Influential & Phenomenal Women of New Hampshire

First Edition – 2014

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A collaborative project by: Nadine Abraham Thompson, MSW & The Honorable Jacquelyne K. Weatherspoon, MPA

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Harriet E. Wilson 1ST FEMALE AFRICAN-AMERICAN NOVELIST March 15, 1825 –June 28, 1900 Place of birth: Milford, New Hampshire In 1859 Wilson wrote the autobiographical novel Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black.

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ARTS & HUMANITIES

Carmen Buford-Paige, Ph.D. | 10

Dolores Kendrick | 12

Natalie St. Cyr | 14

CIVIC DUTIES & POLITICS

Inez Bishop | 18

Jacqueline Davis | 20

Joanne Dowdell | 22

The Honorable Linda Gathright | 24

Catherine “CeCe” Hackett | 26

Florine Hilson | 28

The Honorable Melanie Levesque | 30

The Honorable Jacquelyne K. Weatherspoon, MPA | 32

BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURS

Rachel Kraft | 36

Kaye Long | 37

Marsha Murdaugh | 38

Tracey Turner | 40

Nadine A. Thompson, MSW | 42

E D U C AT I O N & S C H O L A R S

Jerri Anne Boggis | 46

Claire Clarke | 48

Valerie Cunningham | 50

Dr. Helen Giles-Gee | 52

Jada Hebra | 54

H E A LT H , S C I E N C E S & M E D I C I N E

Bobbie Bagley | 58

Lillie Bynum | 60

Sandra Hicks | 62

Dr. Marie Metoyer | 64

RELIGION & SOCIAL WORK

Brenda Lett | 68

Reverend Linda Diane Long | 70

Reverend Dr. Bertha A. Perkins | 72

Claudette Williams, MSW | 74

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Please enjoy reading about the lives of a few

INTRODUCTION

Influential and Phenomenal Women of New Hampshire.

Of the many definitions and even in a classical poem, Phenomenal Women by Ms. Maya Angelou; we see a strong confident women, who moves through her world enjoying being a woman, she doesn’t just happen to be a woman, she celebrates who she is, but it also means she is confident, she is smart, self-assured, determined, they are mothers, sisters, daughters. She is a prayer, she meditates, she breathes, she laughs and is a great listener.

Among the many definitions of influential, “is to shape ones world or the course of events”. Many events in the small state of New Hampshire have caused them to participate in shaping the discourse to make it a better state for all.

The Influential and Phenomenal Women featured here have done just that, they are less than 1% of the population of New Hampshire which experiences one of the shortest summer seasons in the United States. Each of them have shaped their communities for the good, to fill a niche of those with the least, whether it is around health, education, business and spirituality, they have 4

should such strength and fortitude, to work with and as lawmakers to shape policies throughout the State. They have headed a university, Deans of School, served as the first African American Woman firefighter, business owner in fact one is among the top direct sales company owners in the US, she is called the black Mary Kay of the US. They have joined hands with our elected officials, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, US Senator Kelly Ayotte, US Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter, US Congresswoman Annie Kuster and Governor Maggie Hassan.

These Influential and Phenomenal Women deserve to be a part of the written record of New Hampshire and to be sure many more will be added. I know this is true; I work part-time in the largest high school library in the world, Phillips Exeter Academy Library.

From all of us who have partnered with the featured women to make New Hampshire a better place for all, we thank you it is a partnership with strong bonds because we are all influential and phenomenal women, do you know you are?

THE HONORABLE Jacquelyne “Jackie� K. Weatherspoon, MPA Former Member New Hampshire House of Representatives CEO/Founder, Decisions in Democracy International 5

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ARTS & HUMANITIES

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Carmen Buford-Paige, Ph.D. Carmen Buford-Paige, Ph.D., is a resident of Dover, NH. She is Co-Owner, with her daughter, Virginia Towler, J.D., of Paper Pushers Resume Drafting Service (Affordable-Resumes.com), which has been in business since 2002. A member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating, the company also writes grants, business plans, feasibility studies, and nominations letters. Dr. Buford-Paige also edits non-fiction articles, including those for academic juried journals. She is retired from the University of New Hampshire, where she served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs, senior administrator for 9 departments, taught in Women’s Studies and English, and created the Minor in Race, Culture, and Power. A seasoned grant writer, she also wrote the first FIPSE grant received by the University, on alcohol and drug abuse in institutions of higher education, subsequently writing and receiving a similar grant for the New England Consortium of Land Grant Universities. She was also a member of the UNH Commission on the Status of Women and the New Hampshire Civil Rights Council.

A native of Los Angeles, California, she had previously served as an administrator and grant writer at Compton Community College. At California State University, Dominguez Hills, she was Chair of African American Studies, taught a course in the discipline and in Computer Science, served as senior administrator for 3 departments, created one of the first Women’s Centers in the California State University System, and also taught piano and organ, both at the University and privately. She also wrote one of the first Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs in the System.

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Since her retirement, she has become a volunteer for political, environmental, community, and social action organizations. A classically trained pianist, she has been Music Director of the Durham Unitarian Universalist Fellowship since the 19990s. She began her piano studies at the age of 4, studied piano at the University of Southern California from the age of 12, and studied piano at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Civilizations and Music, cum laude, from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and her PhD in Higher Education Administration from UCLA. She is a devoted mother of 6, grandmother of 8, and great-grandmother. She likes to read, knit, garden, and is a bridge fanatic.

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Dolores Kendrick

A native of Washington, D.C., Dolores Kendrick was appointed Poet Laureate

of the District of Columbia in 1999. Kendrick is the second person honored with this title, following Sterling Brown’s 1984 appointment.

Dolores, daughter of Josephine and Ike Kendrick (founder of The Capital Spotlight newspaper), is the author of the 1989 award-winning poetry book, The Women of Plums: Poems in the Voices of Slave Women. In 1996, a CD of music inspired by the book was released, and Dolores subsequently adapted it for theatrical performance in Cleveland, and at the Kennedy Center. The theatrical adaptation of the book won the New York New Playwrights Award in 1997.

In the 1990s she was invited by the People’s Republic of China to teach the works of James Baldwin, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and her own work at the Shanghai School of Foreign Languages. Dolores’ other books are Through the Ceiling, Now Is the Thing to Praise and Why the Woman is Singing on the Corner: A Verse Narrative. The Library of Congress has recorded her poetry for its Contemporary Poets series. Her CD, The Color of Dusk, in collaboration with composer Wall Matthews and vocalist Aleta Greene, won rave reviews from music critics nationally.

Dolores’ rich poetic contributions to local and national publications have earned her numerous awards and honors, including a National Endowment for the Arts Award, the George Kent Award for Literature, the prestigious Anisfield-Wolf Award. She has also received two Yaddo Fellowships and a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship. She was the first Vira I. Heinz Professor Emerita at Phillips Exeter Academy. Chicago State University has inducted her into the International Literary Hall of Fame for writers of African-American descent, an honor sponsored by the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing.

Her book Why the Woman is Singing on the Corner was selected by poet and critic Grace Cavalieri as one of the five best books of poetry in 2001. She was one of the selected poets invited to the National Book Festival, sponsored by Laura Bush, celebrated at the White House and the Library of Congress in September 2001. In July of 2002 she received a special Fulbright Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Education and Literature. On September 11, 2002 her work was celebrated on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.

In May of 2004, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters degree upon

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giving the commencement address at St. Bonaventure University at Bonaventure, NY. Dolores was also one of the original designers and teachers at the School Without Walls, a high school in Washington, DC. She was commissioned to write a poem that was placed on Epoch, a sculpture

by Albert Paley in downtown Washington at the PEPCO building. In 2004, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority commissioned her to write two poems for Journeys, a sculpture by Barbara Grygutis for the New York Avenue Metro station.

In 2012, Dolores was commissioned by Renato Miracco, Cultural Attache’ of the Italian Embassy, to work on a project dealing with contemporary Italian poets and photography. This included a poem by she wrote about Rome. She operates out of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities where she runs a series of poetry programs for secondary school students and established an awards program at the high school level for emerging poets. She also offers readings to senior citizens organizations and homeless community centers. In addition, she leads an ongoing initiative to bring poetry into the workplace.

WORKS Through the Ceiling Paul Breman Limited, 1975

Now Is the Thing to Praise Lotus Press, 1984, ISBN 978-0-916418-54-0

The Women of Plums: Poems in the Voices of Slave Women Phillips Exeter Academy Press, 1990, ISBN 978-0-939618-08-8

Why the woman is singing on the corner: a verse narrative Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2001, ISBN 978-1-931807-00-5

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Natalie St. Cyr Natalie St. Cyr is a Manchester, NH native and resident. In 2006, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy as a Cum Laude Graduate from Plymouth State University under the studio of Janice Edwards. Along with this, she minored in Theatre during her time there under the direction of Elizabeth Cox. Natalie taught general music for the Manchester School District during the 2007-08 school year. She was crowned Miss New Hampshire 2008 as Natalie Shaw and competed in the 2009 Miss America competition. She has been awarded various honors for her singing including the 2007 Patricia Musk Talent Award, and the 2008 Miss New Hampshire Preliminary, Over-All Talent, and Private Interview Awards. She was also awarded the nonfinalist talent award at the state level in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Natalie was also a semi-finalist in the 2007 Boston N.A.T.’s Classical Singing Competition.

She began graduate work in Music Education at Louisiana State University in 2009 studying voice under Dennis Jesse. In September 2013 Natalie completed her Masters of Music from the Boston University’s Music Education Program. Natalie has worked as a religious soloist for the past ten years and is a church soloist for the First Church of Christ Scientist in Derry, NH. She has taught private voice since 2006 and is currently teaching voice lessons at Ted Herbert’s Music School in Manchester, NH. She specializes in Music Theater and Classical singing and welcomes singers of all ages to her studio. She has been married to Robert St. Cyr since 2009 and is now the proud mother of a nine month old son named George.

