Daily Archives: December 27, 2021

The first draft of MITs Strategic Action Plan for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was released in the spring of 2021. After an extended comment period that has included dozens of focus groups, community engagement sessions, and presentations to the campus and alumni communities, as well as email and inputs from all corners of MIT, the plan is now being updated.

In a conversation prepared for MIT News, Institute Community and Equity Officer John Dozier reflects on what he has learned about MIT since he assumed his role in March 2020, the current state of the plan, and his hopes for its implementation.

Q: Tell us about the process of creating MITs Strategic Action Plan.

A: In my experience, good plans emerge from processes that are geared toward consensus building amongst key stakeholders. A good plan will give us not only a roadmap for our efforts over the next five years, it will also help us to think more collaboratively about how we can eliminate the sometimes-large disparities in experiences between members of our community. It will allow us to evaluate how well were doing by assessing what is working and what isnt, so that we can divest ourselves of things that arent effective and put our time, energy, and resources into things that are. In short, given that inclusion is essential to excellence, a good plan will help us take meaningful steps toward an MIT that truly welcomes, respects, and brings out the best in everyone.

Getting started, we wanted to draw on existing institutional knowledge. So, we tapped a group of faculty, staff, students, and postdocs who know MIT well to serve as a steering committee. We went through multiple earlier reports that identified patterns of inequity at MIT, mapped out an initial list of more than 170 possible ideas to move the community forward, and talked broadly about what we wanted the plan to achieve. All of this came together as a first draft, which was then reviewed with senior leadership and subsequently released to the MIT community.

The first round wasnt a complete draft of what most people (ourselves included) would call a strategic plan. For example, it didnt articulate goals or say anything about resources. Our aim with the first draft was to gain an understanding of whether we were pointed in the right direction before determining goals, who would be accountable, and the resources needed to support the plan. Yet, much of the feedback we received reflected frustration with that lack of clarity. In addition, our process led to several members of the steering team feeling that the revisions posed by senior leadership occurred without their engagement and ultimately weakened the draft.

Starting in the summer, we took a step back, slowed down, and refocused on building agreements. We centered our efforts on developing shared interest statements related to each part of the plan. With agreement on our shared interests, or the what, we could move to advance consensus about the actions that we will take, or the how.

Q: How would you describe the challenges you have encountered in this process?

A: The two words I heard most frequently when I started at MIT were decentralization and trust as in, the gulfs of trust that exist between different segments of our community. As we embarked on the strategic planning process, which requires trust and ideally leads to more systematic and coordinated efforts, we were really challenged by these realities.

Another challenge that has emerged, especially over the last several months, is the sheer volume of related efforts around the Institute. For example, the Values Statement Committee was charged with articulating the principles that tie our community together, and the members of Task Force 2021 and Beyond were asked to make a plan for MITs post-pandemic future. Each of these efforts along with others overlap with this plan, but each overlap is different. If we can leverage all of the expertise driving these efforts, it will dramatically increase our chances for success, and I think it will make more sense to people.

Additionally, MIT has already done a lot of really important work around creating a more inclusive and healthy community. But that work hasnt been particularly well coordinated. We need to identify how to merge the past into the present as we look toward the future. Having people think of this plan as their last, best, maybe only chance to get their concerns addressed by the Institute makes it much more difficult to be strategic.

Also, weve done the vast majority of our strategic plan development without the benefit of being physically present with one another. From a personal perspective, learning about the culture of MIT and getting to know members of this community has been tremendously exciting but it has also been a serious challenge, because I started in this role the very day that the campus was closed as a response to the pandemic. Developing new relationships while leading an effort to redefine organizational effectiveness through a people-first lens without actually meeting people has been daunting. There is something to be said for being in the same place at the same time.

And lastly though its more of an opportunity than a challenge MIT has made some major additions to our expertise and capacity since we started work on the plan. The new assistant deans for diversity in each of the schools and the college, plus other new staff in academic departments and other units will provide new levels of leadership and support for school- and department-based efforts. We need their help to address both our broader challenges and our more local ones, but they continue to need time for onboarding and orientation in order to be truly effective.

Q: What have you learned while creating this plan?

