Board of Aldermen Page 6
September 27, 2016
community so others feel at home and they can make a contribution and building a stronger Nashua. |
feel that the Board made a very strong motion to accept My Brother's Keeper. That has taken form and
shaped our community and | believe the Mayor’s motion will also supplement that and provide more
emphasis among welcoming people to contribute their lives to the outstanding life that we have here in
the City of Nashua.
Ms. Adelina Hernandez, 56 Chestnut Street
| have lived in Nashua for 36 years and | work for the Nashua School District as para and | am part of
One Greater Nashua and | coordinate the Navigator Program which welcomes newcomers to our city
and help them navigate their way around Nashua. | strongly support the Mayor's resolution proclaiming
Nashua as a Welcoming City.
Ms. Ellen Barr, 5 Dinsmore Street
| want to say that | am part of One Greater Nashua. | work as a cultural navigator and we work together
as a diverse group of people working very hard to welcome newcomers into our community. | support
this resolution on a personal level because | personally am committed to being welcoming. | want to say
that there are so many other reasons to support it. We need to support this because immigrants help to
make our community vital. The economic vitality and cultural spirit of Nashua is enhanced when we
welcome. | know the importance of young immigrants coming to our community, especially in the context
of greying New Hampshire population and | will include myself in that population. | Know the richness of
language and music and art that diversity brings to our city. | also know that our safety is in increased
when the population in our neighborhoods is connected, not when they feel isolated. | ask you please to
vote in favor of the full resolution that affirms Nashua as a Welcoming City and make our city proud.
Ms. Leticia Meehan, 29 Grand Avenue
| am also speaking on behalf of my husband, Mark. We moved to Nashua a little over four years ago
and one of the things we looked at was the diversity. We are New Jersey and New York people but we
route for the Red Sox as long as they don't play the Yankees. We wanted a place with a diverse
community. | teach at Main Dunstable Elementary School and our families who have come from other
places, at least the parents, who were born outside of the United States, are coming in from India,
Pakistan, and Iran; from Latin American countries, Puerto Rico. Not only are these children working hard
and raising our test scores, there parents are working hard. They are in that school after school running
academic clubs for those kids. They are winning awards and going to regional competitions. They are
running track. These people are enriching us and helping my school look better. | am also here because
| am American and | love this country and | love our values and that we value freedom and value
welcoming others from other countries here. | love that we are the land of the free and the home of the
brave. In this day in age let’s not kid ourselves; it takes bravery to be welcoming. | agree with my fellow
Nashuans when they said that we are safer when we are connected. Every morning at Main Dunstable
we Say to our kids, | want to urge you guys that we need to lead by example. “H is for Help others; A,
always do the right thing; W, welcome everyone; K, kindness matters and S, safety first.”
Mr. Paul Racioppi
| represent the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, a non-profit, non-partisan statewide
organization with hundreds of members here in Nashua. | am here tonight to support all of the Nashua
residents who have spoken out and will be speaking out in support of this resolution. The ACLU
supports their efforts and hopefully Nashua will continue to be a leader in welcoming people of all
cultures and ethnicities and races and backgrounds.
