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Black voices resounding across New Hampshire in wake of Floyd’s death

By DAMIEN FISHER - InDepthNH.org | Jul 2, 2020

It sadly may have taken the videotaped killing of a Black man by police almost half way across the country, but Rogers Johnson, president of the Seacoast NAACP, said people in New Hampshire and around the world are finally listening to the concerns of the Black community.

Johnson’s had Gov. Chris Sununu and other state leaders reach out to him in recent weeks in an effort to understand what Black people are saying, and where they are coming from.

Johnson said the viral video of the white police officer in Minneapolis killing George Floyd opened a lot of people’s eyes to the injustices African Americans face on a regular basis.

“We’ve been telling people about this for the past 40 or 50 years, and it took a video of someone getting killed for people to believe us, to understand it’s an issue. People now believe us,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the serene look on the face of Derek Chauvin, the white officer seen in the video with his knee on Floyd’s neck, brought home for many people the scope of the violence African Americans confront daily.

“He did not care,” Johnson said.

As Executive Councilor Andru Volinski is taking criticism for voting against two of Sununu’s Black nominees saying they weren’t qualified, the Democratic candidate for governor is endorsing a set of demands being made by Black Lives Matter’s Manchester and Nashua branches.

Volinski has been under pressure for weeks after he first called an African American candidate for the state board of education, Ryan Terrell a “token” and unqualified. Volinski is in a race with state Sen. Dan Feltes of Concord for the Democratic nomination and the right to take on Sununu in the fall.

He’s also accused of calling Eddie Edwards, an African American former police officer, and congressional candidate, unqualified to be executive director of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. No public hearing was scheduled for more than 100 days and Edwards, who also was the state Liquor Commission’s chief enforcement officer, recently withdrew his nomination.

It’s an issue that will likely play a role in the upcoming election.

Sununu responded to the Black Lives Letter demands voicing support for the changes they are seeking and touting his own record as governor.

“Promoting social justice and racial equality in New Hampshire has been, and continues to be, a top priority of my administration,” Sununu wrote in the letter released Tuesday.

Sununu signed off on marijuana legalization, created a Civil Rights Unit in the Department of Justice, and created a new commission to look at potential bias in policing in New Hampshire.

The Law Enforcement Commission on Accountability, Community and Transparency will meet Thursday, July 2 at 9:30 a.m. It is open to the public. More information can be obtained about remote access here: https://www.governor.nh.gov/accountability.

Sununu appointed Johnson to the commission and later added Edwards and Ronelle Tshiela, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Manchester, as the two public members.

Feltes released a statement that he plans to appoint a minority person to a newly created position of Executive Director of Racial Equality, whose job it will be to identify and eliminate racial disparities in the state.

Johnson said his members are meeting on Monday to discuss Volinski, with some considering calling for his resignation.

Volinski has since issued a statement responding to the criticism.

“I apologize for calling Eddie Edwards and Ryan Terrell unqualified,” Volinsky wrote. “There is a long history of Black people who have been unfairly dismissed as ‘unqualified.’ I failed to take that context into account when opposing these nominees.”

In responding to Black Lives Matter demands, he said New Hampshire needs to recognize the systemic racism at play in the Granite State.

“For New Hampshire to embrace its claim to equality and freedom, for it to succeed and economically thrive, we must do better in acknowledging and listening to the voices of Black and Indigenous communities that have always been present in New Hampshire as well as welcoming our rapidly diversifying communities that have seen many New American and refugee communities now begin to call New Hampshire home,” Volinski wrote.

The Black Lives Matter demands seek bias training for all police departments, a new civilian oversight board to monitor police, a new Racial Equality Task Force to deal with systemic racism, a plan to change the disproportionate incarceration of minorities, an order to stop using rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators, legalization of cannabis and clearing the criminal records of anyone convicted of a cannabis-related crime, as well as support for the New Hampshire Education Reform Initiative.

The Black Lives Matter letter states the New Hampshire Education Reform Initiative is “an initiative that seeks to provide resources and accountability structures to teachers, reform whitewashed curriculum, encourage community partnerships and promote policies that actively uproot systemic racism in New Hampshire’s education system.”

“These demands encompass a desire for bold, systemic change to meet this movement and a call to action for racial justice. The time for symbolic gestures of solidarity is over. We need action now,” the Black Lives Matter letter states.

Johnson hopes to hear from Volinski in the coming days on whether or not he will appear at the next meeting, set for Monday in Portsmouth. He said this will give the members of the Seacoast NAACP direct information about what Volinski said, instead of relying on social media and news outlets.

Volinski didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

“I think it’s in his best interest to explain that to the members of the branch what he meant,” Johnson said.

Johnson suspects members will vote to demand Volinski resign from the council. There are many people in the membership who have expressed their desire to see him resign, Johnson said. If that is how the members vote, Johnson will follow through with a formal request from the Seacoast NAACP.

“If those individuals rule the day, then I’ll make that request,” Johnson said. “If he comes to our meeting, he will have to stand up and explain himself to the people in the room. I can’t prevent members from voting to ask him to resign.”

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