A: In short, I have learned a lot. We started with a focus on maximizing efficiency. Over the last couple decades, MIT leadership has received many reports that focus on the challenges experienced by members of our community who are underrepresented and the changes needed to better support them. We were intentional about engaging the data from these reports. A significant number of people within the MIT community took the time to respond to surveys, attend focus groups, and provide input that contributed to these reports. Our assumption was that the reports represented a kind of consensus position from which we could start.

In hindsight, I understand that even while our senior leadership team, students, staff, postdocs, and faculty value and were engaged with the information from past reports, they need their own opportunity to influence what MIT is committing to and how that work will be done. Additionally, they want to understand how existing and additional resources will be organized and allocated, the details of the plans intended impact over time, how the plan will connect with values such as free expression, and how we will hold ourselves accountable.

Addressing all of these needs requires a process that is different from the efficiency-based process that we adopted at the beginning, and it has required more time. There are certainly things that I would do differently based on what I know now. However, I think its important that we are learning, growing, and pivoting to make this a meaningful process that advances the Institutes mission and creates an environment that addresses community needs and reflects a deep commitment to being more inclusive.

Q: How does free expression connect with the strategic action plan?

A: It connects directly. Ive heard from members of our community that they see a tension between how we value free expression and our commitment to ensuring that everyone at MIT feels valued and supported. I dont think of these values as being in tension with one another. Rather, I see them as being interdependent.

We cannot create and sustain a community where people from the whole range of backgrounds and viewpoints truly feel a sense of belonging unless we commit to their right to constructively share their ideas, thoughts and considerations. Similarly, we cannot have a community that values free expression without an equal commitment to creating and sustaining a sense of belonging where everyone feels their identity and contributions are respected and valued. Free expression is vital for our community to function in a healthy way but by the same token, free expression cannot mean a free pass to be intentionally demeaning or harmful.

Civil discourse, critical thinking, and empathy are at the core of how we create and sustain a strong sense of community at MIT. These are the skills that are needed to make connections between our values for free expression and belonging.

Q: What do you think will be the most important outcome of the plan?

A: I always start with hope I have hope and confidence in our communitys ability to realize MITs mission in ever more powerful ways. There is a remarkable energy and desire to create a better, more inclusive community at the Institute. In my mind, when theres a lot of energy around doing something so meaningful and you can combine that energy with a lot of really smart people, how can you not be hopeful?

I also believe that a plan that results in more positive experiences for those who have been marginalized in our community will fuel the creativity, breadth, and volume of our research, teaching, and learning while enhancing our overall effectiveness. Without this effort, we hinder our ability to fully achieve the Institutes mission. With it, we cultivate our communitys capacity for trust, for expansive thinking, and for appreciating the deep human impact of everything we do.

Ultimately, the priorities, commitments, and actions that emerge from this process will be informed by the lessons passed down to us from the past, by our lived experiences in the present, and by our shared commitment to whats possible when we embrace inclusion as an essential element of excellence. All of us will be responsible for making that commitment real, in all of our actions, throughout our time at MIT.

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Q&A: John Dozier on the Strategic Action Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - MIT News

One lingering impact from the pandemic has been the absence of some young families that once attended church with regularity. As our smaller churches have at times struggled to rebuild a ministry to children and students, our team is asked if there are certain events or even staffing that will create a solution.

Often, our most strategic and effective solutions are not the costliest. If your church is struggling to rebuild a ministry to children and students, consider these ideas . . .

1. Lead the church to pray for this younger generation.

Even the most conservative estimates would measure the number of lost students in Generation Z in our country at over 50 million more than 10 times the population of our state! Our

communities are filled with young people separated from Christ. This must become a consistent and churchwide prayer emphasis.

2. Plan how the church will disciple and care for children and students before they begin to attend.

There are some churches that are frustrated that no young people attend. However, if the Lord quickly brought a dozen teenagers, would the church be ready with a plan to disciple and minister to them? The lack of numbers now should not limit the plans for tomorrow.

3. Make an intentional effort to partner and serve a local school.

Our schools contain the greatest concentration of lost teenagers anywhere in our communities. Churches should seek sincere and ongoing ways to serve and partner with a local school campus

to build friendships with leaders and help support its work of education. Again, the priority is to serve the school, not use it as a bulletin board for church events.