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CIVIC DUTIES & POLITICS

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Inez Bishop Inez Glenn Bishop was born in the rural northern Florida community of Lloyd in 1927. From as early as she can remember, she has been an outspoken person who always believed in speaking up for those who could not speak up for themselves. She met and married Frank Bishop in Mobile, AL in 1943. They moved north to Manchester, NH following her mother, Bertha Evans, and brother-in-law in early 1947 looking for work. It was then that she realized her skin color made some kind of difference and she suddenly felt like a second class citizen. She and her family initially found it difficult to find a place to live as not many people were willing to rent to “blacks”.

Her first job was in a company that made electrical components. She started as shop floor girl working on an assembly line. Though she was the most productive worker on her shift, the job of floor supervisor was given to another woman. When productivity suffered, she was asked to take over the job. She worked the second shift where she and her team were able to meet and surpass all their quotas. “I knew which girls worked well together so I paired people up. I also knew which girls worked quickly, so I gave them less complicated work on the line to increase our productivity.” Under her leadership, she and her team set the pace for the company.

While Inez worked hard and was able to motivate her colleagues to do the same, she earned less than her “white” co- workers, and all women earned even less than the men. She was nominated to take the concerns of the women to the company bosses. She admits that she did not know what she wanted to say initially but as she began to speak, she simply challenged them, “We are a simple group of women trying to raise our families and make an honest living, you bring all these lawyers to speak to us with all your fancy words, where is your integrity? We want equal pay for equal work.” The outcome of that meeting sparked real change within the company and Inez went on to become the union president in her work place.

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Her determination to speak up for what was right and fair for herself and her co-workers, is what set her apart. She is still remembered among her former fellow workers as the one who helped women at her workplace get their first significant pay raise.

Apart from her activism at her workplace, she was also busy in her community and church. She was at the meetings that lead to the birth of the Manchester chapter of the NAACP. She later served as President of the local chapter. In the early 1970s she and other leading Africa American community leaders in Manchester founded the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Fund; a fund that was intended to offer scholastic financial assistance to African American students who qualified in the Granite state. The fund lives on today and is now open to all students who meet the criteria regardless of their race.

Since coming to Manchester, Inez Bishop has been a leader in the community, working with anyone for the greater good of everyone.

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Jacqueline H. Davis Jacqueline H. Davis has been a member of the Auburn/Manchester, New Hampshire community since 1977. Born and educated in Washington, DC, Jacqueline lived in New York and Massachusetts before settling in New Hampshire with her husband William E. Davis, Sr., and their three sons; William, Jr., Victor and Brian.

In addition to working for the Federal Government as an administrator for the departments of State, Air Force, Transportation and Housing Urban Development for 48 years and helping to raise three sons, Jacqueline has been an activist throughout many aspects of the Auburn/Manchester community including Church, Social Justice, Political, Education, Arts and Philanthropy. All aspects combined in to a commitment to faith and service throughout her community, specifically in the areas of racial and women’s equality and empowerment. Jacqueline frequently quotes Mary McLeod Bethune; “Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service.

Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible”.

She has been involved with the YWCA since adolescence and has been Chair and member of the Manchester Board of Directors. She has been a delegate to the YWCA World Conference in Kenya and Switzerland as well as a member of the YWCA World Service Council Board. While focused on expanding educational and self-help programs for young women in Manchester, Jacqueline’s tenure as President of the Board took place while major renovations and improvements were being made to the YWCA’s facilities.

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Jacqueline has served as President, Treasurer and Member of the Manchester Chapter of the NAACP and has been involved with the NAACP’s initiatives of racial justice and equality throughout New Hampshire. She has also been a member of the Currier Museum Advisory Board and was instrumental in helping to showcase African American women artist from the NH region. She has been involved in local and national political activities that support progressive causes for minorities and women.

As an active member of St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church in Manchester, she is involved in many community and religious activities; Winter Coat Drive, Women’s Organizations and Bible Study.

Jacqueline has been active in the National African American Genealogy Association.

She has received the Excellence in Community Service Award from the NAACP and has been recognized by the Governor for her service to the Southern New Hampshire community.

Her commitment to service is guided by the belief that, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

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Joanne Dowdell Joanne Dowdell is a resident of Portsmouth, NH where she has lived since 2002. She came to New Hampshire to serve as a senior executive at Citizens Advisers, a socially responsible investment firm, after living in Washington, D.C. for more than two decades. While in D.C. she enjoyed a successful career in the publishing industry as director of Congressional Quarterly’s Professional Education Service, and as a Vice President of Marketing and New Product development for Washington Business Information, Inc. In 2007, Joanne was an early supporter of then-Senator Barack Obama.

Having observed New Hampshire politics while in D.C., she enthusiastically became involved in the presidential campaign and served as a member of Obama’s New Hampshire steering committee. In 2008, she served as secretary of New Hampshire’s State Democratic Party and had the honor of being a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO. She held that distinction again at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC. One of her fondest memories was attending the inauguration ceremony of President Obama with her father C.B. Dowdell. Mr. Dowdell was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen – the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, as military aviators during World War II. In March 2007, her father and his fellow airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. She and her siblings attended the emotional ceremony. Mr. Dowdell passed away in April 2009. Her mother was of Jamaican descent and worked as a data entry manager for an engineering firm.

She was active in the church and the local community. Mrs. Dowdell passed away in 1988 from breast cancer.

Following the inauguration, Joanne was nominated to serve as New Hampshire’s at-large member to the Democratic National Committee. She was the state’s first African-American to serve in that role. That was one of many “firsts” for her. She became the state’s first African-American to run for federal office when, in 2011, she announced her candidacy to run for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. She then became New Hampshire’s first African-American member of the Electoral College and cast one of New Hampshire’s four electoral votes re-electing President Obama and Vice President

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Biden. The documents that include her signature are in the National Archives.

Joanne has a strong commitment to community service and has volunteered at homeless shelters, food banks, community organizations, school and church events. She is a member of the board of directors of the New Hampshire Humanities Council and serves as a member of the State Advisory Committee of the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights. She also served as Vice-Chair of Volunteer New Hampshire, and on the advisory committee of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail.

She followed in the footsteps of her paternal grandfather, father and one sister by attending Howard University, one of the nation’s preeminent historically black colleges and universities. There she earned a bachelor of arts in public relations and journalism from the School of Communications. She was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Niskayuna, NY, with her two older sisters and one younger brother.

Joanne is currently a consultant with News Corp, where she works with the government relations team in the Washington, DC office.

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The Honorable Linda Gathright Linda Harriott-Gathright is a longtime activist, organizer and inspirational member of the Nashua, NH community; a dedicated wife, devoted mother and grandmother, and is well known for her family values, religious and community advocacy and commitment.

Linda grew up in Philadelphia and later moved to New Hampshire 1979, with her husband and children, transferring from Bell of Pennsylvania to New England Telephone Co. to raise her family, grow and continue their education.

She is now retired from Verizon after 34 ½ years of service in many associate and management positions within Operations, Customer Service and Staff Support.

She holds two degrees from Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH. A longtime ongoing supporter of the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation, she is a strong proponent for advanced education and has helped with college field trips and has had teaching assignments within the Nashua School District. Linda continues to be a community resource for job opportunities. An active member of the Democratic Party, she has worked on voter registration and other efforts to educate and advance positive growth and development within the community. She is a faithful trustee and choir member of the New Fellowship Baptist Church, Nashua, and works both with adults and youth illustrating and spreading the faith message of caring, inclusion and tolerance through personal example and time commitment. She is the treasurer of the United Baptist Convention Inc. of MA, RI & NH Inc., co-founder of Southern New Hampshire Outreach for Black Unity (OBU) and the Greater Nashua NAACP Chapter, serving in various roles for both, enhancing and championing their missions.

Linda served as a Commissioner to the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women, since 2007, and is a co-founding member of the New Hampshire

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Minority Health Coalition, serving as Board of Directors’ President. She also is the co-founding member of the New England Regional Committee to end Racial Health Disparities and has been a co-facilitator in the Manchester Community Dialogue Process to undo racism and the recent educational consortium on youth, held at Southern New Hampshire University in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire.

She was engaged in the early discussions with New Hampshire law enforcement involving the disproportionate minority contact/conviction in the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. She also holds a Certificate of Attendance to the Women’s Prison Mentoring Program Advocate and to the Nashua Police Department 22nd Citizens Academy in 2010. Linda is the recipient of the 2009 TV13 Nashua Community award. She has earned the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for her years of service in spiritual, political, and cultural, venues, standing for the twin ideals of social progress and social justice. In 2012 Linda was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Hillsborough District 36 and Ward 9. On November 17, 2012, Linda received the 2012 Greater Manchester NAACP Freedom Fund Community Service Award.

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Catherine “CeCe” Hackett

Catherine “CeCe” Hackett was born in Boston, Massachusetts and started out very early knowing that she would be involved in politics. In high school she won first place in an essay contest called The Daughters of the American Revolution and was awarded a week trip to Washington, DC. The students experienced a week’s worth of political adventures and actually debated with students from other states in a mock legislation session. It was there that her passion for politics was born embracing the saying” If you’re not part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.” In returning to school in her senior year, she ran for senior class president but lost the election by 3 votes. Later, she ran for student council president and won that election.

After graduating from high school Catherine attended Boston College. In 1993 Catherine moved to New Hampshire and married her high school sweetheart Darrell Hackett who had been employed at General Electric in Hooksett NH for 20 years. She made the decision to move to New Hampshire to join her husband and raise their 5 children, two from his prior marriage, 2 from her prior marriage and one daughter they had together.

