark flag and still jumping in. Or believing that a shell washed up on shore can hold all matter of good intention when placed on a bookshelf, looked at from time to time. It’s believing you will be dragged under by what’s closest to you, won’t even see it coming.” — “Everything’s Been Said” by Diannely Antigua was picked up by YesYes Books,” she says. “I had just gone through at breakup and wrote 25 ‘Sad Girl Sonnets,’ over the three months in Florence. Some of them will be in my next book, ‘Good Monster,’ which is being published by Copper Canyon Press, due to come out in 2024.” Antigua says her second book is also paradoxical. “The monster was born when I was born,” she says. “It’s part of me and a

culmination of anxiety and depression. There is this need that’s been unmet for a very long time.” She became the Portsmouth Poet Laureate in May 2022 and is the youngest person and first person of color to receive this recognition. “It’s difficult being the first of anything or being different, and it’s felt like a lot of responsibility to make changes to shake things up,” Antigua says. “Part of my work as Poet Laureate of Portsmouth is to do just that: bring poetry to the people, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, disability, education or socioeconomic status,” she says. “Too often poetry is categorized as an art form in which only the elite or the highly educated can access and decode. My goal is to demystify poetry, making it truly accessible to all in a way that nourishes the soul,” Antigua says. In 2023, Antigua was awarded an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship to launch The Bread & Poetry Project. As outlined on her website, The Bread & Poetry Project is a three-part approach harnessing this belief: Poetry, like bread, is essential and has the power to heal and actualize social reform. This project will seek to uplift the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program as it continues to build community through poetry; the Bread & Poetry Podcast with its goal to make poetry accessible to all through meaningful conversations that demystify poetry and provide listeners with tools and resources; and local organizations such as, but not limited to, HAVEN, that supports victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, as well as NH PANTHER with their mission to end racism and systemic biases. “Poems have brought me to all the right rooms where I have met the people who have empowered me to continue,” Antigua says. “Bread sustains life, and I believe poetry has the power to do the same.” (Editor’s note: To read more about Diannely Antigua, visit www.diannelyantigua.com.) 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 17

Bubble Up: NH Is Falling in Love with Exotic Asian Tea n BY EMILY REILY / PHOTOS BY ROBERT ORTIZ

UBBLE TEA’S POPULARITY IS BURSTING, NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOP OWNERS SAY.

“Tea is extremely important to the Asian community,” says Chris Hui, managing owner of Kung Fu Tea, at the Mall at Rockingham Park. Hui, whose parents immigrated to New York City from China in the ‘80s, started drinking bubble tea — little soft balls of tapioca known as “pearls,” “boba” or “bubbles,” usually served in a cup of milk tea — as a teen around 2005.

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“Tapioca pearls are sweet, black, chewy spheres that resemble bubbles,” Hui says. The beverage originated in Taiwan, and later arrived in Los Angeles and San Francisco. “Bubble tea was just as popular as Starbucks. It was a household drink that even my parents knew about,” Hui adds. Back then, a store called Quickly’s was the only place to get it.

“Their flavor selection was limited. All we really drank was the regular milk tea with boba. The tapioca pearls had a lot less flavor than today’s pearls,” Hui says. Still, the beverage was a blast to drink. “My friends and I would go every day and get a drink for around $4,” he says. “I remember, very fondly, us racing to finish the drinks so we can suck up the remaining pearls and shoot them out of the straws like a pea shooter at each other.” Bubble tea has grown up since then, evolving into more complex flavors, varieties and shapes. There’s boba Thai iced tea, taro boba,

Above: An assortment of teas created at MIU Café in Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester: Ocinawa Brown Tea, Butterfly Tea with a splash of milk and First Look Tea. Three teas from Kung Fu Tea at the Rockingham Park mall: Coco Cream Wow Tea with Boba, Fruity Flurry with Crystal Berry Tea with Boba and Taro Milk Green Tea with Boba.

Photo by Robert Ortiz

Photos by Robert Ortiz

made with the purple root vegetable, and grass jelly, made from Chinese mesona, a flowering plant in the mint family. “Bursting” or “popping” boba are sweet little juice-filled capsules that explode with flavor when you bite them. A jumbo straw allows the consumer enough room to drink the boba and milk tea at the same time. Michelle Doan, owner of MIU Cafe at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, found boba tea while living in Los Angeles. “It was love at first taste!” she writes in an email. Doan, who describes boba tea as “a

modern twist on classical traditional tea,” says the drink stretches boundaries. “Boba tea allows for the tea experience to be as colorful as one’s imagination,” says Doan, who wants to share her love of boba tea with others. “What makes it really special are the toppings that you can add to the tea to personalize it. It is super fun to experience the flavor explosion in every sip!” she says. Emmett Soldati of Somersworth, owner of Teatotaller — with locations in Concord, and soon, Dover — hopes to attract a wider audience of boba fans. Soldati, who describes boba as “little

gummies made of tapioca starch,” is planning a bubbly redesign for the Dover opening. “There’s a lot of color. Certainly, a lot of pink. We have some special, very fun, colorful furniture … there’s some exciting art and murals. It’s going to be a fun and challenging operation to transform it,” Soldati says. When Teatotaller created a hugely popular boba tea delivery service early in the pandemic, Soldati knew he had something. “Literally, Boba kept us afloat during COVID,” Soldati says. Soldati attributes its popularity to

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Left, top to bottom: Teatotaller’s Tai Ice Tea Boba, Taro Boba Ice Drink and Matcha Boba Ice Drink

Teatotaller owner Emmitt Soldati from Somersworth, NH, inside his shop in Concord.