4. Do for one young person what you would love to do for many.

Instead of lamenting the lack of a strong ministry, as a leader resolve to mentor and disciple one young person in your community. Be an example to the flock and equip members of the church to do likewise. These are the relationships that will bring children and students to our churches.

Recognize that reaching and discipling children and students is the ministry of the church not a few volunteers or even staff members. The task is difficult, the work is messy, but the stakes are too high to neglect this essential ministry.

Matt Flanagan is children and student ministry consultant for the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

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BAPTIST LIFE: 4 suggestions on building a ministry to children and students - Kentucky Today

Noelle D. Lilley Nolle D. Lilley is a southern California native learning to From sequels to beloved 90s horror movie franchises to documentaries that uncovered an important historical moment in Black American music, these were the 10 best films of 2021.

Twenty Twenty-One was a great year for films. In the face of an ongoing pandemic, the movie industry managed to still release a number of films across genres that were well-received, whether critically and/or commercially. Some of those films happened to be sequels to beloved 90s horror movie franchises, while others were documentaries that uncovered an important historical moment in Black American music. Whether you watched some of these safely in the confines of your home or socially-distanced in a movie theater, these were the 10 best films of 2021.

Audiences had been waiting for a long time for Nia Decosta and Jordan Peeles Candyman after its original June 2020 release date was delayed three times because of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was well worth the wait. A sequel to the 1992 slasher film, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony McCoy, an artist struggling to find his next inspiration while living with his art gallerist girlfriend (the always-charming Teyonah Parris; bonus points for two dark-skinned leads!) in a gentrifying Chicago. The couple live in a community that was once terrorized by Candyman, a paranormal, hook-handed murderer who was said to appear and kill his victims if they said his name five times. When Anthony begins to channel the legend of Candyman into his work, he unintentionally becomes his next vessel. The movie is more gruesome than scary and it can be easy to get lost among all its twists and turns and flashbacks. But its strengths lie in how it blends real-life issues of gentrification, white gate-keeping, and police violence with all the guts and gore youd expect from a horror film.

For years, Black audiences have pushed for movies that didnt rely on Black trauma: more sci-fi, more romcoms, and fewer slave narratives. Their calls were answered in 2021 with Concrete Cowboy,Netflixs family drama about a rebellious teenager who is sent to live with his estranged father. Concrete Cowboy premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2020, but wasnt available to stream until 2021. The movie takes its title from the communities of Black urban cowboys across the U.S., and even calls on real members of Philadelphias Fletcher Street riding community to play supporting characters. Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin are sincere and heartbreaking as a father and son duo struggling to understand each other and heal past wounds. The final act is weighed down by a somewhat stereotypical plot development involving a friend-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks (a mistake in writing to no fault of actor Jharrell Jerome, whose star power shines as bright as ever), but its a moving, family-friendly movie about the power of community thats a refreshing change of pace.

Although this film had a limited release in 2020, One Night in Miami graced most screens at home in 2021 from Amazon Studios. Its a fictionalized retelling of a meeting between Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) in 1964. The men, real-life friends, are celebrating Alis win over Sonny Liston at the Hampton House in Miami, guarded by Nation of Islam security. In her directorial debut, Regina King wisely keeps this film in a time capsule, focusing on each man on the precipice of a major change: Malcolm X leaving the Nation of Islam, Muhammad Ali changing his name from Cassius Clay, Jim Brown retiring from the NFL to pursue acting, and Sam Cooke releasing A Change Is Gonna Come. Each performance here is stellar, with the actors finding their way around the sometimes stagey limitations of a film adapted from a play. As the men bicker like siblings and make up as fast as they fight, they push the audience to ask ourselves what we expect from our idols, heroes, and leaders, and what is their responsibility to us?

A quick weekend getaway goes wrong when a waitress accompanies an exotic dancer, her boyfriend, and a mysterious roommate on a money-making trip to Florida, only to quickly realize the trip is much more than she signed up for. Another 2020 film that was pushed because of COVID-19, Zola is based on the viral Twitter story that invented threads before threads were a thing. Its equal parts hilarious and visually stunning with creative editing, and good pacing and story structure. Zola feels like a mix between a Tyler Perry thriller, an indie arthouse drama, and a dark comedy that, in lesser hands, would feel cringey and overstimulating. But thanks to the intentional direction of Janicza Bravo (with a thoughtful script co-written by Jeremy O. Harris),Zola sticks the landing with lots of uncomfortable laughs along the way.

