Building Racial Equity in the Monadnock Region

The Y Welcomes a new Director of Development & Community Impact

We’re excited to announce that Gail Somers has joined the leadership team at the Keene Family YMCA as their new Director of Development & Community Impact. Prior to joining the team Gail served as a member of the Keene YMCA’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Y’s Social Justice Committee, and the Monadnock Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Coalition. She is also the proprietor of Yahso Jamaican Grille in downtown Keene. Join us in welcoming Gail to the Y!

Our next session with Gail Somers will take place virtually on Friday, July 15, from 10 – 11:30 am. In this session, we’ll review history and how it continues to impact the present.  Then, we’ll move on to creating equitable work plans with actionable steps. We’ve listened to many of our area businesses who are ready to do this work but are looking to identify some first action steps to take.

You’re Invited!

Juneteenth Weekend Celebration, June 17 – 19: This event was sponsored by the Monadnock Diversity Equity Inclusion & Belonging Coalition, part of the Keene Family YMCA. On June 17 at 9 PM, a Juneteenth Post-Celebration will take place at Yahso Jamaican Grille at 45 Main St. in Keene.

Thank You!!!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to The Local Crowd Monadnock’s Building Racial Equity in the Monadnock Region crowdfunding campaign! The campaign raised $1,501 of its goal of $2,000!

Gail Somers, owner of Yahso Jamaican Grille in Keene, New Hampshire, and Director of Development and Community Impact at the Keene Family YMCA, has offered two virtual roundtable sessions thus far with the Monadnock Food Co-op and its community. Her first session, “Racial Equity Growth Plan,” set the stage for future community discussions on racial equity awareness. It outlined the ultimate goal of what racial equity work is and examined structural and institutional racism, along with sharing local and regional organizations and resources that are engaging in racial equity work.

Her second session, ‘Building a Racial Equity Plan,” provided participants with tools to begin putting into action racial equity solutions that are tangible and measurable. This session involved how to create collective agreements, establishing a starting point for communities and organizations, developing a racial equity statement, reviewing policies within a DEI lens, and reviewing an example of a specific racial action plan as a practical objective.

Her next session with the Co-op has yet to be announced, but the Co-op looks forward to continuing to partner with Gail Somers, The Keene Family YMCA, and other regional organizations working to build racial equity in the Monadnock Region and beyond.