boba’s eye-catching look, versatility and compatibility with countless flavors and beverages. “You get this nice sweet milky beverage with these gummies that absorb some of the sweetness and flavor of the tea. It’s very delicious. It’s sweet, and it’s got great flavors,” Soldati says. And the initial sip is a sight to see. “Their first reaction is like, ‘Whoa, what was that?’ But then they realize ‘oh, the gummy has a nice chew to it. And it’s sweet.’ People get really hooked,” Soldati says. Doan chooses her favorite boba on how she’s feeling. “If I’m in the mood for something refreshing, I would go for a super fruit tea like our ‘First Love’ made with lychee and rose. If I’m in the mood for something more decadent, I will have our ‘Okinawa Milk Tea’ — it’s a brown sugar oolong tea,” Doan says. Hui agrees bubble tea’s popularity can only go up. “With the recent boom of Asian pop culture (South Korean boy band BTS, Netflix hit “Squid Game,” anime), more of the younger generation are trying Asian things,” Hui says. Tea shop owners are also building on the pop culture aspect of the beverage. MIU Café offers drinks with tantalizing, fun names, like Okinawa Way (Okinawa oolong black milk tea), Matcha Love (matcha milk tea), and “super fruit” teas like Sweet Butterfly, Wintermelon, and Princess Peach. Signature drinks include Tiger Milk (brown sugar milk and flan), Mango Sago (mango slush, coconut sago, crystal boba), and Vietnamese coffees. Kung Fu Tea offers 70 mix-and-match drinks and 16 toppings, both traditional — herbal jelly, pudding and red bean — and nontraditional: Oreo crumbles, and milk cap, a creamy soft foam. The shop imports their honey boba and brown sugar boba from Taiwan to maintain a consistent size and flavor profile. Teatotaller partners with Lo’s Seafood in Portsmouth for their boba supply, which Lo’s gets from overseas. Teatotaller plans to keep customers on their toes with seasonal boba drinks like a Peeps marshmallow boba and a coffee-based pumpkin spice latte boba in the fall. Hui says they’re starting to see their hard work pay off. “Even though our store has only been open for a few months, we have seen an increase in repeat customers and influx of new ones,” Hui says. Doan says residents who grew up drinking boba tea can now relive the experience here. 20 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Michelle Doan, owner at MIU Café, sits inside her tea shop located at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester.

“There is a group in New Hampshire that is curious about the experience, and another group yearning for a place closer to home when the cravings kick in,” Doan says. MIU Café has only been open for about three months, but Doan is confident it will catch on, because tea is simply popular. “It is a casual and colorful take on a beverage that is synonymous with tradition and ceremonial practices,” Doan says. Soldati encourages more New Hampshire residents to give it a shot. “Its popularity even here in New Hampshire should serve as a testament that it is totally worth trying. We try to work with folks to meet them in the middle. We’ll make sure it’s a flavor that you like,” Soldati says. Once they try it, he says they’re often hooked. “We love when people try boba for the first time. It’s a fun experience to watch someone get excited by a new product that brings them a little joy and curiosity. I just encourage folks to give it a try,” Soldati says. Bubble tea newbies can then experiment with different flavor combinations. “Everything can be mixed and matched, but just because something can doesn’t mean it should,” Hui says. “There was a customer a while ago that ordered a Strawberry Lemonade with Oreo in it. But that is the beauty of boba. You can really have it any way that you would like.”

Top: Owner Christopher Hui from Lawrence, Mass., in front of Kung Fu Tea in The Mall at Rockingham Park. Middle: Tori Burgess from Derry, NH, enjoying her lunch with a Boba tea from Kung Fu Tea. Below: Tapioca Pearls Bubble Tea Set.

Photos by Robert Ortiz

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STANLEY ARNOLDO ORANTES AND JAIMIE LOPEZ BRING

Authentic Latin American Fare

TO EXETER

n BY EMILY REILY / PHOTOS BY ROBERT ORTIZ Chef Stanley Arnoldo Orantes creates his culinary magic in the kitchen at The Ambrose.

mbrose Restaurant executive chef and co-owner Stanley Arnoldo Orantes held out a selection of small, bright yellow-green, as-yet-unopened flower buds, each uniformly resembling an elegant diamond

Jaime Lopez is the business manager and a partner of The Ambrose at the Inn at the Bandstand in Exeter.

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shape. These aromatic, edible buds, which hold tiny white flower petals inside, have a scent that Orantes and co-owner struggled to accurately describe. That mystery is part of the concept of Ambrose, co-owner Jaime Lopez says. “Many of our dishes have that ethnic ingredient that is going to give them that ‘wow’ factor, that guests will enquire about,” Lopez says. Lopez and Orantes only met a couple of years ago, and both came to America through very different channels. Lopez, who was raised between the U.S. and Jalisco, Mexico, served for six years onboard a submarine in the U.S. Navy. After rounding the North Pole, Lopez ended his tour in Portsmouth and stayed here. Graduating with a business degree specializing in hospitality from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, Lopez got to work finding a compatible team for his future restaurant. Orantes, originally from El Salvador, had studied international marketing before moving to Boston about 10 years ago. The chef gained extensive experience in several facets of the fine dining and casual restaurant businesses, working at Ostra, Cultivar and Ecco. When their paths met through a mutual friend, they found that their visions aligned — they both wanted to open their own restaurant. “After many conversations, we thought maybe it’s worth giving it a shot. After much research, we decided on opening a tapas-style dining restaurant (in Ambrose),” Lopez says. “This is my passion,” Orantes says. For the building, Lopez and Orantes settled on Inn by the Bandstand, the 1809 mansion directly across from its iconic namesake in downtown Exeter. Besides containing Ambrose, the Inn by the Bandstand includes a boutique hotel that has been restored in a Federal style. Off the main entrance, fewer than a dozen tables sit cozily inside the main dining room, which has a fireplace. Opposite the dining room is a quiet sitting room for guests. Additional tables are out back on the new, flower-lined, three-season patio. Though it’s just steps from Exeter’s busy shops and coffee houses, the patio remains quiet, the downtown buzz replaced by a breeze and the sound of trickling water.