Catherine has been employed with the Bedford, New Hampshire Police Department for 19 ½ years. During her tenure she became very involved with the SEIU Union fighting for improved retirement and other benefits for the police department. It was then Catherine became interested in running for public office, acting and embracing the idea of being part of the solution in order to have a stronger voice for the union workers. In 2006, CeCe (politically nicknamed) ran for the New Hampshire House of Representatives and was successfully elected. Fully embracing her political career, she founded the Manchester City Democrats Black Caucus where she worked tirelessly with a grassroots effort, organizing people of color to run for political office.

Catherine has received several awards for her grassroots leadership, including the Jefferson Jackson Grassroots Activist Award in 2006 awarded by the NH Democratic state party and also a leadership award by the Manchester City Democrats. Catherine has also served as the President of the Manchester NAACP; Vice President Legal Redress and received the Manchester NAACP Excellence

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in Service award in 2011. Catherine was appointed to the NH Human Rights Commission in 2009 by the sitting Governor John Lynch and currently holds the position. She is one of 7 commissioners whose mission is established by RSA 354-A “ for the purpose of eliminating discrimination in employment, public accommodations and the sale or rental of housing or commercial property, because of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, marital status, familial status, physical or mental disability or national origin. The commission has the power to receive, investigate and pass upon complaints of illegal discrimination and to engage in research and education designed to promote good will and prevent discrimination”.

Catherine dedicates many volunteer hours with the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire sitting in on several of The International Visitor Leadership Program Exchanges, sharing her experiences and insight on ways to end domestic violence and racial discrimination. She has worked with several countries including Pakistan, Iraq, Liberia, Peru, Panama and several other countries.

CeCe fully embraces equality for all people and has taught her children to live by a few old sayings, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything”; “A closed mouth doesn’t get fed” and “Stand up and fight for your life and wellbeing”.

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Florine Hilson Florine Hilson received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus. She has worked as a minority student recruiter for the graduate school there, recruiting at historically Black colleges in the South and Hawaii.

The Hilsons moved to Portsmouth N.H. from Western Massachusetts in March 1991 with their two elementary school age children Antoinette and David, and one high school junior Gabrielle. The move was the result of her husband’s call to the pastorate at New Hope Baptist Church and shortly after coming formed the first chapter of SLC (Southern Leadership Conference).

Immediately upon arrival she became involved in the school community by helping with after school activities. Her love for sewing and theatre lead her to helping to make costumes for plays performed at the Portsmouth High School theatre department, and the Dondreo Elementary school. Church involvements include teaching Sunday school; participation in the missionary society; choir membership; work with the scholarship committee and education department.

Florine worked at Filene’s for 10 years, during which her role went from part-time sales associate to full time cash office supervisor. Duties included training, hiring, and organizing events and customer service. Florine states that, “During that time I was only asked to work one Sunday (after church); whatever the job or task God comes first in my life. My time at Filene’s was helpful in my growth as an individual”.

In December of 2004, she became licensed in the ministry and shared God’s Word with congregations across New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as Hong Kong and helped to organize the church’s first women’s retreat. She had the opportunity to travel to Israel on two peace missions with a group of clergy from all U.S. denominations. Florine’s many activities include being a volunteer at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital; working with the missionary society at her church;

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making nursing home, hospital and home visits to the members of the church and their family members. She is also involved with the local prayer shawl ministry, which make shawls to be shared with patients in the local nursing homes and hospital. Florine states that “two of my joys outside of my family are working with my hands, creating objects for the needy and lending a helping hand where needed”. She has recently become a mentor for pastor’s wives for the New England area. This group gives a listening ear to pastor’s wives that need someone who understands the concerns and challenges these women face. Twenty two years later, God is still center of her life....

Florine Hilson is the proud mother of Gabrielle, Antoinette, David and Grandmother of Nia, Imani, Gavin and Blake. She is married to the Reverend Dr. Arthur Hilson.

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The Honorable Melanie Levesque Melanie Levesque was born in Roxbury, MA in 1957. Her parents Rupel and Betty Perkins, moved to NH looking for a better life for their family. Rupel was a draftsman and Betty was a dietician. Educated in Nashua schools, Melanie attended Nashua Community College and received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. Upon completion of her MBA, she and her sister Cindy Perkins, formed TCS of America Enterprises LLC (TCS), a telecommunications consulting company servicing commercial and government customers. As the president of TCS, she was awarded the SBA Minority Small Business Person of the year in 2009.

With an interest in community service, Melanie became a founding charter member and first Vice President of the Nashua Chapter, NAACP. Her focus was on education and political action. Because of her work with the NAACP she was appointed to the Nashua Ethnic Awareness Committee.

Wanting to play a bigger role and represent the people of New Hampshire, she ran for State Representative; representing her home town of Brookline and the surrounding towns of Hollis and Mason. She won her election and is now serving her third consecutive term in the New Hampshire State House. Melanie served on Science Technology and Energy Committee for one term and Election Law for two terms. She has been a member of the Democratic House Leadership for her last two terms, and has sponsored and co-sponsored several bills including the passage of a bill to create a Statewide Emergency Notification System. She has supported ground

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breaking legislation such as Civil Unions, Marriage Equality, Indoor Smoking Act and support for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. “Being a Legislator in New Hampshire is the ultimate way to give back to society. It involves listening to your constituents and making a difference in their lives.� Although Melanie has had a diverse career in both business and the politics, she considers her greatest accomplishment to be the birth of her daughter Logan and her 30 year marriage to her supportive husband Scott.

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The Honorable Jacquelyne K. Weatherspoon, MPA When Jackie and her husband Russell came to New Hampshire in 1987 for her husband to serve on the religion faculty at Phillips Exeter Academy, they had no idea their lives and the lives of their four children would take such a dynamic and political turn.

Jackie joined the League of Women Voters and the League of Craftsmen Guild where she not only learned to weave on a loom but also learned the basics of politics.

This introduction to New Hampshire’s political environment would eventually lead her to serve a six year term in the New Hampshire House of Representatives where she was one of the chief sponsors of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday law.

The Hon. Mrs. Weatherspoon continues to serve her community both locally and internationally. She currently serves as a member of the UN Secretariat, Roster of Electoral Experts in the Electoral Assistance Division. She has been a Technical Adviser for UNDP, UNIFEM and UN Women during the latest voter Registration and Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania. Jackie was the second African American woman Election Officer by the US State Department to OSCE in the post-conflict in Bosnia. She was in Bosnia during the entire bombing of Kosovo. She was the White House and Northern New England Coordinator, US Women Connect for the Beijing Plus 5. Jackie has served on three delegations with former First Lady Hillary Clinton, the Northern Initiative to the Balkan Nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, she has served as technical advisor on issues of Peace and Security traveling with Former US Ambassador Swanee Hunt and as a technical advisor to Former Heads of State under their organization, Club de Madrid, with a concentration on the Greater Horn of Africa.

Her life in corporate America includes working as the Former Associate Director of the Reebok Foundation where she represented Reebok at the signing of the trade agreement between the US and South Africa.

Jackie currently serves as the CEO/Founder of a small NGO, Decisions In Democracy International which trains and supports the next generation of women leaders running for office in the US and abroad. Keeping the next generation in mind, Jackie serves as an Oxfam America, Sisters on the Planet Ambassador. Jackie was

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invited to the role out of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Women In Public Service, and turn a portion of the program with a focus on Africa into her DDI sponsored, SubSaharan Women In Public Service Fall Institute, bringing the next generation of women from Africa to America for training in economics, technology, media and mediation. Jackie has served at a Town Chair, a County Delegate and on the Democratic State Party Rules Committee. In addition, she is also one of the volunteer faculty advisors to Phillips Exeter Academy, “Demo Club” who supports students to work on political campaigns of their choice.

Jackie holds a BS degree from SUNY Brockport, Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is a Harvard Administrative Fellow, certified mediator from the Harvard Law School Community Mediation Program.

In July 2013, The Hon. “Jackie” K. Weatherspoon was appointed to the State Advisory Committee of the United States Civil Rights Commission.

Jackie and Russell Weatherspoon are the proud grandparents of eight grandchildren and couldn’t be happier as they continue to serve in New Hampshire.

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BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURS

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Rachel Kraft

Rachel Kraft is the owner and lead stylist of Kraft Salon. She has been a licensed

cosmetologist for the past twelve years. At sixteen, Rachel began her journey in cosmetology shortly after graduation from Concord High School. She ultimately graduated from the Continental Academy of Hair Design.

While attending the academy she worked as a receptionist at Supercuts in Manchester, N.H. where she was quickly promoted to manager at the age of seventeen.

After working at Supercuts, Rachel began working as a receptionist at Dellaria Hair Salon, in North Andover, Massachusetts, and was swiftly promoted to styling assistant. Rachel continued working at Dellaria until she was fully licensed. The day after graduating from hair design school she began working as a hair stylist at My Stylist, where she had been going since she was eight years old.

Rachel is a native of New Hampshire and has lived here all her life. Growing up as an adopted mixed-race young girl in New Hampshire and finding a hair salon that was skilled to work with ethnic hair was difficult, until finding My Stylist. Because finding a salon that could work with ethnic hair was a difficult process for her, she understands the need for women of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds to look and feel beautiful and she understands the difference that well-groomed hair can make in a woman’s life. This knowledge and understanding has empowered her to dedicate her career to mastering the care of all types of hair and providing a multicultural approach to salon services.

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Kaye Long

Kaye Long was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Lexington, Massachusetts.

