Posts by Anthony Payton
Everything Kevin Powell knows about manhood today has come to him by questioning everything he thought he knew.
5 questions with playwright Robert Galinsky who is bringing his one-man show to The Dana Center on Sept. 20.
A community fundraising event is set for July 15, all for the love and support of a boy recovering from cancer surgery.
Over the next month, OurStoryNH will hold multiple workshops and story stations in Manchester to help people tell stories about what they experienced during the Covid pandemic. This is a way to bring people closer together, help with healing, and potentially open the doors of experiencing therapy through the arts.
Gangs can be alluring to at-risk youth, so intervention programs must shine even brighter.
When you’ve lost rights, even due to your own actions, you tend to wonder what the actual ramifications are, especially as you mature and become a contributing member of society. Yes, some ex-felons have actually learned their lesson, paid their debt to society, and now want to participate in the law-abiding and tax-paying ecosystem. As a taxpayer, maybe I’m wondering why there are so many potholes on my street and which elected officials can help fix them.
MyTurn, a nonprofit based in Manchester, connects kids and teens with people who have seen the impact of life on the streets.
With media setting popular narratives, representation matters.
I wish there was an easy answer. I think where I find my intersection is in seeing myself as a Black woman and being able to carry the legacy of both of those heritages, that history and seeing how they interconnect with one another, like slavery and colonialism are inextricably interlocked, but that’s not the totality of our culture and our experience. I am an African who grew up in America, who is American by culture.
There seems to be a universal friendly gesture, or hidden code if you will, among Black people here in New Hampshire. It’s the eye contact and head nod. Whether shopping for food, weaving through the aisles in Walmart, or sitting in traffic, that head nod means acknowledgment.
Manchester students struggled with online learning during the COVID era, and it began to reflect in their grades. But when a group of students saw where the city ranked in education last year, they felt a fire to change things.
Schonna Green has just celebrated one year as Manchester’s first director of homeless initiatives. During that short time, she facilitated a plan for more affordable housing and created a coalition of business owners, faith leaders, politicians and other community stakeholders. Through it all, Green has made her mark as a Black woman making real changes in New Hampshire. Here, Granite State News Collaborative columnist Anthony Payton interviews Green about what makes a successful troubleshooter.
Our city decided to call in a troubleshooter—a problem solver with a proven track record of making a difference. Enter Schonna Green. Schonna was brought in as the city’s first director of homeless initiatives and officially took the reins on April 15, 2021.
Whether natural or extended, Black hair represents strength, struggle, love, and perseverance.
Shaquwan’Da Allen, owner of Rootz Natural Hair Shop in Manchester, recently sat down with Granite State News Collaborative columnist Anthony Payton to discuss her journey as a businesswoman and the importance of hair in Black culture.
As we step foot into this new year and I continue crafting my goals for the year, I decided to reach back to a few young men from my past to get an update on where they are in life. I wanted to see if there was any advice that I could offer to them, or possibly have an exchange of ideas that could benefit us all. It turns out that they were doing well, but that wasn’t the case for some of the younger generation.
Longtime NH resident Shaunte Whitted is owner of SDW Communications where she does public relations, event planning, social media management, as well as assisting companies with fundraising. She is a doting mother, daughter and friend and passionate community activist.
This 33-year-old Army veteran runs his own business and mentors children.
As I made my way through the aisles, I got a stare from a white male, maybe in his mid-30s to early-40s. He had a scraggly beard, work boots, faded jeans, and a worn T-shirt. On his waist, an open-carry but holstered handgun. I’d made my complete assessment of him within seconds: Proud Boy member, Pro-White hate group, Far-right conservative. I just knew that in the parking lot, he likely had a 4×4 pick-up truck that was plastered with inflammatory and divisive slogans, topped with at least 16 American flags. I’ve seen this all before.
