BIPOC SEACOAST LEADERS AWARDS
Back Lives Matter Seacoast is proud to present our first ever, BIPOC Seacoast Leaders Awards!
We created this event to honor the many wonderful people of color whose hard work has benefited the Seacoast. We believe that leaders come in many forms, and unfortunately, we haven’t seen BIPOC leaders recognized.
On Sunday February 28th at 6pm, Black Lives Matter Seacoast will be holding a virtual ceremony to honor and thank the amazing leaders who have made the Seacoast great.
We’ll be showcasing the work of BIPOC leaders from various disciplines and fields, and we hope to see you there! The Keynote Speaker and Nominees will be formerly announced prior to the event on our social media platforms!
FB Event Page here.
Special Brochure for The Event! here
HOST
Samantha Searles
Samantha Searles is an activist, actress, and aspiring journalist from Merrimack, NH and is a founding member of BLM Nashua. She will graduate in May with a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Suffolk University. You can catch her on New England Cable News once a month as she reports for Suffolk In The City!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Cordan James Haveron
Cordan James is a combat veteran of the United States Army and has obtained a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2018 and is currently pursuing his Masters in Organizational Leadership. Cordan’s diverse and impactful background has positioned him firmly as an effective Motivational Speaker. Cordan James’ hope is to touch as many lives as possible; to provide them with the same motivation, inspiration and determination that brought him to this point in his journey!
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE
Marlon Carey
Named “Best Hip Hop Poet” by the Cambridge Poetry Awards two years in a row, Marlon Carey has also been the Boston Cantab Lounge's "Grand Slam Champion". Marlon has been a TEDxBoston speaker and a presenter at a Providence presentation of Pechakucha. Carey has been a regular collaborator with local Storytelling troupe, RIBS (Rhode Island Black Storytellers), including Valerie Tutson, Raffini, and Len Cabral. With a blend of eclectic themes, wordplay and wit, Marlon brings a refreshing twist on performance poetry. His charming flow, poignant, clever lyrics and serious fondness for language are blended artfully to create a unique presentation.
AWARD WINNERS
Amaya Moore
Amaya Moore lives in Eliot, Maine and is a freshman at Berwick Academy. She is deeply passionate about social issues and has been taking steps of action through school, social media, and activism. Amaya is a co-leader of Berwick Academy’s diversity club and she is currently working with Maine Legislators and the Department of Education to try to mandate the teaching of African American history in Maine.
Aulia Castellano
Aulia is a junior and member of We Speak at Portsmouth High School (PHS). We Speak led the charge to having Portsmouth recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day and is collaborating with PHS to launch a social justice book club in the school. Aulia has created a social justice literacy matrix, a rubric to evaluate the credibility and quality of books that address race, ethnicity, religion and culture.
Cathryn F. Czajkowski
Cathryn Czajkowski (she/her/hers) is the Special Collections librarian at the Portsmouth Public Library and the co-founder of the library's Taskforce for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (TIDE). The group was formed in June 2020 as a space for library staff to discuss social justice issues and to critically examine the library's role in serving the Portsmouth community. Cathryn has a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. She was adopted from South Korea and raised in central Massachusetts.
Cindy Khoury
Cindy is an active member of her community and recently spoke out about the racism she and her daughters have faced as Asian Americans on the Seacoast during Covid. Cindy has worn many hats over the years; Les Mills and YogaFit instructor, personal trainer, dental hygienist, bookkeeper, owner of Cindy Khoury Properties LLC, and United States Air Force Veteran, founding member of the Exeter Chapter of Women Business League, and the owner of, “See Beauty in Everyone”. She is a life and style contributor for Seacoast Moms and Her piece, “On Being Asian in the Seacoast During Covid-19”, on the site was one of the most read on the site in 2020.