She is the third daughter of Patricia and Jim Long. Upon graduating from Lexington High School, Kaye attended Jackson State University in Mississippi on a tennis scholarship, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. While she was growing up, Kaye was surrounded by several positive male and female role models and had an active social life. Many of the professional people she knew were doctors, lawyers, corporate executives and entrepreneurs. Her mother was involved in many organizations which in turn exposed her to a large number of high-achieving women in their respective fields. Shortly after graduating, Kaye worked as a fashion model in Boston, London and Paris. Upon returning from Europe she married her college sweetheart and relocated to Alabama to raise their two beautiful daughters McCall and Morgan. Kaye came back to Massachusetts at the end of a decade of marriage to be with her family and to put her college degree to work. She knew she wanted a career in media, and after some time in radio sales she began to develop an interest in online media. After working for seven years as Editor-in-Chief for an online magazine, Kaye decided to branch out, establishing her own online publication. She has remained intrigued by the large numbers of professional women of color in business, science an education and felt the need to profile these women. The introduction of professional women of color would serve a great example and motivator for young women in college and high school; hence the birth of Divine Excellence – a positive portrayal of professional women of color.

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Marsha Murdaugh Marsha Murdaugh was born and raised as a military dependent, spending most of her young life in Ayer, MA, outside of Fort Devens Army Base. She is the fifth of nine children. She was educated in the Ayer Public School system and then attended college in Boston (Newberry College), and Manchester, NH (Southern New Hampshire University). She has an Associate’s Degree in Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Business Management.

She moved to New Hampshire in September of 1979 when her job with Digital Equipment Corporation transferred to Merrimack. She has worked for Digital Equipment/Compaq Computers/Hewlett Packard Company since 1977.

Marsha first became involved in community activities when Jesse Jackson ran for a Presidential nomination. She volunteered time to his Nashua campaign office performing various clerical tasks. Not long after that, the Southern New Hampshire Outreach for Black Unity (OBU) was formed and she began to support the organization’s efforts within the community. Within a couple of years Marsha was asked to serve on the OBU Steering Committee. This opened up many opportunities to serve the community in various roles. She served as Chairperson of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast, and participated in workshops focusing on AIDS Awareness and Education. When OBU partnered with New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition, Marsha served as a Program Coordinator for the REACH 2010 Initiative. She led health education workshops focusing on diabetes and hypertension, and facilitated Change for Life classes

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which focused on unhealthy habits and how to address them.

She is a Charter Member of New Fellowship Baptist Church in Nashua, NH where the Pastor is the Rev. Dr. Bertha A. Perkins. Some of her roles at the church include: President of the Women’s Ministry, and member of the Fannie Marshall Missionary Board. She is also a member of the Gospel Choir and the Church Council. New Fellowship is a “member Church” of the United Baptist Convention of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. After twelve years of serving in the Women’s Auxiliary, Marsha was installed as President of the Woman’s Auxiliary in July of 2012.

For more than 30 years Marsha has enjoyed planning and coordinating events like, weddings, fashion shows, and fundraising activities.

She loves God; His people and is forever Grateful for His many Blessings!

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Tracey Turner Tracey Thompson Turner has been a New Hampshire resident since 1986. A native of Red Bank, New Jersey, she attended the Putney School as a tenth grader, followed by four years at Middlebury College, and a three-year stint working in Middlebury’s Admissions Office. She made the move to New Hampshire in 1986 when she married Paul Turner, her husband of nearly 30 years.

As an avid runner and track and field competitor both in high school and college, she holds the Vermont State record in the 100 meter dash that still stands today. Tracey wanted to combine her interest in athletics with the next phase of her career after coming to New Hampshire. More than 20 years ago, she initially worked with a small start-up company called Health Wealth, working to introduce wellness programs to New Hampshire. Wanting to promote wellness on a larger scale, she then went to work with Matthew Thornton, one of the country’s first Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) in Nashua, N.H. During her time there, she earned a Master’s degree in Communications from Boston University to expand her options in the field of communications and public relations.

Tracey was able to make her dream a reality upon moving to her second managed care company, HealthSource, the start-up Independent Provider Organization (IPO) an HMO based in Concord, N.H. At HealthSource, she started “Working Wonders”, the company’s corporate health and fitness program. Along with her colleagues, they brought the program to New Hampshire State employees where it was a mainstay of the state’s benefits program for more than 12 years.

She also co-authored a paper on secondary market healthcare delivery with Healthsource CEO, Norman C. Payson, M.D. After a her exciting and eventful 12year career helping to make the one of the premier managed care companies in the country, HealthSource was sold to Cigna for more than $1.7 billion.

Benefiting from excellent timing and a desire for a new challenge, Tracey was recommended by one of Healthsource’s investment bankers for a position at PC Connection, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCCC), a direct marketer of information technology solutions for business customers. While there, Tracey assisted the company with its successful Initial Public Offering, raising $50 million in equity capital. During her tenure, the company’s stock appreciated more than 470 percent and achieved a

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market capitalization of more than $1 billion.

With a continuing interest in the ever-evolving field of healthcare, in 2000, Tracey combined her experience in sales, marketing, finance and general public relations to again work with healthcare technology start-up, Choicelinx.

In addition to her career interests, Tracey’s other passions are town governance and horseback riding. She served on the Lyndeborough Planning Board for six years, helping to guide the town through several thorny growth issues, zoning amendments, and a Master Plan revision.

Tracey is a self-described “horse nut” since early childhood. She was finally allowed to begin her formal riding training at the age of four when she began hunt seat lessons. Her current activities include riding and driving her own horses as well as enjoying annual “riding holidays” in such far flung locations as Spain, Ireland, France, Italy and Germany and, closer to home, in Acadia National Park, in Maine and back to her Green Mountain roots in Woodstock and Shelburne, VT.

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Nadine A. Thompson, MSW Nadine Abraham Thompson is the founder and CEO of Soul Purpose Beauty and Lifestyle Company, a direct sales company that markets its all-natural beauty and wellness products through a network of independent consultants. Launched in January 2008, Soul Purpose redefines the meaning of beauty and empowerment with a multicultural aesthetic and recycles wealth and profits directly back into its participating households and communities.

This new venture embodies Thompson’s vision of serving as a social entrepreneur. By combining her training as a social worker, family therapist and educator, with her expertise in building successful businesses, she is able to fulfill her two passions; empowering women on a global basis and supporting socially responsible business practices.

Soul Purpose Beauty and Lifestyle Company comes on the heels of Thompson’s first direct selling company. As co-founder of Warm Spirit in 1999, Thompson produced a comprehensive collection of nature-based beauty and wellness products and marketed them via a nationwide network of more than 30,000 consultants with annual sales of over $16 million.

Born in Trinidad and raised in Toronto, Canada, Thompson received her master’s degree in social work from Smith College in Northampton, MA. She served as dean of multicultural affairs at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and was responsible for melding the prep school’s long tradition of education with a racially diverse and representative student body and faculty.

Thompson is a passionate advocate and speaker in the areas of racial equality, entrepreneurship, women’s issues and empowerment. She has been a featured speaker at many events including The National Black MBA Association, Essence Magazine’s, “Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit”, the National Organization for Women, Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs conference and Women of Power Summit, Columbia University School of Business, Women of Vision Alliance, The Wharton School of Business and National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

Thompson has also published essays on multiculturalism, diversity and psychology and is co-author of the book, Values Sell: Transforming Purpose into Profit through Creative Sales and Distribution Strategies. She has received

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numerous awards, including: Black Enterprise Magazine’s Emerging Company of the Year (2006); Onyx Woman Economic Empowerment Award; the Global Diversity Network Trailblazer Award; The Los Angeles Black Expo, Madam CJ Walker Award for Leadership and Entrepreneurship; The Rhode Island House of Representatives Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur of the year (2006); and the African American Empowerment Weekend Legacy Award (2008). Continuing her support of education, she is a founding board member of Alliance of Public Academies and Sensible Taxes: and The Seacoast Charter School, a 2009 graduate of the TuckSmith Executive Program for Global Leadership for Women and a 2014 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses scholar.

Thompson’s long-term vision is to establish the Nsoromma Foundation where successful Soul Purpose entrepreneurs will mentor and coach other women from the Native American and African diaspora around the ideas of business development and entrepreneurship using illumination, beauty and lifestyle as the paradigm for wealth creation and empowerment. Nadine has made her home in Exeter, NH for the past 24 years with her husband Reverend Robert H. Thompson who is the Phelps Minister for Phillips Church at Phillips Exeter Academy. They have two children Camilla and Isaiah. Nadine loves to read, cook, garden and caring for her beloved Maltese dog Louie.

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E D U C AT I O N & SCHOLARS

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Jerri Anne Boggis JerriAnne Boggis is a writer, educator, and community activist who works to correct the historical record on the racial complexity and richness of New Hampshire’s diverse past. Through the development of several community programs that focus on history and race, Jerri Anne has raised the awareness of New Hampshire’s little known people of color and increase the visibility of Black history in the state. “I work to raise awareness of how people see and understand those who are different from them.” JerriAnne says. “These programs are a chance for intellectual dialogue, and they’re about taking action.”

A long term Milford resident, Jamaica-born Jerri Anne came to the United States in 1977. She received her B.S. degree in Business Management at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester and her M.A. in Writing and Communications at Rivier College in Nashua. Her publications include: Refugee Resettlement in New Hampshire, Center for the Humanities, UNH; “Reflections and Memories,” Footsteps, Cobblestone Press, 2005 and Harriet Wilson’s New England: Race, Writing and Region, Co-Editor, UPNE, 2007, a collection of essays devoted entirely to Wilson and her novel. The publication seek to understand Wilson within New England and the view of New England as it might have appeared to Wilson and her contemporaries.

In 2007, JerriAnne was awarded the state Commission on the Status of Women’s 11th Annual Recognition Award for her tenacious efforts to raise awareness of Milford resident Harriet E. Wilson (1825-1900). Wilson is generally considered the first Black woman to publish a novel in the United States. Her semi-autobiographical novel, Our Nig; or Sketches From the Life of a Free Black was originally published in Boston in 1859 and “lost” until its 1983 republication by noted scholar, Henry Louis Gates. JerriAnne was the driving force behind the formation of the Harriet Wilson Project, a non- profit organization that was initially formed to promote the study of Wilson’s work in the Milford High School,

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but evolved into something much bigger. Under JerriAnne’s direction, the project staged events, created a play on Wilson and established a Black History Trail that visibly tells Wilson’s story and Milford Black history. In addition, the group commissioned an ambitious statue of Wilson for display in the Milford town park.