For Ambrose’s menu, Orantes gathers locally sourced ingredients from producers in Exeter and around New Hampshire. He also keeps the food at Ambrose as homemade as possible, with nearly everything made in-house. “We live in New England. We live in New Hampshire. We live in Exeter specifically. And we rely on local producers. That provides another element of freshness to the table,” Lopez says. But to incorporate those authentic ingredients from El Salvador and other parts of Latin America, Orantes often makes trips to the Latin markets in Boston. “In Massachusetts, you just have more ethnicities, more ethnic foods, more of everything, so it’s easier for us to get the ingredients we need there,” Lopez says. Orantes searches specifically for three ingredients, among them the loroco. Native to Central America, loroco is available from late spring to early fall and are known as Quilite to some indigenous groups. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever had in your life; it’s very different,” Lopez says. The blossoms are often used in pupusas, a cornflour-based flatbread or tortilla made in El Salvador and Honduras that is filled with meat, beans or cheese, chicharron (a pork preparation) or curdito — cabbage prepared with vinegar, salt and oregano. Sometimes served with beans and rice, the pupusa is El Salvador’s national dish. For Ambrose’s version of pupusa, Orantes uses the fragrant buds for the loroco de crema, which is served over risotto. The dish is presented in a covered pot. As the cover is lifted, the aromas are released

Top: An assortment of gourmet dishes can be found at the Ambrose Restaurant, from Pollo En Chicha (chicken made with an alcoholic drink) to Riguas (thin cakes of tender corn cooked in banana leaves) to Tuna Carppacio (thinly sliced tuna) and more. Bottom: The Ambrose is located inside the Inn at the Bandstand in Exeter. Photos by Robert Ortiz

for guests to experience. “It’s a strong, pleasant, dominant flavor in the dining room when you open the lid. That’s one of our most popular dishes, because it features an ethnic ingredient. The aromas come to the table in such a way that it’s like, ‘Wow, what is that?’” Lopez says. “I think this is the more representative tasting food in my country,” Orantes agrees. The other two ethnic ingredients Orantes sources in Boston to provide that “wow” factor include relajo — a spice mix with varying ingredients, including pumpkin and sesame seeds, bay leaves, chiles, cumin seeds, achiote — and panela, unrefined whole cane sugar found in Latin and Central America that is used to make dulce de panela, a versatile dish. “The dulce de panela is a very artisanal, unique product,” Orantes says. During celebrations, it’s served alongside torrejas, bread that’s prepared with egg white foam and cinnamon, similar to French toast. It’s also served with chilate, an artisanal drink made with cocoa, rice, cinnamon and sugar. The nonsweet flavor of the chilate balances out the sweetness of the cane

sugar and torrejas. Dulce de panela is used with yet another signature dish on their menu, “pollo en chicha.” In El Salvador, it’s made using rooster and is reserved for special occasions, but here it’s roast chicken. The menu rotates seasonally. Since opening in June 2021, Ambrose Restaurant has been very well received, Lopez and Orantes say. “We’re getting more and more popular. People are calling,” Lopez says. The restaurant’s patio space is also well liked. “During the summertime, many people don’t want to be indoors because they’re New Englanders, and they like to be outside,” Lopez says. “You hear the fountain. You hear other people having fun. It’s quite secluded.” 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 23

ALAS DE FRIDA OFFERS DEEPER DIVE INTO

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE n BY EMILY REILY / PHOTOS BY ROBERT ORTIZ

ince 2015, El Rincon Zacatecano, at 10 Lake Ave. in Manchester has been a hit for co-owners Mary and Isaac Sacramento of Bedford. But there was a little something missing. “My wife, Mary, always loves making margaritas, but El Rincon has a small bar. When Alas de Frida had a bigger bar, that’s when we knew the endless opportunities and memories would happen,” says Isaac Sacramento, the restaurant’s chef. Since opening in March, the couple have brought El Rincon’s lively atmosphere to Alas de Frida, and put a different spin on shared Mexican dishes. “We always love the idea of sharing our traditional dishes with others, especially our successful business with El Rincon. We want to expand more and create new dishes, especially having our good customers always supporting us,” Sacramento says. Before opening El Rincon, Sacramento worked at an Asian

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restaurant, gaining additional experience and skills needed to run his own restaurant. “El Rincon Zacatecano is the restaurant that started my passion for cooking traditional food. With Alas de Frida, we wanted to change the style of food but not lose the authentic taste.” Alas de Frida translates to “Frida’s wings” and is named after famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, whose image proudly adorns the brick walls of the restaurant at 931 Elm St. “I believe that we represent a different style. Our menu is different from other traditional Mexican restaurants,” Sacramento says. “My style of cooking is always fresh, making it special every day for customers.” Sacramento explains some of the subtle differences between their two restaurants. “In El Rincon, we have the most authentic food, such as pozole,

Left to right: Tacos De Birria and Pastor Trompito are two popular offerings at Alas De Frida (Wings of Frida). An interior photo of the restaurant and bar. Maricela Cortez, owner, stands next to the logo on the wall of her Manchester restaurant. Robert Ortiz/Photos

menudo, handmade gorditas, and of course tacos. I feel like it is a more family-style restaurant. At Alas de Frida, we include quinoa, and we have many vegan dishes, but we also serve authentic Mexican cuisine,” he says. Sacramento is originally from Puebla, Mexico, an area in the central part of the country known for its mole poblano (a thick, red sauce sometimes made with chili, fruit, nuts and chocolate). Mole has gained importance in Mexican culture and is often seen at birthday and wedding celebrations, holidays and parties. Other foods known to Puebla are chiles en nogada (poblano chilis stuffed with meats and spices topped with nogada, a walnut-based cream sauce), chalupas (fried tortillas made of masa dough served with shredded meat, chipotles and/or salsa), cemitas (a torta, or sandwich, that originated in Puebla), tamales,

and antojitos (street food including tacos, nachos, quesadillas, empanadas). Sacramento says other ingredients vital to Mexican cuisine include dried chilies, tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro and avocado. “That’s what makes our dishes very authentic and (ignites) our passion for cooking,” Sacramento says. Some authentic and traditional Mexican dishes on the menu include carnitas tacos (seasoned pork that’s shredded and pan-fried), rice and quinoa bowls, steak tacos. Quesadillas and huevos con chorizo (eggs with sausage) are among the offerings at lunch. A “trompito” sometimes translates to “spinning top,” but at Alas de Frida it’s just a different way to cook a meal. Their mini trompito tacos “al pastor” requires grilling skewered, seasoned and marinated pork vertically, a method similar to Lebanese shawarma. “I think they are one of the most famous street foods in Mexico, because they are cooked from a trompito with a piece of pineapple that gives a unique flavor to the pastor tacos,” Sacramento says. There’s also a large section of birria-centric dishes including, queso birria tacos and tacos de birria, which Sacramento says are essential to Mexican cuisine. Originating in Jalisco, birria is a barbecued Mexican dish of beef, herbs and spices that are slowly cooked to create a rich broth. “This fun food is the ultimate street food,” he says of birria. Appetizers include mini chimichangas that can be filled with chipotle chicken, shredded beef or chicken; fried calamari; chicken wings with house-made salsa of mango-pineapple-habanero, and queso fundido, a combination of melted, fresh cheeses with sausage, mushroom and peppers, plus flour tortillas. Main dishes at Alas de Frida include creamy poblano chicken enchiladas, carnitas en chile verde, steak soup and fajitas. Creating authentic Mexican food is dear to Sacramento, who counts his mom as one of his first teachers, in cooking and in life. “I enjoyed every morning seeing how she prepared each breakfast, the passion of how she used each product that was grown in our field,” says Sacramento through email. As with Alas de Frida, organic and fresh food was the mainstay at home. The family grew their own corn to make homemade tortillas for countless meals. “One of my favorite meals would be scrambled eggs with fresh salsa, refried beans and tortillas,” Sacramento says. To make the family’s guacamole and other dishes, she would often use avocado, tomato, cilantro, jalapenos, lime and an onion. “I enjoyed being in the kitchen with my mother and watching every single fresh ingredient being used, and to see how mixed ingredients give flavor to our food. It always grabbed my attention — the aspect of cooking and using the resources that gave us energy throughout the day,” adds Sacramento. “It will forever be part of my childhood memories,” he adds. 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 25

