Board of Aldermen Page 8
September 27, 2016
resolution R-16-068, the Welcoming America Initiative. As we move forward and in an even more
inclusive community change is already here. We cannot invent the future, it is already here. All we have
to do is open our eyes and help recreate what is and what we do not and cannot control. The second
reason that | am here is my short story of passion for Nashua. | was born in Birmingham, AL, under the
feet of the two of the most racist people in America; George Wallace, who was the Governor and the
Police Chief, Will Connor. In 1956, just returning from service, my term and career in conflict, | went to
register to vote in Birmingham, AL, and when | arrived at the place to register to vote, | was asked to tell
the number of jet peas in the jar. | started to react and an armed guard appeared with a hand gun and |
quickly left the building. Obviously, that’s why | am still living. After spending a few years in other cities
in America, | arrived in Nashua, NH. This city welcomed me unconditionally. See my website if you will,
it is HarveyT.com. | became a state representative, own a business here and raised my children. My
youngest daughter know, because she was an immigrant and just coming to this place, wen to Infant
Jesus and Nashua High, is now the Vice Provost at Saint Paul’s School in New Hampshire. That’s what
welcoming people can do for us. I’ve been told that before | got up here | had to sit down real fast and
I’m not going to sit down real fast but I’m going to say thank you so much and | urge you to join this body
to pass this resolution so that we can become, again, the shining city on the hill.
Chief Andrew Lavoie, Nashua Police Department
| am here to support Nashua as a Welcoming City. The Nashua Police Department is a major
stakeholder for inclusion and diversity programs across the city. Inclusion and welcoming strategies
bring a greater understanding between individuals with diverse backgrounds that reduce fear and build
strong neighborhoods, which in turn, help increase safety. We are all but one city and in my opinion
embracing diversity and quite frankly, celebrating diversity makes us stronger together.
Mr. Jared Barbos, 77 Lawrence Road
| am here tonight to speak in favor of the original legislation. | am here representing all of the hats that |
wear in the community, that being president of the Nashua Soccer Council, co-chair of One Greater
Nashua, director of REFA Soccer Club, guidance counselor at Amherst Street Elementary School and a
foster guardian at home, a father to my son, Lucas and a husband to Sarah. | am also here advocating
for our newcomers and our immigrant population and | am the son of an immigrant. Tonight | am going
to speak on behalf on Nashua’s social advocacy workers and the work that we do and what tonight
means tonight. Us, we, who put in countless amount of hours into the work for those that need it most.
I’m speaking about our social workers, our therapists, our guidance counselors, our teachers, our case
managers, our para-professionals, our cultural navigators at One Greater Nashua, our police officers, our
coaches and many more. Those who see no end to advocating for people and their needs, those who
have helped Nashua get back to be the 16" best cities in the country. What exactly does this have to do
with the legislation? | remember two things from my education that | received at our wonderful Rivier
University, one is that | love how our work was referred to being in the helping field and two, our field
calling out for us to advocate even more for our students, our youth and our families. What | have
noticed is that we don’t have a lot talkers in this city but we do have a lot of doers. We know that being in
the helping field that a lot of times it is a thankless job. This is job where success is not measured by how
much we make, it obviously isn’t the priority so what this piece of legislation means to those of us in the
helping field can’t necessarily be put into words. In many ways | guess if this moves forward this is what
would be considered our raise or our promotion. If we do move forward we will celebrate tonight but
know for tomorrow there is still work to be done and we will do it but with a brighter smile on our face.
Ms. Liz Fitzgerald, 20 Broad Street, United Way of Greater Nashua
Thank you for carefully considering this legislation. | am speaking tonight as an employee of the United
Way of Greater Nashua and also co-chair of the One Greater Nashua Coalition. | live in Brookline, NH,
but | consider Nashua my municipal home and the decisions you make as a policy making Board for
Nashua affect my community as well. | strongly urge you to support this legislation presented by Mayor