They did extensive fundraising and promotion for the project, and on November 6, 2006 held a moving unveiling ceremony keynoted by famed actress and activist, Ruby Dee. As the former Director of Diversity Education and Community Outreach at the University of New Hampshire (2007 – 2011), Boggis brought renowned speakers such as Angela Davis and Nikki Giovanni to the campus for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. She created and produced the annual Black New England Conference which continues today under her leadership as Director for the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail. Jerri Anne was appointed to the U.S. Commission Civil Rights N.H. Advisory Committee and currently serves as chair.

JerriAnne is married to Vint Boggis of Milford, NH. They have two sons, Shane and Marcus Boggis.

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Claire Clarke Claire Clarke has devoted her life to the field of education, because she had a craving desire to help young people. She began her teaching career at Alcoa High School in Alcoa, Tennessee. She continued her efforts in the school community.

After serving in that system she moved to the city of Hollis, New York where she had the opportunity to help children of all types of backgrounds. Claire then moved from the position of teacher to that of Teacher-Counselor. Her later move was to the State of New Hampshire, where Claire became the Guidance Counselor at Winnisquam Regional High School in Tilton, New Hampshire. In addition, she became a Specialist in the Assessment of Intellectual Functioning (SAlF) and functioned in both capacities for many years. While she functioned in her professional capacities she campaigned for and won a position on the Merrimack Valley School Board representing the cities and Towns of Boscawen, Salisbury, Loudon and parts of Penacook, New Hampshire. She served on that Board for 15 years. Claire, after retirement from the school system, campaigned and was elected to represent the towns of District 6 in New Hampshire, on the State Legislature where she served for 10 years. During her entire tenure she was a member of the Education Committee.

A caring person Claire was frequently sought out for guidance and direction by hosts of people from all types of life. It was her mature and helpful empathetic understanding of the nature of people that won her the love and respect of many.

She has had leadership posts with a Delta Sigma Theta Chapter and with a Zonta International Chapter and with AARP and other organizations.

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Having been born in Long Branch, New Jersey and reared in Asbury Park, New Jersey, she made her first trip to the South to attend Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. She later transferred to and graduated from Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee with a Bachelor Degree in English. She then attended the New York School of Social Work but left to return to her interest in education by attending Hofstra University in Nassau County, New York. She took her Master of Science Education degree with a specialty in Educational Guidance Counseling. During her professional career she has attended many other schools to advance her knowledge.

David C. Clarke, Jr has been married to Claire since 1969. They are the proud parents of one child, Carlotta Clarke Alicea who is currently on the Merrimack Valley School Board and also a member of the New Hampshire State Legislature.

The Clarkes have three Grandchildren and four Great Grandchildren.

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Valerie Cunningham

Valerie Cunningham was born and raised in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,

the only child of Clarence and Augusta Ragland Cunningham. Her father grew up in Roxboro, North Carolina with her mother just across the state line in Virgilina, Virginia, but from the time they were married in 1940 they had made New Hampshire their home. Their devotion to the “beloved community” was demonstrated in many acts of courage, such as helping to establish New Hampshire’s first branch of the NAACP in 1958. Augusta died at age 90 after 67 years of marriage to Clarence, who died 3 years later at age 96. During all of those years they encouraged and assisted their daughter’s efforts for social justice.

When Valerie became a military spouse and the mother of two young children, Brad and Kirby Randolph, she also had the valuable opportunity to live with her family in the Far East and in other parts of this country, including Delaware, Virginia, and Mississippi, interspersed with tours at Pease Air Force Base, NH. While back at home in the 1960s, she was elected secretary of the Portsmouth NAACP and she marched from Roxbury to Boston Common with Martin Luther King, Jr. in his first northern demonstration for justice. She and another military wife organized an Afro Fashion Show in 1969 as a fundraiser for the Seacoast Council on Race and Religion which the Cunninghams also had helped to establish. While living in the Philippines and continuing her formal education, Valerie assisted with humanitarian aid to the Negrito Village outside Clark Air Force Base. Since returning to permanently settle in her hometown in 1981, Cunningham has continued traveling to the Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa and Europe, always making connections to the Black history of New Hampshire.

In 1987, Cunningham established herself as an independent scholar and principal of the African American Resource Center for research, writing and lecturing on Black life in northern New England from Colonial slavery to the modern Civil Rights Movement. In 1995, her research helped establish the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail with a mission to make visible and to preserve local Black history. Cunningham’s oral history interviews with several African American elders who had lived in the seacoast area of New Hampshire and Maine for most of the 20th century are cited by the Library of Congress in its Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories. Some of those interviewed by Cunningham were directly involved in the struggle for civil rights in New Hampshire; however, the life of each person was

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shaped by the limitations imposed upon them by de facto segregation in housing and employment. These are among the stories included by Cunningham and co-author, Mark J. Sammons, in their book Black Portsmouth: Three Centuries of AfricanAmerican Heritage. Some of Cunningham’s research papers are in Special Collections at the University of New Hampshire’s Dimond Library; others are at the Portsmouth Athenaeum.

After 23 years in various positions at the University of New Hampshire, Cunningham retired in 2008 as coordinator of Black Community Partnerships. She has received local and national recognition over the years for raising public awareness that people of African descent have been part of New Hampshire’s history since the earliest European settlements. She continues to serve the community as a board member of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail; an active member and past vice president of the New England chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society; and co-chair of the NH Women’s Heritage Trail. Cunningham has received numerous awards and honors from organizations, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Daughters of the American Revolution; the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union; the UNH Granite State Award and Plymouth State’s Robert Frost Award; a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Seacoast NAACP; and she has been enthroned Queen Mother of Aburi, Ghana.

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Dr. Helen Giles-Gee

Dr. Helen F. Giles-Gee was selected the 22nd president in the 192-year history of

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and began her tenure on July 16, 2012.

A well-respected and nationally known scholar, having published articles, book chapters, and national reports on economic revitalization, faculty workload, academic planning, global education, minority retention, and more, she has more than 30 years of experience in higher education.

Dr. Giles-Gee served as president of Keene State College in New Hampshire from 2005 through 2012. Prior to her arrival at Keene, Dr. Giles-Gee was provost at Rowan University, dean of the School of Professional Studies at SUNY Cortland, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and director of articulation at the University System of Maryland, executive assistant to the president at Towson State University, and chair of biology at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Giles-Gee currently sits on the national board of directors for Campus Compact as well as the boards for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, and the University City Science Center.

She is the former chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and past president of the Society for College and University Planning. She has served as vice chair of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, chair of the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission, vice chair of the New Hampshire College & University Council, and vice chair of the American Council on Education Commission on Women in Higher Education, and is a member of New Jersey ACE-Net Coordination Board and other prominent organizations.

She has received many academic and professional awards and commendations, including the National Award of Distinction from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Alumni Association, designation as a “New Century Leader” by New Hampshire Magazine, and a commendation from the Governor of New Hampshire for her leadership. Since her arrival at USciences, she has received The Mary McLeod Bethune Award from the Philadelphia Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (2012); has been named one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential African American Women (2013) and African American Leaders (2012) by the Tribune and to the 2013 Women of Distinction listing by the Philadelphia Business Journal; and has become a member of The Forum of Executive Women (2013).

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Dr. Giles-Gee earned a bachelor of arts in psychobiology, a master of science in science education, and a PhD in measurement, evaluation, and techniques of experimental research from University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she holds an MS in zoology from Rutgers University.

A native of Alabama, Dr. Giles-Gee is one of five sisters, three of whom also graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. The fifth attended Tuskegee University, the alma mater of their grandfather and many members of their family. Her mother, now deceased, earned her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Talladega College.

She is the mother of one daughter, Lauren, and Dr. Giles-Gee’s father resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Jada Hebra Originally a native of Ohio, Ms. Jada Keye Hebra moved to Nashua, NH with her family in 1976. At the time, her parents were planning to live in the greater Boston area, but when they became aware of the volatile busing controversy in Boston, they chose another, quieter city in which to settle. At that time, very few people of color lived in Nashua, and Jada, her sister and brother learned to adapt to an environment where they were so obviously “other.” Ebony Magazine actually ran a story in the November 1984 issue featuring the Keye family in an article entitled “Blacks in Isolated Areas.”

After graduating from Nashua High School in 1984, Jada went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree at Vassar College and then to earn her Master of Science degree at Columbia University School of Journalism. During her junior year at Vassar, she studied at the historically Black Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Upon graduating from Columbia University, Jada worked as a production associate for ABC News World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. While working at ABC, Jada helped to produce several stories with education correspondent Bill Blakemore and soon realized that a career in education would be more meaningful and impactful than one in broadcast news.

As fate would have it, in January of 1991, Jada’s father (who would later become a NH State Representative) Mr. Harvey Keye, was marching at the state capitol to protest the state’s refusal to recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

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There, Mr. Keye met Mr. Steven Davis, a faculty member at St. Paul’s School. They exchanged handshakes, hugs, and business cards, and within weeks Jada was on a plane interviewing at St. Paul’s. She was hired to work in the admissions department and moved to St. Paul’s in the fall of 1991.

Since that time, Jada has held many roles at St. Paul’s including teacher of Humanities, film, and journalism, Director of College Advising, Associate Dean of Students, Director of Admissions, and now Vice Rector. In her current role, Jada serves as a right hand advisor to the Rector (head of school), supervises faculty, and oversees institutional diversity initiatives. She is the first African-American woman at St. Paul’s to serve as Director of College Advising, Director of Admissions, and Vice Rector.

Jada and her husband Sergio have three children and feel blessed that their immediate families live so close.

“As wonderful as as it has been to live and visit many cities around the world, New Hampshire is home. And there is no place like home.”

