Cultural Connections Committee

Nashua Ethnic Awareness Committee Minutes – January 19, 2012 – Room 208, City Hall Members present: Ann Ackerman, Paul Bergeron, Sgt. Carlos Camacho, Jennifer Hinderer, Sharon Dalton, Karen Emis-Williams, Scott Jacquith and Alderman Kathryn Vitale. Guests: Andrew Smith, Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett, and Elias Muchuma Niva. Meeting was called to order at 4:05 pm. Ann Ackerman chaired. Introductions followed. The chair stated that the last meeting of the Gate City Initiative committee had been changed and that no one present at today’s EAC meeting had attended. General discussion about the current state of refugee resettlement in Nashua followed. Andrew Smith reported that 10 – 11 people attended the last meeting of the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC). He stated that a lot of people do not understand what DMC’s purpose is, and he explained the goals of DMC and the role that the program serves for Juvenile Justice Services and the families that they seek to assist. Discussion followed as to how the Committee might be able to assist DMC, and committee members expressed an interest in assisting by sponsoring a forum for parents, educators, city officials, and other interested parties, perhaps using the auditorium at the Nashua Public Library. Committee members agreed that they would try to compile lists of people who could be invited to such a forum and that further discussion about hosting the forum would occur at the Committee’s next meeting. Under Old Business, the chair said that she would forward the most current resource list that she has compiled to the City Clerk The chair reported that she had forwarded additional names to the Mayor for appointment to the committee and that the Interfaith Council had designated a member. She also reported that the School Department representative had changed and that Scott Jacquith would be representing the School Department going forward. The chair also stated that elections had not been held for some time and that the committee would need to look to see if someone else would be willing to serve in that capacity. Ann Ackerman reported that the upcoming Interfaith Conference on Poverty will be inviting about 80 people to attend a meeting. The date for the meeting looks like it might be February 26th. They want to mobilize a large group to work on issues related to poverty. The committee discussed a schedule for future meetings and decided to next meet on the third Thursday of February beginning at 3:30 pm. At 4:55 pm, Mr. Smith moved to adjourn. Motion seconded by Alderman Vitale. Meeting adjourned at 4:55 pm. Respectfully submitted, Paul R. Bergeron