A star-studded cast comes together for a fantastical romp in the Old West. The best part of this film is how it subverts the traditional Western genre, taking real-life cowboys and outlaws but reimagining them, resulting in one of the few Westerns with a primarily Black cast. This is a movie where everyone pulls their weight: Jonathan Majors as Nat Love, Idris Elba as Rufus Buck, Regina King as Trudy Smith, and more. Its a stylish and energetic time, as fast-paced as the pistol-whipping fight sequences that take place throughout (particularly between Love and Bucks team of sharp-shooters that culminates in the end of the twos long-fought and bitter rivalry). Unfortunately, the film disappointed some when it cast fair-skinned, biracial German-American actress Zazie Beetz to play the plus-sized, dark-skinned legend, Stagecoach Mary. In spite of this, the movie is saved by being playful and imaginative, one of two films this year paying true homage to the under-tapped history of Black cowboys.

A thoroughly buoyant film, King Richard finds Will Smith at the peak of his powers as he plays a Compton father raising two future world-renowned athletes: Venus and Serena Williams. Here, Smith gets to tap into his comedic timing in a way we havent seen in years, and delivers monologue after gut-wrenching monologue that just knocks the wind out of you. And best of all, hes evenly matched with Aunjanue Ellis (excellent in HBOs Lovecraft Country) as the Williams matriarch. Those familiar with the legendary tennis duos rise to fame in the 90s and 2000s will enjoy many of the scene-by-scene reenactments from this once-in-a-lifetime story. And for others learning for the first time, its a heartfelt family drama that manages to touch on racism, pressure, and sacrifice.

Most everyone has heard of 1969s Woodstock, but Questloves documentarySummer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) depicts the lesser-known (but equally impactful) Harlem Cultural Festival of the same year. The doc is heavy on the archival footage, restoring decades-old clips of performances from Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Stevie Wonder with breathtaking color and clarity. The doc also tracks down attendees and performers alike, as they all reminisce about that memorable summer in Harlem. Its a great educational journey for folks who might be hearing about this historic event for the first time, and it masterfully connects the Civil Rights Movement of the past to the one in our present day.

Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield prove why theyre two of the biggest stars of their generation as Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and William ONeal (the man who would eventually betray him), respectively, in Judas and the Black Messiah. The combined brilliance of Shaka King, the Lucas brothers, and Will Berson brings this story to life with an electrifying script, and a powerful message of racial justice that rings true now more than ever. This is one of the first films, and perhaps the most notable, to chronicle the short life of Hampton. It also does the important work of painting a true picture of the Black Panther Party, one that shows the group in their fullness from community outreach like the partys Free Breakfast for Children program to the Rainbow Coalition, a multiracial movement that united working class organizers like the white Southern Young Patriots and the Latino-led Young Lords.

A prison drama unlike any other, Night of Kings displays the power of the West African oral tradition with breathtaking stakes and dazzling visuals. Philippe Lactes fantasy takes viewers into a fictionalized account of the notorious La Maca prison on the Ivory Coast, where Bakary Kon is the latest inmate. Here, the prison is run by the prisoners and the ruler of them all is the ailing Dangro Blackbeard, who is being pressured to leave his post. To stall the prison uprising, he appoints Kons character as the facilitys new Roman, a griot or storyteller in West African cultures. But what this new Roman doesnt know is that if the story ends, he dies. This movie is magical and gritty with a clear knowledge of Ivory Coast politics, blending fable with fact for a thoroughly out-of-body experience.

Based on the novel by Nella Larson, Passing is a quietly poignant film that explores the choices that shape our lives. Irene is a well-to-do Black wife in 1920s Harlem whose life is flipped upside down by the return of her childhood friend, Clare, who is now passing for white. A Netflix original, this movie is one of the few mainstream films to explore colorism, Black elitism, and what it means to be white-passing. Is Blackness solely determined by genotype or phenotype? Ancestry? Or is it about shared experience, socialization, culture? A mix of them all? Its like that thought experiment of a tree falling in a forest: if no one knows youre Black, are you still Black? Tessa Thompson plays Irene with a fluster of anxiety and repression, and although Ruth Neggas racial passability was much-debated, her Clare is like a black widow: both beguiling and untrustworthy. The tension consistently amps up as the movie goes on, and it even subtly includes the homerotic undertones of the book that some critics and scholars have overlooked. Passing will keep you on the edge of your seat with an ending thats unforgettable.