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H E A LT H , S C I E N C E S & MEDICINE

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Bobbie Bagley Bobbie Bagley is currently a full-time nursing instructor at Rivier University.

She teaches the Community and Public Health Nursing Course, Policy and Politics in the Nursing Profession, Family Health Nursing in a Multicultural Society and Capstone courses.

She worked as the Chief Public Health Nurse and Manager in the City of Nashua Community Health Department from 2006 through 2011. In that role she provided oversight to the department staff, clinic and programs.

Bobbie started her career in public health as a Public Health Nurse in the Nashua in 1997 holding that position for three years. She has also served as Program Manager for the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition where she procured grants, developed and managed several programs and collaborated with community-based organizations, health care professionals, state and local government officials, health departments and the Department of Health and Human Services to insure equitable access of health care services for diverse racial and ethnic communities.

She has a Certification in Public Health (CPH) and is further recognized as a member of the charter class to sit for the exam in 2008. Bobbie received her Master of Public Health degree in 2002 from Boston University School of Public Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Health, Disease and Health Promotion. Prior to that, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Rivier-St Joseph School of Nursing in 1997. She also holds a Bachelor of Science, Biology (Minor: Chemistry) degree from Montclair University which she earned in 1986.

Bobbie has served on a number of boards and committees in leadership positions throughout her nursing career. She has served as the Co-Chair of the New Hampshire HIV Community Planning Group for two years and Chaired the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition for six years.

She spear-headed the creation of the Gate City Health and Wellness Immigrant Integration Initiative and secured funding for the Three-Project. She is an Advisory Member of the New Hampshire Partners In Nursing (PIN) Project and is a Steering Committee Member of the Sustainable Voices for Minority Health and the New Hampshire Health and Equity Partnership. She is the Chair of the Awareness and Promotion committee of the New Hampshire Health and Equity Partnership.

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Bobbie also serves on the Rivier College Faculty Development Committee of the Faculty Senate, the Rivier Wellness Connection Committee and the Nursing Development Committee.

She has been a member of ASTDN, now the Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) since 2007, serving as the New Hampshire official representative for four years.

In October of 2013, Bobbie was appointed chair of the New Hampshire Nurses Association (NHNA) Government Affairs Commission. This committee identifies health policy issues and legislation that the NHNA will focus on for the health, safety and well-being of New Hampshire residents and the nursing profession.

Bobbie continues her educational pursuits and is slated to receive a Master’s in Nursing Education in May, 2014 and is planning to pursue a doctorate in Public Health.

She is an educator, nurse, independent business owner, philanthropist, fundraiser, minister, volunteer and mother!

As far as firsts as an African American Woman‌ She served as the first African American woman volunteer fire fighter for the town of Litchfield, NH and she was the first Chief Public Health Nurse and Manager for the City of Nashua, Division of Public Health and Community Services.

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Lillie M. Bynum A wife of noble character who can find, she is worth far more than rubies her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing... (Proverbs 31:1) Lillie M. Bynum trained as a nurse in what is today known as the Peace Corps.

After the end of World War II, so fortunately, she did not have to serve in the war.

She met her husband, Bruce Bynum who was an active duty serviceman in the Air Force. Soon after they met, they married and began having children ‌ seven in all: 5 boys and 2 girls.

Throughout his military career Mr. Bynum served overseas and with an active and growing family it was decided that his wife, Lillie would stay behind with the children. Being on-her-own was difficult at times. There were times she was on her own for straight two years. Mr. Bynum, she says, “was the head of the household and everybody knew what dad said went.� He set the tone in the home and even in his absence; his wife supported him and influenced her children.

The family moved to Goffstown, NH in 1961 at the beginning of the civil rights movement. They watched events as they happened on the television with their children, keeping them in the know about the changes that were taking place across the nation. The children even went on marches with their parents.

The family came to New Hampshire from Compton, California so none of them were used to living in an all-white environment. There were difficult times but their strength as a family and their involvement in community activities through the military, saw them through.

After retirement from the Air Force, Mr. Bynum was a Selectman in local government. He and Lillie served together in the NAACP and they also sat on the Board of the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Fund. Lillie says she felt a little isolated in the beginning of her time in New Hampshire but as time went on and she became involved in the community, she provided a strong and secure home for her family. All of her children are hardworking, industrious, community-minded

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people. Among them are: a lawyer, a teacher, a veteran, a clinical psychologist, a registrar, a model and an insurance adjuster.

Even with her duties as wife, mother and career nurse, Lillie found the time and energy to serve her community. She has served for 38 years with the Manchester Chapter of the NAACP and 39 years with the GMSF. Though her children have long left home and her husband has passed, she continues to support and serve. Her devotion to her family, her community and her work as a nurse, fully qualify her to be a woman of noble character. Her life’s work formed the bedrock upon which her family was built. She is a pillar to her family and the community of Manchester making her a woman worthy of emulation.

Many women do noble things but you surpass them all. Let her works bring her praise at the city gates. (Proverbs 31:29)

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Sandra T. Hicks Sandra T. Hicks is known for being the first recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award in 1987 and also, in the same year, the recipient of the New Hampshire Unsung Heroine Award.

Sandra moved to Manchester, NH with her now deceased husband, Wade, and sons Roger and Alan in the middle 1960s, and has called it home ever since. Very proud of her Native and African-American heritage, her family is very important to her, and she celebrates her two sons and an adopted daughter Karen, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and several foster children. Born and raised in Boston, MA, she was the middle child of five siblings.

Sandra’s primary education was received in Boston and her first secondary education experience began at Boston University, expanding across the country, continuing at San Bernardino Community College, San Diego Community College and finally back home again to Notre Dame College in Manchester, NH. Rendered legally blind in 1975 while working as a mental health therapist at the then Manchester Mental Health Center, Sandra eventually retired. Soon she began a life of volunteerism, activism and advocacy, and later became known for working for social justice, and community education and service. In her work against domestic and sexual violence in the 1980s, Sandra represented the state of New Hampshire at the national level for a number of years. She became an HIV/AIDS Educator and Counselor, and she has worked for medical and mental health education inclusion for minorities and in 1993 was a founder of the New

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Hampshire Minority Heath Coalition and currently holds a leadership role. Her efforts to aid student educational opportunities are some of the reasons she has received numerous awards and recognitions; most recently a 2013 NAACP Fund Award for excellence in community service for Social Justice. She was President of the local Manchester NAACP Chapter in 1991. Sandra has co-hosted a radio and television talk shows and currently hosts a public television program called the “The Inside Story”.

A former board member to a number of community groups, she is currently a longtime board member and officer of the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation and an advisor to the Manchester/Hillsborough County Service Link Board. Sandra is also treasurer and board member of Emerging Leaders in Communities of Color; Treasurer and steering committee member of the Manchester Regional Committee on Aging; a member of the New Hampshire Institute on Disability Consumer Advisory Council; and longtime member of the Baha’i Faith and Manchester Local Assembly Treasurer.

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Dr. Marie Metoyer Marie Susan Madison Metoyer, M.D. came to New Hampshire later in life but made a large impact. The first African-American female psychiatrist to practice in the state, she dedicated herself to community psychiatry, a calling she found later in life after two decades as a general practitioner specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Dr. Metoyer was the recipient of the Martin Luther King award in 2008, named a member of the “It” list by New Hampshire Magazine in 2007 with Nabil Migali for their multi-cultural work reinvigorating People Fest (formerly known as the “International Festival”).

Dr. Metoyer first came to New Hampshire in 1981 and worked as a psychiatrist with the Greater Manchester Mental Health Center. She retired in 1996 at the age of 70 and dedicated her retirement to women, minorities and medicine, seeking to promote African American heritage, racial equality, cultural diversity, and the fine arts. Dr. Metoyer has been Vice President of the Cultural Diversity Task Force of Greater Manchester, Chair of the Scholarship Awards for the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation, three term Secretary of the Manchester NAACP, eight years on the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women, and member of the Advisory Boards of the Mental Health Center, New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition, the Currier Museum of Art, and the Cultural Competency of the Mental Health Center. In 2012, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen honored Dr. Metoyer for her years of service to the people of New Hampshire.

Dr. Metoyer was born into medicine. Born in 1925, she is the eldest daughter of two physicians who met at Howard University Medical School. She followed in the footsteps of her mother, the 1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dr. Lena Edwards. She became a general practitioner specializing in obstetrics/ gynecology in Jersey City, New Jersey after graduating summa cum laude from Fordham University School of Education in 1945 (where women could only attend

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classes at one of the campuses on Saturdays) and among the first African American females to graduate from Cornell School of Medicine in 1951. In the 1960’s, after delivering hundreds of babies, she heard the call from President Kennedy emphasizing community mental health, so she moved from New Jersey to Vermont to obtain a residency in psychiatry at the University of Vermont from 1968-1972.

Dr. Metoyer practiced in Vermont from 1972- 1981 as the sole psychiatrist in the Northeast Kingdom, a collection of three counties in one of the most rural areas of Vermont. She was President of the Vermont Psychiatric Association and Secretary of the Vermont Medical Society.

Dr. Metoyer was married to the artist and architectural designer, Victor Metoyer, Jr. for 57 years, and is the mother of five, grandmother of four, and greatgrandmother of two. She is active in the New England chapter of the African American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS).

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RELIGION & SOCIAL WORK

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Brenda Lett Brenda Bailey Lett arrived in New Hampshire to join her husband in 1993. She describes herself as a community activist, and advocate for social justice. The eldest of six children, her parents Olivia and Frank Bailey, Sr. stressed the importance of education early in her life. She is a first generation college graduate. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, she considers herself a “city girl”. Brenda and her husband co-founded Ujima Collective; a community based organization committed to addressing the issues of cultural alienation many people of African descent feel in the Granite State.