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS BEHIND IN PAYING MORTGAGE, PROPERTY TAXES, ASSOCIATION FEES, OR UTILITIES? The NH Homeowner Assistance Fund Program provides assistance to eligible NH residents who have been affected in any way by an increase in expenses or a reduction in income as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis. HomeHelpNH.org For program details and to apply.

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Valuing diversity and inclusion At NH Mutual Bancorp, diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of who we are. We value the diverse and unique individuals who live and work in our communities, embrace all differences and strive to create a culture where everyone is welcomed and valued. We are committed to dedicating our efforts; including leadership focus and investing our financial resources, to promote diversity, equality and inclusion across our work environment and within the communities we serve. Doing so, we believe, makes us a stronger, more successful and sustainable organization over the long-term.

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26 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

10 YEARS STRONG:

CELEBRATING

Indonesian

CULTURE IN NH

The 10th Annual Indonesian Festival on Sept. 16 featured plenty of traditional food, dance, music and crafts to strengthen the community connection between the city of Somersworth, the state of New Hampshire and Little Indonesia. The festival was moved from its original outside location downtown to inside Somersworth High School because of the rain and wind generated by the remnants of Hurricane Lee. The weather could not diminish the festival’s spirit of joy and togetherness that its sponsors and participants experienced during this 10-year milestone celebration. Photographer Robert Ortiz captured this event in this photo gallery. Selamat datang dan nikmatilah! (Welcome and enjoy!) >> — ROBERT COOK / PHOTOS BY ROBERT ORTIZ

1. Geubrina Rizky of Philadelphia parades with a 35-pound Indonesian carnival costume. 2. Statue of an Indonesian Hindu folklore character, for sale. 3. Members of the Indonesian dance group, “Modern Company,” of Philadelphia perform on stage. 4. Aisyah Ismael, Anna Miller and Susanna Miller, all of Laila’s Asian Kitchen of Somersworth, offer traditional foods at the festival. 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 27

5. Sinta Penyami Storms, a dance instructor with the Indonesian dance group “Modern Company” from Philadelphia, performs on stage at the festival. 6. Traditional Indonesian deity masks were offered for sale. 7. A large group of Indonesian people from Philadelphia traveled to Somersworth for the festival, which proudly marked its 10-year anniversary. 8. Ivana Tuati of Dover helped ICC President Raude Raychel prepare for the festival this year. She wears traditional garments from Indonesia. 9. A variety of traditional foods were offered, including egg noodles. 10. Raude Raychel of Dover, founder of the ICC festival, is originally from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. 11. A statue of Prince Yuristira, an Indonesian Hindu folklore character, for sale at the festival. 12. A performer dances wearing a Hindu god mask. 13. Sheila Leka and Capherine Tikara, both students from Massachusetts, volunteered their time as festival greeters.

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9 11

Photos by Robert Ortiz

603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 29

603 NEWS 603 Diversity: News Briefs A journalistic look at our state of diversity from the reporters at the Granite State News Collaborative.

Interim Strafford Co. sheriff hopes to rebuild morale, public trust Acting Strafford County Sheriff Chief Deputy Joseph McGivern is vowing to rebuild morale and trust after former Sheriff Mark Brave turned himself into authorities in August for several theft by deception charges. McGivern assumed the leadership role of the department after Brave agreed under pressure to step away. Brave is facing eight felony charges from the New Hampshire attorney general alleging he misused county money to fund trips, airfare, hotels and restaurants in connection with numerous extramarital affairs. This included travel with a woman who was working for the sheriff’s office. Brave, who was the first African American

ever to be elected Strafford County sheriff, turned himself in to the Attorney General’s Office on Aug. 17. He was charged with eight felonies: theft by deception for using about $19,000 in county funds by seeking reimbursement for personal expenses with false justifications, two counts of falsifying physical evidence and five counts of perjury for lying to a Stafford County grand jury, according to state Attorney General John Formella. Brave could face 31½ to 64 years in prison and fines of up to $32,000 if convicted on all counts, according to Formella. Brave has denied the allegations. — KAREN DANDURANT, FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT

Franklin restaurant targeted by white supremacists sues city over response

Abenaki Tribe pitches Claremont cultural center

The owner of a Franklin restaurant who became the subject of online harassment by white supremacists after she denounced a hate group last summer is suing city officials, including the mayor and police chief, alleging they violated her civil rights through a number of retaliatory actions. The lawsuit comes after more than a year of back-and-forth interactions between Miriam Kovacs, a Jewish resident of Franklin, and city officials that included a public rebuke of Kovacs by Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein. Last July, Kovacs used the Instagram page of her restaurant, Broken Spoon, to denounce a rally held by members of the hate group NSC-131 in Kittery, Maine. The restaurant was subsequently flooded with one-star online reviews as well as anti-Semitic threats. She alleges in her lawsuit that after she asked local police to investigate, the “government did not provide protection.” “Instead, it adopted a policy of retaliatory viewpoint discrimination against her,” her lawsuit alleges. Jo Brown, the mayor of Franklin, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but noted the city passed a resolution opposing hate in the wake of the initial incident. Franklin also established a citizens group that works on countering intolerance.