Nolle D. Lilley is a southern California native learning to appreciate seasons. She is an alum of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She cut her reporting teeth in Bakersfield, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Washington D.C., where she covered the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting, 2017 Congressional Baseball shooting, and other national stories, as well as hyperlocal stories that speak to equity, representation, and social justice. Her work can be found in the Chicago Reader, theGrio, CNN, The Nation, Arizona PBS, BKLYNER, amNewYork, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City where she works as a television reporter for News 12 Networks, and is working on her first novel.

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Okayplayers 10 Best Films Of 2021 - Okayplayer

SUKANTA NAG | ADDA COFFEE & TEA HOUSE OWNER AND ONETEN CHIEF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Are there family-sustaining jobs in technology, sales, manufacturing, health care and other professions that can be successfully filled by workers without four-year degrees?

Yes, according to OneTen, a relatively new national coalition that aims to hire, promote and advance 1 million Black workers without four-year degrees over the next 10 years hence the name, for 1 Million in Ten Years by urging companies to focus on skills and competencies rather than just academic credentials.

This coalition of employers, talent developers, education partners and community organizations says the focus should be on creating pathways for Black talent to enter family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement.

Pittsburghs Sukanta Nag, an entrepreneur and owner of Adda Coffee & Tea House and other local businesses, recently was tapped to be the coalitions chief information and technology officer. He says Pittsburgh, with its wide range of industries, is an ideal city for OneTen.

We got a lot of strong support from local leaders, including the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Vibrant Pittsburgh, The Andy Warhol Museum and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, he said about an October presentation Downtown about OneTen.

MAURICE JONES | CEO ONETEN

The coalition came out of 2020, says OneTen CEO Maurice Jones, who is based in Norfolk, Virginia. You had a pandemic with disproportionate impacts on communities of color. You had a recession that had the same disproportionately adverse impact on the same populations.

Those events, combined with the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others, spurred business leaders into action, he says. The business community knew it had good, quality jobs, but those jobs werent equally accessible. And, in their inaccessibility, they were contributing to the countrys racial wealth gap.

If you look at jobs that pay $60,000 and above, on paper, 79% of them require a four-year degree, says Jones, the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If you look at jobs that pay $40,000, on paper, 71% of them require a four-year degree. Then, if you look at the labor force, what you find is among Black talent ages 25 and above, 76% of us do not yet have a four-year degree.

That is a systemic barrier to earning your way into the middle class, he adds. So they picked that problem. They said, We can solve that.

According to the Census Bureaus 2019 American Community Survey, 53.6% of white Pittsburghers have a bachelors degree or higher, whereas only 18.5% of Black residents hold the same.

Sabrina Saunders Mosby, CEO of Vibrant Pittsburgh, says theres already a significant base of employers here, from the financial industry to the health systems to the new tech startups that are gravitating to the region.

SABRINA SAUNDERS MOSBY | VIBRANT PITTSBURGH CEO

Our country is becoming more diverse from a racial and ethnic perspective, she says. The talents of today and tomorrow will be more diverse, and so, if you cannot as an employer, as a region attract and retain diverse talent, then youre going to consistently be understaffed and have an inability to be productive in your industry.

As with other cities in the country, Mosby says, Weve seen significant disparities among communities of color that span back decades that are directly [tied to] systemic inequities and racism that we are still trying to rectify today.

OneTens mission, she says, creates an opportunity for our regions businesses who have already made a commitment to diversify in the workforce a goalpost that they can strive for.

The effort is also directly in line with [Vibrant Pittsburghs] mission and my professional goals as CEO to make Pittsburgh a destination of choice, she says.

According to Mosby, being a destination of choice doesnt just involve bringing new talent into the city; it is also about lifelong residents being able to say, I am not bound to the region because of lack of opportunity. I choose to stay here because of the opportunity.

