MBK Local Summit, May 19, 2016

summit

Members of the Nashua Community Conversation of Race and Justice with Michael Smith, Special Assistant to the President; Mayor Jim Donchess, City of Nashua; and Sister Paula Buley, President of Rivier University.

My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge Summit
May 19, 2016

On Thursday, May 19, 2016, over 70 community members from non-profits, governmental entities and private industry met at the Dion Reception Center at Rivier University to discuss Nashua’s strategic plan in response to the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge from the White House.

Sister Paula Buley, President of Rivier University, Jim Donchess, Mayor of Nashua, and Andrew Lavoie, Nashua Chief of Police, all gave opening remarks.  Special guest Michael Smith, Special Assistant to the President for My Brother’s Keeper, spoke of the ways in which the program has been implemented in communities across our country and of the road we have left to travel to ensure all young men of color are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

A panel of first generation college students including the Hon. Linda Gathright, Sharon Rowlett-Moore, Manny Espitia, Gloria Timmons and Officer Chris Toomey shared their personal and heartfelt experiences about people that encouraged them and impacted their lives.

View Summit Agenda

Focus Groups

Three focus groups, led by facilitators from the Nashua Community Conversation on Race & Justice group, engaged in discussion on three initiatives under the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge: early childhood education, reading and computing at grade level by grade three and preventing youth violence.  The summit concluded with a discussion on how the focus groups will create a pathway toward a community action plan.

Focus Group Notes