Members of an indigenous Native American tribe want to build a cultural center on 11 acres on Elm Street in Claremont. The center, proposed by the Ko’asek of Turtle Island, based in Alstead, would include a museum, library, archive and interpretive outdoor trails and exhibits, the application states. “We are just excited to get everything finished so we can just be open,” Ko’asek of Turtle Island Chief Paul Bunnell, of Alstead, said. “Our main goal is outreach into the community, to get rid of racism and to bring better unity between the races.” Bunnell said the overall goal is to teach others about the Abenaki tribe and its history. He said the tribe has about 550 members in 41 states and its original region includes northern New England, Nova Scotia and southern Quebec. The property at 252 Elm St., which the tribe purchased in 2020, is in the “multi-use health care district,” close to Valley Regional Hospital.

— TODD BOOKMAN NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO 30 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

— PATRICK O’GRADY, THE VALLEY NEWS

Merrimack High grad wins NHGMC 2023 Scholarship The New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus announced Sophia Desilets as its 2023 Scholarship Winner. The valedictorian of the Merrimack High School Class of 2023, Desilets is attending the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music to pursue a bachelor of fine arts in musical theater this fall. “While many of my hobbies make me happy, no hobby has ever compared to my love of theater,” Desilets said. “Performing makes me the happiest and is what makes me, me. Being onstage and the impact theater can have on people fills me with more joy than can be quantified.” Going into her junior year, Desilets volunteered at the Amherst Street Elementary School in Nashua, working with high-need students entering kindergarten and first grade. This past year, Desilets also volunteered as an assistant dance teacher at the Palace Theater in Manchester for 3- to 5-yearolds. She has also been performing at the same theater for the past six years. During her time at the Palace Theatre, Desilets has been in over 20 productions including “Legally Blonde,” “Little Women,” “Mamma Mia” and “Grease.” She has also been a member of the Palace Teen Company for four years, where she has participated in nine productions. Some of her favorite roles at the Palace Theatre included Velma Kelly in “Chicago,” Heather Chandler in “Heathers,” Margaret White in “Carrie,” Mary Poppins in “Mary Poppins,” and Sherrie in “Rock of Ages.” — NEW HAMPSHIRE GAY MEN’S CHORUS

Sophia Desilets, a Merrimack High School graduate, was awarded the 2023 New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus annual scholarship. (Courtesy photo/NHGMC)

Jaffrey firm donates 40,000 pounds of food to NH, Mass. food banks As part of its 125th anniversary celebration, Belletetes stores have collected 40,000 pounds of food to donate to New Hampshire and Massachusetts food banks. The majority of the donation headed to the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester in a convoy of Belletetes trucks. The Jaffrey-based company held a month-long food drive in August across all nine of its storefronts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts — including Jaffrey and Peterborough — in honor of Hunger Action Month, which is a nation-

wide awareness campaign in August that encourages individuals and businesses to act to fight hunger. Nancy Mellitt, director of development for the New Hampshire Food Bank, said the organization relies heavily on donations, and Belletetes’ donation was especially significant. “Food drives vary in size, but 40,000 pounds is a lot of food — that’s a huge food drive,” Mellitt said. The New Hampshire Food Bank is a program of Catholic Charities New Hamp-

shire, and is the state’s only food bank. In 2022, the food bank distributed more than 16 million pounds of food through food pantries, neighborhood centers, low-income housing sites, senior nutrition centers, family crisis centers, hospices, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and day care centers. Mellitt said the donation is the equivalent of approximately 33,333 meals, which will be distributed from the food bank’s central location to food pantries across the state. — ASHLEY SAARI, MONADNOCK LEDGER-TRANSCRIPT

These articles were adapted from stories shared by and with partners in The Granite State News Collaborative as part of our race and equity project. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org. 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 31

603 ESSAY

NH restaurants should give people with disabilities a chance

Photo by Robert Ortiz

A n BY JOANNA KELLEY

gether we would achieve success. My new employs a proud restaurant owner who is locatee had a good amount of experience in customer ed just a stone’s throw from Portsmouth’s Market Square, I understand what it takes to service and cafés. From the beginning, they made it clear to me that they did not want to be given make this happen. I also have a great deal of empaany special treatment from their co-workers. The thy for my employees and do my best to accommominimal accommodations they required were easy date them and support them at every turn. to arrange with myself and their co-workers, but I But nothing prepared me for a new hire situation that I encountered. The person in question definitely always wondered if I was doing enough. Some days, you’d never know. They are just like had all of the qualifications to work behind the counter and directly deal with our customers. There all of their other co-workers. But then some days their health issues take a front seat and, as a boss, was only one hitch: They were deaf. it’s my job to make sure that they feel comfortable I have worked in the restaurant industry sharing those moments. One of the most important throughout New Hampshire for 20 years now. I beaspects is that we, as a team, are understanding gan as a dishwasher, then host, waitress, bartendand are communicating in real time. er and now owner. It was the standard moving up For example, if a customer is wearing a mask, the chain in the restaurant world. In 2018, I was lucky enough to get into a position to own my own business, Cup of Joe Café and Bar. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this adventure would end in ownership. During these past five years, I never stopped being a cleaner, cashier, server, barista or bartender. Managing and owning a business in this industry comes with a whole how does my hearing-impaired employee want to host of new experiences and challenges. I also handle it? We came up with a plan where they simknow what it is like to lead the proverbial paycheck-to-paycheck life and work two jobs to make 1 ply nudge a co-worker to take over the register for a moment. They partially rely on reading lips, but ends meet. I pride myself on helping my employees we also want customers to feel safe and comfortstrike a healthy work-life balance if they have kids able, too. Sometimes we are required to educate in school or other needs. I thought I had seen it our customers because cafes are naturally loud all until I realized that I have never worked with places sometimes. When you add hearing-impaired anyone with a disability. issues into the mix, it is easy to see how things can As I considered the pros and cons of hiring this person, then I thought, why not? I knew the service get lost in translation. I made the necessary accommodations to make industry was behind the proverbial eight-ball for this work. I challenge all restauranteurs to ask some trends like vacation, health care, paid leave. themselves these questions: what accommodaBut as an able-bodied person, I didn’t think about tions, above the basics of the law, would you make? the fact that our industry does not do enough to help people with physical or intellectual disabilities How would you support your staffer? Can you prepare yourself so that if a future employee with land jobs. either a physical or intellectual disability comes in, I decided I was going to have to trust my new you will be ready? hire to help lead me through this process and to-

I challenge our industry to think about how we can expand our ability to be more inclusive and diverse to those with physical and intellectual disabilities, because our communities are that much stronger when all are invited to participate.