Within the creative community, Nag says The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore is launching a workforce development program centered on the creative economy. He says, If you look at some of the emerging marketing techniques that people are using through Instagram, TikTok amazing talent [and] a lot of them never go to college if theyre working independently. But if you look for the same kind of job in a corporation, theyre looking for 10 years experience and college degrees.

While the coalition has already begun partnering with large, national employers such as Bank of America and IBM to urge them to reduce the number of jobs requiring four-year degrees, Nag says it will eventually expand to include mid-sized companies and small businesses.

Nags team is responsible for what he calls the technology ecosystem of the coalition, specifically the online career marketplace the beta version of which launched in July 2021 where employers, talent and training programs will be able to match with each other.

Making the magic happen, says Nag, a native of Bangladesh who came to the region to attend Slippery Rock University 26 years ago and stayed here.

Businesses that want to get involved must commit to four things, Jones says: providing jobs right now that dont have a four-year degree; removing the degree requirement where its unneeded; learning from other business best practices for recruiting, retaining and advancing Black talent without four-year degrees; and staying with the coalition for 10 years.

As Mosby saw with local diversity and inclusion efforts in 2020, Those organizations that were intentional in their efforts to build policies or change or shape policies that focus on inclusion and equity the action and impact will outlive those promises and the sentiments that were made as well.

In order to reach Black talent, OneTen is tapping into established, trusted relationships in communities such as the Urban League, the NAACP and faith-based organizations. Jones says there are also nearly 1,000 community colleges throughout the country with an estimated total of 350,000 Black students who can be reached through direct marketing and Black media.

The potential impact of OneTen goes beyond salary.

The Brookings Institute reports that 30% of Pittsburghs families earn below the $21.62-per-hour family-sustaining wage benchmark. They estimate that there would need to be more than 80,000 family-sustaining jobs to bring those families out of that category of struggling.

Family-sustaining wages will allow [individuals] to advance in a variety of other capacities: home ownership, perhaps even entrepreneurship, education, many of the areas that are connected to social determinants of health, says Mosby. This is a pivotal shift in the way that were thinking. That will and can change communities, specifically communities of color for years to come.

Says Nag: Its a win-win-win. Its a win for the talent. Its a win for the employer because they could get amazing talent. And its a win for our city and our region for economic growth and prosperity.

Amy Whipple is a part-time writer, part-time church secretary and full-time awesome. In addition to Pittsburgh Magazine, her work can be found in PublicSource, HuffPost and VICE, among others.

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How the OneTen Coalition is Ensuring Black Talent Without Four-Year Degrees Grow Their Careers - Pittsburgh Magazine

After their kids were grown, Tom Wetmore and Heidi Marcotte started dancing.

For more than a decade, the Hartland couple would attend dances or lessons at least once a week and often more. Theyd waltz, fox trot, West Coast swing and nightclub two-step alongside other dancers throughout the Upper Valley.

But the couple havent attended a dance in the Upper Valley since the early days of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered activities for them and others like them.

The Upper Valley had a really big dance community, Wetmore said. Its good stimulation for our brains, physically and mentally. Its good exercise. We miss it.

Every social activity has been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have started to make a comeback. Choir groups and community bands are once again rehearsing and performing. People can sit in theaters to watch live shows or gather in a concert hall to watch a band play. But its been almost two years since Upper Valley social and contra dancers have cut a rug together.

There is truly a dynamic that is very special that happens in the ballroom or at the Black Center when we have our dances, said Kristina Cole, of Grantham, one of the founding members of the Fourth Saturday Dances, which take place at the Richard W. Black Community Center in Hanover. Theres the lights, the music, the camaraderie, and even being an observer of the dancing motivates you to dance. Theres a wonderful dynamic that occurs that we certainly are missing. Theres a magical dynamic that were missing.

Social dancing is loosely defined as any dance that involves a partner. It doesnt allow for social distancing like a line dance, where people can spread out. While there have been some smaller, private dance events in the Upper Valley since the pandemic began, none have been like the dances that used to draw dozens of people.

Last winter, Wetmore and Marcotte had hoped that, come spring and summer with vaccination, things would be different and that they would be able to return to dancing. Then Marcotte got a breakthrough COVID-19 infection after attending an outdoor event, and they became more cautious.