“Ujima” is a Swahili word meaning “collective work and responsibility”. Ujima was formed in 1995 and has held many cultural events including film festivals, forums, the African Caribbean Celebration and Kwanzaa.

Brenda is a former President and current Secretary of the Manchester NAACP. She has also served as funding panel member of the Haymarket Peoples Foundation, and former assistant secretary of the Organization for Black Unity (OBU). She currently serves on the board of the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation, and was recently elected Selectwoman in Ward 4 City of Manchester.

Brenda has worked to create an environment where all community members feel included, respected and listened to. As a community activist she has helped coordinate and raise funds for several organizations which include Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond Undoing Racism workshops. She has spoken out on the topic of racism when others in the room would cringe at the thought of this issue. Her second Masters’ thesis topic, “The Effect of Racism on Mental Health of the African

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Descent Community,� is the motivation for the book she plans to publish in 2014.

Brenda was born to be an activist. Her parents created an environment that fostered support and commitment to family. She was taught to see the importance of working together and understanding group dynamics. As a Girl Scout she learned the responsibilities of being an individual as well as the importance of team participation. She currently works at the New Hampshire Department of Corrections as a Corrections Counselor and is studying to become a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).

She has been married to Woullard Lett for thirty-seven years and is the mother of two children, Bahati and Sudi, mother-in-law to Bahati’s husband, Daemond Benjamin and grandmother of Madiha and Mekhi. Brenda is also the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Black Women Health Project currently focusing on mental health and how internalized oppression is stunting the growth and development of people of African descent.

With her focus on education, health, criminal justice and community building Brenda stays committed to the goal of justice and equity for all people.

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Reverend Linda Diane Long Linda Diane Long was born and raised in Adel Ga., (Cook County). She and her husband have relocated to Greensboro, NC; Baltimore, MD; Charlotte, NC, Des Moines, IA, and Raleigh, NC before finally arriving in New Hampshire.

In New Hampshire Diane was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, becoming the first African American Female ever elected to the State House. Some called it a fluke, but she says it was God. She is also a founding member of Southern New Hampshire Outreach for Black Unity (OBU). Diane has always been a strong advocate on civil rights and injustices in the state.

God began a process, even then, to get her attention. After 12 years in New England, her husband Nick was transferred to Charlotte where they served under the Leadership of Dr. L.D. Parker and where God became the center of Diane’s life.

Even though she knew God was trying to use her in ministry, she never mentioned it until she could no longer hold her peace. It was only after many trials and tribulations in her life that she felt compelled to yield to the Power of God. The family was transferred to Iowa, (truly a wilderness experience). After Praying to God for an opportunity to move back to North Carolina, their prayers were answered with a move to Raleigh. She had promised God many times during her ups and downs that she would serve Him and this time she could not turn back.

She accepted the Call of God on her life and in 2001, preached her first sermon “Are you a Kingdom Dweller or a Kingdom Worker?”. She continued to study the Bible at the New Covenant Bible College in Raleigh, NC until Nick’s transfer to Georgia in 2003. She served under the leadership and was ordained on April 17, 2005 by Rev. Dr. Jamey Colts, former Pastor of Greater Bellevue Baptist Church in Macon, GA. She served as the Director for the Young Adult Ministry. She currently serves as Special Assistant to her Pastor Dr. Stephen Summerow, at the Greater Friendship Baptist Church in Macon. Diane also serves as advisor to Pastor Support Ministry,

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Associate Minister’s Ministry, and Women Ministry. In addition, she has initiated a Senior Citizen Ministry, S.A.S. (Seasoned, Anointed Saints) Noon Day Bible Study at Greater Friendship Baptist. Diane has also studies at New Hope Bible College in Warner Robins, GA, and was a founder of, “A Shelter from the Storm Ministries.”

A prayer warrior, intercessor, Rev. Linda Diane Long, Loves the Lord and is truly humbled by His Grace and Mercy in her.

She is married to Nicodemus Long, Jr. They are the proud parents of three sons: Rodney, Nicodemus III, and Desmond; and two adorable grandchildren: Akira and Nicodemus IV. The Joy of the Lord is truly her strength.

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Reverend Dr. Bertha A Perkins Rev. Dr. Bertha A. Perkins is the organizing pastor of the New Fellowship Baptist Church Inc. in Nashua, NH (formally of Hudson, NH) and served as the first Vice President of the United Baptist Convention of MA, RI and NH (UBC).

Bertha traces her roots to Darlington, SC, though she spent most of her adolescent and teenage years in Ansonia, CT. Bertha has made New Hampshire her home for more than 52 years. She is very proud of her African, Southern and New England heritages.

Her Christian experience began at the age of 10 at the Williams Temple Church of God in Christ in Ansonia, CT, and she was eventually licensed as a home missionary there at the age of 14. In New Hampshire, she is one of the organizing members of two African American Churches and was instrumental in the establishment of two others. She was licensed to preach by New Hope Baptist Church of Portsmouth, NH in 1982 and served as minister of New Fellowship Mission from 1985 to 1987. On August 20, 1987 she was officially called as pastor, and led the congregation to become incorporated and gain membership into the American Baptist Churches (ABC) and the United Baptist Convention of M.A. R.I. & N.H. Inc. In 1996, under her leadership, New Fellowship Baptist Church relocated to 50 Ash Street in Nashua and purchased the church building from PAL in 2002. At UBC, Bertha served as president of the Women’s Auxiliary, was a member of the board of directors, an instructor in the Christian Congress, and a member of the commission of the ministry. She was the first female pastor to serve in the capacity of Vice President at the Convention. She was also active with National Baptist Convention Inc. In the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire, she has served as instructor, worship leader, member of New Church Development, Trustee, Association Moderator, Mentor to new Pastors/Host Pastor to two ethnic congregations over 13 years.

Bertha has served on the State of New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights. In Nashua, she is known as a community activist for civil rights, the homeless, at-risk youth, affordable housing and medical care

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as well as ethnic and multicultural appreciation. An organization that she proudly continues to work with is the Southern New Hampshire Outreach for Black Unity and their collaborative work with other organizations and individuals in the New Hampshire who were influential in making Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day an official state holiday in 1999.

Her awards and honors include: Woman of Courage and Conviction, Martin Luther King Jr., Key to the City of Nashua, Proclamation by the Governor of New Hampshire that Rev. Bertha Perkins Day (along with 7 other African American Women) Day. As a pioneer in civil rights, she received an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Divinity, and has been honored as one of the past presidents of the Women’s Auxiliary of the UBC, and most recently, received the New Hampshire Champions of Diversity Award.

Bertha is the proud mother of three children: Vecena, John. L, Jr. and Jarvian Jackson and is also the proud grandmother of nine loving grandchildren.

She loves the Lord and she loves His people. She is a sister in Christ.

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Claudette Williams, MSW Claudette Williams MSW, a retired Clinical Social Worker was employed by the state of New Hampshire from 1980 to 1988 when she left her position as a Social Worker Consultant for the Department of Children and Family Service in Manchester.

Claudette was then hired as a Social Worker supervisor for the state of Massachusetts for the Department of Social Service (as it was formerly known) in July, 1988. She was responsible for supervising an average of six social workers who specialized in working with people subject to child abuse and neglect. During her tenure she was asked to function as a field instructor for several colleges and universities in preparing students for counseling and social work degrees.

Prior to her work in New England, Claudette was employed by Catholic Social Services as the adoption coordinator for the Kansas Northeastern Archdiocesan for 23 counties from 1976 to March 1978. She has served on several Boards, the YWCA both in Lincoln, NE and Nashua, NH. She also served on the board of Catholic Charities in Lincoln, NE. She has served in many organizations as a volunteer since young adulthood to the present and belongs to several civic organizations.

She is a board member and Chair of the Health division for The Outreach for Black Unity. She is also one of the co-founders and board members of the Harriet Wilson Project. As a member of Circle of Friends, Williams helps to serve as the conscience to many. She was formerly the president of The Business and Professional Women Heritage Association, an organization that was founded in 1984 by Black American women who believed that the public should gain an understanding of the contributions of Black Americans to the country as a whole and to New Hampshire

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in particular. The organization also provided scholarships to minority men and women in southern New Hampshire. Claudette was awarded the Excellent Award in Services from the Manchester NAACP where she is currently the Chair for the Health Division of the Manchester Branch. She is a dedicated member of The Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society.

Claudette and her family moved to Merrimack, NH from Overland Park, KS in 1979. She and her former husband have three children: Andrew, Denise and Valerie. She also has ten grandchildren and three great -grandchildren.

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Nadine A. Thompson What a blessing and honor it has been to collaborate

CONCLUSION

with Jackie Weatherspoon on this book to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of a few of the amazing women from the Granite State of New Hampshire.

Exeter, NH has been my home for the past 23 years after moving here from Toronto, Canada. I was born on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean with parents from both Grenada and Venezuela. I have a family history of immigration, people moving and settling to create a better life for themselves and for their children. For immigrants, creating a community is important and critical to one’s adjustment and success. Being able to support each other and shepherd our children is key to our survival.

There are many times along my journey and throughout my 23 years here in NH, I have felt alone and isolated. I have walked through town for months at a time and have not seen another black woman. A few months ago I had the honor of hosting over 30 women of color in our home and was overwhelmed by the diversity within the group but even more so by the many accomplishments of these women and all of the incredible work they had been doing to improve the quality of life for the people in the State and in their communities.

Many were committed to helping other people of color but contributing even more to the larger general population. I thought, “This is grace!�

Jackie Weatherspoon and I talked about this book project, and for me it was a way of beginning to craft and tell a story of the accomplishments of these women. I really believe that in writing down and sharing this information it would lessen our

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sense of isolation, it would enable each of us to see the rich resources of sisters that are right here with us in our communities and most important would enable us to know that we are not alone on this journey. My hope is that we gain strength and confidence by reading about each other’s accomplishments. My wish is that it would serve as a source of inspiration for the younger generation of women who are planning to make a life in New Hampshire.