32 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

With the exception of the occasional hiccups experienced by all service industry workers, regardless of hearing ability, this employee is very successful. They thrive in a customer service setting where their charm and confidence are put to use in chatting up customers at the bar. Day to day, if you walked in, you wouldn’t know that they have any disability that would affect their job. They can often be heard telling customers about their art that is displayed throughout the café, making restaurant suggestions or teaching me, their boss, some American Sign Language. When one considers how many New Hampshire residents live with a physical or intellectual disability, it is obvious that businesses need to do more to help them so they can be woven into the fabric of their communities. According to a 2021 report issued by the Institute on Disabilities at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, more than 170,000, or 1 in 8, New Hampshire residents have a disability. The same report notes that New Hampshire’s employment rate for its disabled citizens is 45.3%, which is better than the national average of 38.9% or better than any of our New England neighbors. The institute and the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation are great resources for businesses that are willing to hire adults with disabilities. The diversity of any business only helps to elevate the services they can offer to their clients. I have employees fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, and now, I can proudly say American Sign Language. I challenge our industry to think about how we can expand our ability to be more inclusive and diverse to those with physical and intellectual disabilities, because our communities are that much stronger when all are invited to participate. 603

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603 ESSAY

Sharing the work: a better way forward

Courtesy photo

f an institution of higher education has made a commitment to advance diversity, equity and inclusion and wants to see those commitments survive the current political climate, then it must get buy-in from the top administrators, from the chief executive down, who would share the work and collaborate on those efforts. After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and the subsequent verbal and financial n BY ALBERTO RAMOS commitments to DEI made by higher education institutions across the country, I never could have imagined the amount of backlash DEI would be receiving in 2023. Nevertheless, the critics are growing louder, while proponents are harder to hear in the din. The biggest reason why institutions find themselves on the back foot is siloed DEI, which is when the only person focused on advancing DEI is the chief diversity officer. The majority of higher education institutions and leaders across the country made statements and investments in DEI in response to the murder of George Floyd. During this time, it almost felt like an expectation for every institution to make these statements and investments. This expectation could have come from pressure put on leaders to remain competitive and show that they cared and were committed to making our nation, and ultimately the world, a better place. Don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe that these programs represent an important step in helping minority students feel they belong, feel safe, have a voice and are empowered on campus, and for non-minority students to learn how to be more kind, accepting and respectful of people with different backgrounds before entering the workplace and society. But if we make policy decisions because we are pressured to do so, what will happen when the pressure comes from an opposing side with political capital? Will those statements continue when DEI is no longer popular, but rather under attack? What if by supporting DEI you risk losing necessary funding to keep your institution alive? Will financial investments made in DEI continue, even when budgets become tighter and tighter? Being a leader is a challenging task. You open yourself up to criticism and have to make difficult decisions that can impact an entire institution. But the role of a chief diversity officer is particularly challenging, especially in this day and age. You could lose your job at any time, not because you are ineffective but because you are too effective.

34 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

Not only do you constantly open yourself up to criticism, but you more than likely hold multiple marginalized identities and are criticized by those who do not. You have to defend the existence of your role, while defending who you are as a person. Your mere presence in meetings can be off-putting to some. Your role has become (or always has been) a political statement. So, what do we do? Do we simply throw in the towel and bend and mold to whatever we are asked to do? I’m convinced that there’s a better way: share the work. Sharing the work builds collaboration, transparency, trust and accountability. If the only person that can articulate the value of DEI is the chief diversity officer, you will be fighting a losing battle. However, if all leaders within an organization understand and are able to articulate the value of DEI, it’s much more likely to win support. When DEI is siloed, it becomes vulnerable.

If all leaders within an organization understand the value of DEI, it’s much more likely to win support. When we are questioned about DEI’s purpose and effectiveness, instead of becoming defensive, equipping other leaders (particularly the president) to effectively answer the question wins more supporters. I’ve seen this in my own institution. At Plymouth State University, our president consistently articulates the importance of DEI to various constituents who question the value, and it is well received, even by the most oppositional folks. More often than not, attacks on DEI stem from fear. Fear that we are wasting finite resources. Fear that one will have something to lose if another has something to gain. Fear that one will be accused of being a sexist, racist or homophobe. Fear that things will have to change. Instead of making people feel guilty for asking questions or getting defensive, Plymouth State’s president articulates the value with clear, concise and specific reasons that he believes in and supports. I believe most people have the capacity to change their perspective, and I’ve witnessed this over nine years working with various colleagues to support college students from all walks of life. And I believe the more we can work together to break down silos, our efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion will be more successful. When that happens, we will all benefit. 603

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603 ESSAY

Time is right for DEI to shape New Hampshire’s ski industry

Courtesy photo

n BY LISA CARTER

his spring I was invited to be a presenter at the annual Ski New Hampshire Annual Conference & Trade Show. I wanted my presentation to stay true to my mission in working with industry leaders in brand marketing. As a marketing professional, I wanted to explore factors that may be challenging ski tourism-related businesses in the state. As a person of color in the state, I was energized to highlight the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in fostering resilience and growth.

Ski tourism in New Hampshire: a vital economic driver New Hampshire’s picturesque landscapes and ski resorts have long made it a magnet for tourists seeking winter adventure and scenic beauty. The ski tourism industry plays a pivotal role in the state’s economy, providing jobs, revenue and fostering community development. Across the nation, and here in New Hampshire, marketing budgets traditionally associated with ski tourism have predominantly catered to white visitors. I found that there were two major shifts impacting the ski industry nationwide. First, a shift in weather patterns, which has produced shorter seasons in ski regions and has introduced greater unpredictability. Secondly, a demographic shift and the surge in interest in outdoor ski sports among racial and ethnic diverse populations.

The demographic shift There is a significant demographic shift taking place within the state’s population. According to recent statistics, the number of individuals identifying as members of racial and ethnic minority groups has experienced a remarkable surge. Since the 1990s, this number has grown by a staggering 74.4%, with minority residents now constituting 12.8% of the state’s population, up from 7.5% in 2010. The changing face of New Hampshire presents both challenges and opportunities for ski tourism-related businesses. Growing up in Philadelphia, I never had opportunities to embrace ski sports. Many children are first intro36 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

duced to ski sports through a parent, and neither of my parents were skiers. I found this trend to be a challenge in improving diversity in the visitors to New Hampshire ski resorts. As I became a parent in New Hampshire, I made sure that my children were introduced at an early age.