That kind of knocked the wind out of our sails, Wetmore said.

The couple attended two weddings and danced together, but the whole time we were wondering, Maybe we shouldnt be doing this. Sometimes they dance together at home, but it isnt the same.

Thats the case for Miriam and Gary Durkee, of Thetford, who used to go dancing at least twice a week before the pandemic. The Thetford couple would dance at the Black Center or at an area venue if one of their favorite bands was playing. Theyve developed a particular love for West Coast swing and tango in the more than 30 years theyve spent dancing together.

Theres something about dancing in a group with people dancing, you get energy from other people. Its just not the same to dance in your home together, Miriam Durkee said. Its definitely had an effect on our social life.

In the meantime, Miriam Durkee has continued taking line dance classes with Jamie Orr. She and Gary snowshoe in the winter and golf in the summer to stay active.

Dancing is somewhat athletic; Im not athletic at all. I have no interest in sports, she said. Dancing is just so it just lights up my life.

Its the same for the instructors. Orr, of Enfield, has taught dance in the Upper Valley for decades, and the pandemic halted his group social dance classes. He has worked with individual couples who are preparing to dance at their weddings.

If I didnt teach line dancing, I would have very little business right now, said Orr, who also helps facilitate the Fourth Saturday Dances.

During events hosted by the Dartmouth Argentine Tango Society, community members and students would dance side by side to learn from each other. Partners would take turns leading and following.

Like other forms of social dance, tango stopped. This summer, there was an event featuring instructors from New York City, but it was open only to members of the Dartmouth community.

Tangos a less socially distanced dance, said Armin Helisch, the societys adviser. You dance in an embrace, and its a close embrace.

He and his partner-in-life Marta Ceroni, who teach tango classes at Dartmouth, have a dance floor in their Enfield home that now holds exercise equipment.

Somehow its much more fun to do it in the community because its a social dance. Its meant to be social, Helisch said. For ourselves somehow we dont feel as inspired to do it.

Over the summer, dance instructor Gina Sonne, of Norwich, briefly tried to bring back weekly waltzes to St. Barnabas Church in Norwich. After about three weeks, she stopped them due to lack of interest.

People were scared, and people were busy in the summer, she said. I dont think they wanted to be indoors.

She currently does not have a timeline to resume the dances. COVID-19 case rates are rising, and shes not sure she can guarantee that all attendees, even if theyre fully vaccinated, will be safe.

Around 25 years ago, Dave Beaufait attended a Dawn Dance in Brattleboro, Vt., where he met his future wife, Sharon.

We didnt know each others names for a month or two, but now weve been together for 25 years, Dave Beaufait said. I worked a lot, so it was a good way to socialize with a lot of people. I love the music. I love to move and it was a way of doing that.

Like social dancing, contra dancing a form of folk dance that requires close contact with other participants has largely been paused in the Upper Valley. Dave Beaufait, an Enfield resident who is chair of the Norwich Dance Committee and president of Muskeg Music, the umbrella nonprofit organization for the committee, said the last dance that was held at their home base of Tracy Hall was in February 2020. The group had been hoped to hold a New Years Eve dance there this month, but those hopes were dashed as COVID-19 started to surge again. Now, they have nothing scheduled through the end of their season in June.

That may change if something miraculous happens, but I dont expect that, Dave Beaufait said.

The twice-monthly dances at Tracy Hall used to draw 60 to 100 people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Its something that the whole community can participate in, young and old, very inclusive and welcoming and energetic and just really a great sense of community, Sharon Beaufait said. It doesnt matter if youre dancing with a child or someone 90 years old: People are smiling and just having fun. And for me its unbridled joy.

The Ed Larkin Dancers, a contra dance group that has been around for close to a century, performed at the Tunbridge Worlds Fair this year just like they have in years past. But it was a different performance: Instead of going out in the crowd to get audience members to dance with them, they stuck to the stage.

When it started, we basically stopped all dancing altogether, said Bill Matoon, president of the group, which has around 18 active members. This June, they started meeting again to prepare for the fair and they plan to meet in the future, as long as everyone is comfortable.