Courtney Daniel
Courtney Daniel is a creative strategist who lives by her own rules and makes things happen. As a nationally recognized award-winning business owner her dedication and ability to build relationships has afforded her the opportunity to work with top name celebrities in the industry. Courtney’s love for design won her national recognition for the United States Postal Service when she designed a postage stamp. In her spare time you can find her interviewing, connecting and sharing stories of members in the community through her online group No To Patterns™. Courtney lives on the Seacoast with her four kings.
Courtney D. Marshall, Ph.D.
Courtney’s path is always lit by the brilliant words of Black feminists. At Phillips Exeter Academy, she teaches English, runs one of the gender-expansive dorms, co-leads the annual Exeter Diversity Institute, facilitates two faculty antiracist book clubs, co-organizes the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, advises the Afro-Latinx Society, works on the First Gen Student Support Group, serves as an academic coach, and is Associate Dean of Advising. When she’s not at school, she studies ASL, teaches free exercise classes, and promotes revolutionary play on the Exeter Recreation Advisory Board.
Curtis D. Linton Jr
Curtis is a Mechanical engineering student who also plays football at UNH. He is a member of The National Society of Black Engineers is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers. During two years of research with the McNair Scholars Program, he was listed as the inventor on a provisional patent for a computer exercise device to be used in a microgravity environment to help astronauts work out in space so their muscles don't atrophy. He has had the opportunity to present my research at UCLA, UT-Austin, and Baylor University.
Kaylee Donovan Nihart
Kaylee Donovan Nihart is a biracial woman who opened The Gallery Salon in Portsmouth during the pandemic. She has been committed to having a welcoming environment for all races, genders, and cultures both in and out of her salon. This doesn't simply mean accepting all business. It means hiring skilled and diverse stylists representative of a diverse market, and trained to optimize all hair types, regardless of ethnic style. She has had exclusive cutting classes with black-beauty industry leader Ted Gibson. She created a two-year selective apprenticeship program at The Gallery for underprivileged girls, women, or any individuals with amazing potential who can't afford beauty school. She and her staff members have also used their gifts behind the chair to take care of women's hair, in a complimentary way, who are in recovery programs. The Gallery has made a commitment to the community, not to just be involved, but to be a force for inclusion and happiness in today's highly polarized society.
Trevon Bryant
Trevon Bryant was a high caliber athlete receiving 6 football scholarships to play Division 1 football. He committed to the University Of New Hampshire wildcats where he set records in being named the strongest athlete pound for pound in UNH’s athletics history and became the First 2x team captain. Trevon started a two-year master’s degree program in Adolescent development. Completing his undergrad in Human Development & Family studies, Trevon has always had a passion for the youth and their development. Trevon completed his master’s degree working as an academic advisor for undeclared freshmen at UNH, and then transitioned into where he is now as a Hall director in the Residential life department at UNH. While obtaining both jobs, Trevon has been sharing his message all over the world through his Motivational Speaking platform on social media, sharing his story and uplifting others.
Samrawit Silva
Samrawit is a graduate from Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). She has always been one to speak up, but UNH is where she became heavily involved in social justice, partaking in forming the 8PercentSpeaks movement at the University. It is her passion for justice that brought her to 350NH, where she currently works as an Electoral Climate Organizer. From helping organize peaceful protests to volunteering as a peacekeeper in recent protests in Concord, to speaking to the youth, Samrawit is always trying to bring attention to critical issues.
Project D.R.E.A.M
Project D.R.E.A.M. started in December 2018 after a racial incident polarized Dover High School and community. Students banded together to process the situation and decided to take action to make the school and community a more equitable place. Since this time the organizational goals have been to recruit members, raise awareness of issues pertaining to racism and inequity, advocate on behalf of marginalized communities and build our own collective understanding of race, identity and culture.
Bruce Seals
We will be presenting the family of Bruce Seals with a posthumous award for his incredible work that he did as athletic director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester in Boston, MA. He was an amazing leader, teacher to thousands of kids.