Takeaways from the conference At the conference, my presentation focused on DEI marketing and underscored the importance of recognizing and understanding the demographic shifts. “Our annual conference consists of educational programming for our members. We were excited to add a session to educate our members on opportunities for DEI initiatives. Our members recognize that our local ski tourism industry must adapt its strategies to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of the evolving visitor base,” says Jessyca Keeler, president of Ski New Hampshire. The DEI session at the conference was filled with

Beyond ethical considerations, there is a compelling business case for embracing DEI in the ski tourism industry. management teams and field marketing teams from both small nonprofits to larger corporate-run facilities. Session attendees were very interested to learn about how DEI principles can significantly impact the state’s crucial economic sector. I revealed many valuable insights to the attendees and highlighted the need for adaptability and innovation in the industry’s approach to attract and retain a diverse group of visitors.

Examples of DEI in action I was pleased to learn that several ski resorts and businesses in New Hampshire are actively implementing the following DEI initiatives: • Vail Resorts, owners of Crotched Mountain Ski Area, Wildcat Mountain Resort, Attitash Mountain Resort and Mount Sunapee Resort, is leading by example. The company has initiated internal discussions among its teams to define what DEI means to them at a local level. Additionally, they have undertaken outreach efforts to engage with Native American tribal groups

and LGBTQIA+ communities, emphasizing inclusivity. • Whaleback Mountain, in collaboration with organizations such as YES, Intertribal groups, and the Share Winter Foundation, also invites inner-city youth to experience skiing at their mountain. Their focus is on making skiing more affordable and accessible to a wider audience. • Cranmore Ski Resort, Ragged Mountain Resort, and McIntyre Ski Area have focused on recruiting diverse staff members to reflect the increased diversity of their customers. Cranmore Mountain is actively working with minority influencers to enhance inclusivity. • McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester enjoys a naturally diverse customer base. The resort further encourages this diversity by providing inner-city youth with lessons, rentals and other amenities, ensuring that skiing is

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accessible to all. • Pat’s Peak in Henniker has also held a Diversity on the Slopes event on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January to encourage members of New Hampshire’s diverse community to experience skiing.

The business case for DEI in ski tourism Beyond ethical considerations, there is a compelling business case for embracing DEI in the ski tourism industry. Diverse and inclusive businesses are better equipped to attract a broader customer base, tap into new markets and drive innovation. By offering products and services that cater to a diverse range of sizes, skin tones and gender expressions, ski resorts can ensure that all visitors feel valued and respected. By implementing DEI initiatives, ski tourism businesses can create welcoming and inclusive environments, making skiing accessible to a broader audience. By fostering an environment that is welcoming and inclusive to people from all backgrounds, ski resorts and related businesses can position themselves for sustainable growth. 603

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603 ESSAY

Equality, equity or justice for all? THE U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING REJECTING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS WILL SHAPE POLICY

I Courtesy photo

t has been several months since U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions programs are unlawful. The 6-3 decision in the case of Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard will undoubtedly shape the future of affirmative action policies and have significant implications for society as a whole.

Background on affirmative action n BY JAMES MCKIM

Top colleges know that their admissions process is a significant force shaping the nation’s governing class. It knows, now more than ever, that the people it admits are likely to exercise real power in the United States. Look at the Supreme Court, Congress, the New York Times, and other organs of American government, both official and unofficial. In a democracy, representation is an essential principle. If Harvard, Yale and Princeton are curating our elite, then it makes perfect sense — for reasons of political stability and fairness — to make sure that people of all races are well represented in those classes. This is a consideration that is perennial in government and in life — it is why English kings once contemplated giving out peerages to loads of Labour members and Catholics, to balance an overly Tory and Protestant body. Affirmative action is a policy that aims to address historical and ongoing disparities by providing preferential treatment to individuals from marginalized groups in areas such as employment, education and business contracts. In the context of higher education admissions, affirmative action seeks to promote diversity and create a level playing field for underrepresented students, particularly those from racial and ethnic minorities. However, this policy has long been a subject of legal challenges, with critics arguing that it amounts to reverse discrimination and violates

the principle of equal protection under the law. Here in New Hampshire, affirmative action is, debatably, already considered illegal because of the Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education Act described in Section 354-A of the New Hampshire Statutes. Debatably because some say this act is at odds with the Article 2 of the New Hampshire Constitution Bill of Rights, which reads, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state on account of race, creed, color, sex or national origin.” In fact, there is a case currently pending (1:21-cv-01077-PB) in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire on this very issue. Similar legislation has been passed on other states with similar challenges.

Here in New Hampshire, Affirmative Action is, debatably, already considered illegal because of the Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education Act.

38 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

The case: a closer look The Supreme Court’s majority opinion, which all six conservative justices joined, stated that the court has “permitted race-based admissions only within the confines of narrow restrictions. University programs must comply with strict scrutiny, they may never use race as a stereotype or negative, and — at some point — they must end.” This accepts the argument that affirmative action policies perpetuate discrimination by providing preferential treatment based on race and that such policies undermine the principles of meritocracy and equal opportunity, potentially disadvantaging qualified applicants who do not belong to underrepresented groups.

Interpretations The ruling has been met with mixed reactions. Some people outside the Supreme Court believe this is a step forward for the country, a cessation of racial discrimination against white people. Others believe that it is a step backward, that it ignores the fact that minority students who were being admitted were qualified to be admitted in the first place. They believe it is an endorsement of preferential treatment based on race that will discourage people of color from applying to college, leading to a widening of the wealth gap that already exists with the average wealth of a white family being 10 times that of the average Black family. NAACP General Counsel Janette McCarthy Wallace said the decision “ignored fundamental civil rights guaranteed by our Constitution and years of judicial

precedent to advance a politically partisan agenda.” Many question whether the ruling calls for: equal treatment? Equitable treatment? Justice for some? Justice for all?