This hopefully is just the beginning. We have started with a small sampling of women from the wider Seacoast. My hope is that we will add many more names and beautiful photographs and it will soon become a resource, but most important, a collective record of our work and accomplishments.

Enjoy it and please feel free to submit your thoughts and stories and suggestions for our future updates to this book. We plan to build a Facebook and LinkedIn page to help us stay connected as well. This will be a living book and will continue to grow and evolve over time.

I also want to extend a special thank you to graphic designer Nicole Mors, who used her incredible skills to design the book and its beautiful pages.

With much love and blessings,

Nadine Abraham Thompson FOUNDER + CEO SOULPURPOSE

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SOULPURPOSE

Be Well

At Soul Purpose we believe that your good health and decreased levels of stress are the keys to your general sense of well-being and prosperity.

We have created a comprehensive line of products to support you on your self-care and wellness journey.

To learn more about Soul Purpose, our products and our business opportunity, visit us at www.soulpurpose.com/e-catalog or email Nadine Thompson at nadinethompson@soulpurpose.com

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Share what inspires you, what you dream about, what motivates you and what gets you going in the morning.

W H AT I S Y O U R SOUL PURPOSE? www.facebook.com/wiysp Follow on these social networks:



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DECISIONS IN DEMOCRACY I N T E R N AT I O N A L Decisions In Democracy International is a non for-profit consultancy group dedicated to assisting governments transitioning into a stronger democratic state.

It’s present initiatives are: Governance Mediation Technology You will work with a unique group of consultants , who have over thirty years of experience as former elected officials with experience in local, national and international affairs. They have served as consultants to the United States Department of State, United Nations agencies, such as UNDP, UNIFEM,UNWomen and as Technical Advisers of former Heads of State, with the organization, Club De Madrid, “Democracy That Delivers”. They have served on US Delegations, worked as a Seconded Member to OSCE in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Greater Horn of Africa, Sub Saharan Africa. They have also served on a number of US Delegations during the tenures of President William J. Clinton and President George W. Bush and have served as the White House and Northern New England Coordinator for Beijing Plus 5 Assessment on Women and Girls. They have extensive experience in training, men, women and youth in post conflict countries, with Diplomatic Status.

DIDI is based in the United States.

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MISSION To be the top global service provider assisting governments, organizations and the private sector grappling with increasing challenges such as globalization, environmental and economic stress.

VISION To promote sustainable growth in governance, private sector markets through the consultative process.

The Hon. Jacquelyne K. Weatherspoon CEO and Founder, Decisions in Democracy International Former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Attended the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. Hosted the US Women Connect, Bring Back Beijing, New England, Beijing Plus 5 Assessment, Beijing Plus 10 Assessment and Beijing Plus 15.

Webpage: https://jckweatherspoon.wix.com/ddiFacebook: jackie.weatherspoon.54@facebook.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jackieweatherspoon Gmail: jackie.decisionsintl@gmail.com

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PORTSMOUTH B L A C K H E R I TA G E TRAIL Telling the little-known stories of blacks in New Hampshire.

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MISSION Established in 1995, Portsmouth Black Heritage works to tell the stories of Africans and their decendents who have been a part of New Hampshire’s history for over 350 years.

PROGRAMS We offer four major education programs per year. All of our programs are focused on raising public awareness for a history deeply imbedded in New Hampshire’s cultural roots.

The Ellinor Williams Hooker Tea Talk Spring Symposium Summer Walking Tours Black New England Conference

For more information, please visit:

W W W. P O R T S M O U T H H I S T O R Y. O R G Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail is opporated by the Portsmouth Historical Society at the Discover Portsmouth Center.

10 Middle St. in Downtown Portsmouth, NH 603.436.8433 JerriAnne Boggis, Director

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NETWORKS, LINKS AND RESOURCES Links to important Historical Sites • Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail: http://pbhtrail.org/web/ • African Burying Ground: www.cityofportsmouth.com/abg • Harriet Wilson Project: www.harrietwilsonproject.org/ • More Black History: www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/ Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail • Director: JerriAnne Boggis • Office: 10 Middle Street, Portsmouth NH • Mailing Address: PO Box 728, Portsmouth NH 03802 • Phone: 603-318-5120 • Email: jaboggis@PortsmouthHistory.org • Website: http://www.PortsmouthHistory.Org Description: A nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of New Hampshire’s four centuries of Black history, through the installation of historic site markers, school curriculum development, topical symposiums, and public celebrations of African-American life and culture.

Black New England Tours • Coordinator: Valerie Cunningham • Email: nhblackhistory@aol.com • Text: 603-380-1231 Description: Custom group tours visit African-American historic sites in northern New England and beyond. Each tour is designed to complement the group’s interests and scheduling needs. Also offering customized “Armchair Tours” for large gatherings and those unable to travel.

NH Black Women Health Project • Board Chair: Brenda Lett • Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5932, Manchester NH 03108 • Email: nhbwhp@gmail.com • Phone/Text: 603-264-2874; 603-716-1432 Description: State-wide community based organization to help women of African descent both young and old adapt to the changing environment of life, by taking a holistic approach by providing support for the emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual well-being of Black women. NHBWHP is organized to support and conduct non-partisan research, education, and informational activities to increase public awareness of education, improve health (with a focus on mental health).

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Black history sites in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area: 1. The Wharf--Prescott Park 2. Stoodley’s Tavern--Hancock Street 3. Sherburne House--Strawberry Banke 4. William Pitt Tavern--Count Street 5. New Hampshire Gazette Printing Office 6. Macphaedris - Warner House 7. St John Church--Chapel St 8. North Church--Market Square 9. Site of Town Pump & Stocks 10. Site of Negro Burial Ground 11. Moffatt--Land House 12. The Whipple Home 13. Samuel Penhallow House 14. Langdon House 15. Waterfront--Ceres Street 16. The Temple 17. South Church 18. South Ward Room 19. People’s Baptist Church 20. 14-16 Market Street 21. Navy Yard 22. Rosary Beauty Shop 23. Rockingham House 24. St. John’s Parish Hall 25. Langdon Slave Burying Ground - 1035 Lafayette Rd. (Rte. 1) 26. Site of Negro Court and Coronations - Portsmouth Plains, Middle Road 27. New Hope Baptist Church - 263 Peverly Hill Rd Related Black history sites in New Hampshire and Maine: 1. Harriet Wilson Memorial Bicentennial Park Milford, NH 2. Cartland House [private] Lee, NH 4. Wentworth Cheswell Family Burial Site. South Main St. Newmarket, NH 5. “Rock Rest” - Summer Guest House [private] Kittery Point, ME 6. Abyssinian Meeting House Munjoy Hill Portland, ME

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RESOURCES AND BUSINESS LINKS Affordable-Resumes.com aka Paper-Pushers Resume Drafting Service A+ rated for 6 years consecutively by the Better Business Bureau. This mother-daughter partnership provides online resume drafting, government KSA statements, and editing services to clients around the US and Canada, saving our clients time and money.

• Phone: (603) 740-1991 • Email: paperpushers15@gmail.com Troye anne fennell aka the creative temptress textile artist/quilt maker Creative bags, jewelry and cards. Recycle replenish repurpose.

Sobahsobee on Facebook. Nubiyana’s joy on Pinterest Contact: Troyegirl@gmail.com Kraft Salon Owner: Rachel Kraft Spa Beauty and Personal Care • Address: 27 La Fayette Rd. Hampton, NH 03842 • Phone: 603-964-6000

MORE BUSINESS LINKS: http://www.divineexcellencemagazine.net/ https://jckweatherspoon.wix.com/ddihttp://firstblackamerica.com/NH.html http://saacc-nh.org/ http://www.blackownedbiz.com/directory/location/united-states/new-hampshire/dover/ http://www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/ http://www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/res/poster.jpeg http://www.soulpurpose.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kraft-Salon/344685292295079 http://www.nhmagazine.com/March-2010/JerriAnne-Boggis/

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NEW HAMPSHIRE WOMEN OF COLOR NETWORK Ana Garcia

aggarcia1217@gmail.com

Andrea Williamson

awllmsn@gmail.com

Brenda Lett

nhbwhp@gmail.com

Claudette Williams

claudette007@gmail.com

Devonna Warner

pinkpalaceofbeauty@gmail.com

Donya Frank

donyafrank@gmail.com

Ericka Dupervil

ere29@wildcats.unh.edu

Ginny Towler

ginnytowler@me.com

Hon. Jackie Weatherspoon

jckweatherspoon@yahoo.com

Jacqueline Davis

jacqu80@comcast.net

Jade Caines

jade.caines@unh.edu

Jamila Phillips

jamilphi2@aol.com

Jerrianne Boggis

jaeboggis@gmail.com

Kanika Nevers

k.k.nevers@gmail.com

Linda Harriott-Gathright

info@snhobu.com

Lucresia Fields

lucresia@w4wc.com

Mary Georges

victorywomen@msn.com

Melanie Levesque

mievesque1@charter.net

Nadine Thompson

nadine15@comcast.net

Patty McGhee

pattymc@metrocast.net

Rashida Mohamed

rashiedahabeba@yahoo.com

Sonia Gaines

sgaines32@yahoo.com

Stephanie Hawkins Marshall

stephaniemarshall@hotmail.com

Thaline Rodene

thai2belle@gmail.com

Troye Fennell

troyegirl@gmail.com

Vilmarie Sanchez

vilmarie.sanchez@unh.edu 87

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Copyright Š 2014 by Nadine Thompson and Jacquelyne K Weatherspoon All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America First Printing, 2014 Self Published www.womenofnh.com

Influential & Phenomenal WOMEN OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

A collaborative project by: Nadine Abraham Thompson, MSW

&

The Honorable Jacquelyne K. Weatherspoon, MPA

WOMENOFNH.COM

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