Implications and ways forward The ruling leaves room for interpretation and potentially sets a precedent for future challenges to affirmative action policies. Yet, the court did affirm the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions policies recognizing the role of universities in creating diverse learning environments that benefit all students. In doing so, it reinforced the importance of narrowly tailored approaches that consider alternative race-neutral methods before resorting to race-conscious considerations. Critics of the Supreme Court decision argue that race should not be a factor in admissions decisions and that alternative approaches — such as socioeconomic

factors or geographic diversity — should be prioritized. Following this approach, academic institutions (and all organizations) can implement race-conscious policies that withstand strict scrutiny while addressing historical and ongoing disparities.

Conclusion But the ruling does raise some interesting questions. Was the ruling inevitable? When should affirmative action stop? Who gets to say when it should stop? How should it stop? To answer these questions, we need a national discussion of reparations. Only then will we come to a common understanding of how to navigate the path toward greater equality and inclusivity, finding the delicate balance between diversity and equal opportunity that remains a complex and pressing task. 603

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603 HAPPENINGS

Events

THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

To submit multicultural or changemaker events for the next issue, send them to editors@603diversity.com. COMPILED BY YASAMIN SAFARZADEH / COURTESY PHOTOS

DECEMBER 2

Manchester Holiday Parade The Queen City’s annual holiday parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2 to usher in the holiday season. The Memorial, West and Central high school marching bands will perform and The National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 44 will be on hand to collect letters to Santa. The Palace Theatre, the Manchester Fire Department and the Manchester Police Department, UNH Manchester, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Manchester Transit Authority, and many other local businesses will be part of the festivities before Santa Claus arrives in style.

DECEMBER 2

Akwaaba Ensemble Traditional African Drum and Dance Ensemble

DECEMBER 2

Santa Claus Shuffle Leading up to the Queen City’s annual holiday parade is none other than the Santa Claus Shuffle. The 3-mile course allows thousands of runners, joggers and walkers to go from Veterans Park and up and down Elm Street back to the park. The first 1,400 participants will receive a Santa suit. Along the route, people will enjoy samples of Santa’s four favorite food groups: milk and cookies, maple, chocolate and candy. At 2:30 p.m., the Stonyfield Organic Lil’ Elf Run for young children spans 100 yards. The Millennial Running event benefits Safe Sports Network, a nonprofit dedicated to youth sports safety. Veterans Park, Manchester, millennialrunning.com 42 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

On the same day as the Manchester Holiday Parade, the Akwaaba Ensemble Traditional African Drum and Dance Ensemble will perform a concert inside the Rex Theatre from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Come in the cold and celebrate the holidays with this electrifying performance of African music and culture. Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester palacetheatre.org

DECEMBER 9

Boston Pops Holiday Concert

New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus 26th Annual Holiday Concert Series “Holly Jolly Folly” will rock the house courtesy of the New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus’ 26th Annual Holiday Concert Series. The NHGMC has scheduled four performances in southern New Hampshire: Nashua, Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church; Stratham, Sunday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. at the Stratham Community Church; Manchester, Sunday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. at Derryfield School; and Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. at a location to be determined. NHGMC.com

Capturing the magic of the Holiday season and the winter charms of New England, the Boston Pops will perform their signature “Sleigh Ride,” as well as other holiday classics, and new arrangements of seasonal favorites. They are joined by the Metropolitan Chorale, known as one of Metro Boston’s premier choral ensembles. Santa Claus will make a guest appearance during the concert’s finale followed by the traditional Boston Pops holiday singalong to bring this special performance to a close. 7:30 p.m. SNUH Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, snhuarena.com

DECEMBER 31

Ring in 2024 at First Night Portsmouth The streets of Portsmouth will be filled with New Year’s Eve revelers who will be able to enjoy ice sculptures in Market Square, musical performances and fireworks over the South Mill Pond. Visit Proportsmouth.org to purchase First Night buttons and review parking information about the city.

JANUARY 15, 2024

Celebrate Diversity Day on the Slopes Diversity Day at Pat’s Peak in Henniker celebrates the work, spirit and vision of Martin Luther King by hosting a special winter fun event at the Peak. This winter fun event commemorates the importance of diversity, nondiscrimination and

freedom. We want to make the message loud and clear that the opportunity to come to the slopes of New Hampshire is not decided by a person’s ethnicity, social or economic background. POP (pay-one-price) tickets include all-mountain lift ticket from 1 to 9 p.m., rental equipment, snow tubing ticket, 5 to 9 p.m. All snow tubers must be at least 5 years of age and over 44” in height. Patspeak.com

603Diversity.com | Winter 2023 43

Courtesy photo

603 SHOUT OUT

EASTERN BANK RECOGNIZES

Will Arvelo’s work TO HELP NH’S HOMELESS

Pictured above from left are Rahn Dorsey, chief impact officer, Eastern Bank Foundation; Quincy Miller, president, Eastern Bank; Will Arvelo, executive director, Cross Roads House; Nancy Stager, president and CEO, Eastern Bank Foundation; Bob Rivers, CEO and chair, Eastern Bank.

n BY BETH SANTOS

or Will Arvelo, who was homeless in the 1980s, finding both short- and long-term solutions to homelessness and poverty is critical. The executive director of Cross Roads House in Portsmouth was recently recognized by Eastern Bank, which each year honors a cohort of passionate nonprofit leaders and organizations for their commitment and dedication to their work. Cross Roads House provides emergency and transitional shelter to homeless men, women and children in the Seacoast Area. But it also goes beyond that, meeting with developers and advocating for affordable housing throughout the Seacoast. “I understand what it’s like to be homeless, and it freezes you from kind of making progress with your own life and thriving,” Arvelo says. “If you don’t have a roof over your head, and if you don’t have food, and you don’t have a support system,

44 603Diversity.com | Winter 2023

then all of that can stop you from having the life that you should be having — a successful life, whatever that means to you.” While Arvelo advocates for systems that thoughtfully include a wide diversity of people across income levels, he has a clear vision for the New Hampshire that he wants to see. “I believe that a well-balanced community means a community that makes space for every one of us, regardless of socioeconomic status,” he says. “In the Seacoast, we’ve got to work on the housing, because we can’t retain our workers or attract new workers if we have no affordable housing for them. “If (we) have these balanced communities, we have to really be open to building different kinds of housing that will allow different kinds of people to live in our communities,” Arvelo says. “Otherwise, we become stale. We need a way to change as a community and as a state.” 603