Live music is a staple of contra dance and musicians who regularly performed at them have also been greatly impacted. There have been some virtual concerts where musicians play dances and people are encouraged to dance in their homes. But just like social dancing, it isnt the same.

We are exploring some carefully formatted concerts with vaccine requirement and mask mandate as well as social distancing and therefore limited capacity in order to be able to support some of the bands that play the live music for us, Dave Beaufait said.

The activity of dance itself is missed, but in many ways the social connections are missed even more. Whatever the style of dance, there would be breaks for people to talk and eat. Communities formed over a shared interest flourished. Its also curtailed the ability to hone skills that people have worked for years to develop.

I practice at home by myself almost every day, but its hard, Michael Dathe, of Strafford, said. It is, I dont know what the word would be, awful isnt a strong enough word. Its just crushed my own development. My development has just stopped.

Dancing is also a physical activity. People stretch their muscles and move fast, increasing their heart rates.

Dancing was my main form of exercise, said Kim Witmer, who has been dancing with her husband, Alan, for more than a decade. We were heading into empty nest syndrome. We just wanted something we could do for us to help nurture our relationship.

The Lebanon couple would dance at least twice a week and sometimes head up to the White Mountains for larger dances. The Black Centers Fourth Saturday dances were always a highlight.

It was a huge loss when the pandemic came, Witmer, who also line dances, said.

Like the Witmers, Amy Chan and her husband, Ben, were looking for an activity to do as a couple when they started dancing around five years ago. It was something they long had an interest in doing.

We were just at a point where we really wanted to be intentional about doing something that number one would be fun, something that would be a date night for us and that would help us make other friends with shared hobbies, Amy Chan said.

The couple quickly took to it and developed a particular affinity for the hustle, a 1970s dance largely performed at discos. In February 2020, they helped organize an event at the Black Center where they invited a instructor up from Boston. More than 100 people attended.

We were looking forward to doing more of that, Amy Chan said. I felt we were just getting rolling with bringing some new life to the dance community here.

The Chans, who are in their 40s and live in Lebanon, share a concern that is echoed by other dancers: Without holding events, they cannot recruit dancers and there is a worry about the state of the social activity in the Upper Valley. While the Ed Larkin Dancers are meeting with each other, theyre no longer holding open houses. Community classes at Dartmouth are no more and there is no sense of when they will resume.

We were enjoying bringing more younger people to the dance community here so having it disappear for two whole years has been hard and sad for the future of dance in our community, said Amy Chan, whose husband, as the New Hampshire state epidemiologist, has been playing a public role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dance ended up being the thing we both enjoyed. It kept us active in making new friends. We miss it. We cant wait to get back.

Its hard to say when dances will resume. Recently Orr put out a survey to people who regularly attend the Fourth Saturday dances asking under what circumstances theyd feel comfortable coming back. The majority said theyd attend if people were required to show proof of vaccination. Hanover, where the Fourth Saturday Dances are held, has a mask mandate, which also might put people at ease. Some dancers said that while dancing with masks can be cumbersome particularly with the tango theyd be willing to give it a go.

Theres been talk of gathering in person, but only dancing with the partner participants arrive with. That doesnt always appeal, though, as people are encouraged to come by themselves to socialize and dance. Changing partners is one of the hallmarks of social dancing.

One of the joys of it is youre able to make that physical connection being close to somebody who maybe you just met, but you share that warmth of not being socially distanced, Amy Chan said. It fed part of our soul, and that part has been aching for two years.

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.

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Tango, contra and other dancing still stalled as other activities have returned to the Upper Valley - Concord Monitor

A year ago, on a Christmas unlike any most of us could remember, amid a pandemic but with vaccines beginning to become available, we editorialized about Christmas as a day, no matter what a persons religious beliefs, that at its core pays tribute to what is best in human nature as shown in the kindnesses and good cheer shown other people at a moment of hope for better times ahead.

That Dec. 25, 2020, editorial concluded, Beyond creed or heritage, this is what Christmas arguably says to every Greater Clevelander: That human progress, albeit sometimes two steps forward, one step back, gives hope, stokes spirits, nudges us forward, promises better days. And yes: Those better days will come.

One year later, with omicron surging, many of us may feel frustrated, disappointed, let down. When will those better days come? During a year of political turmoil, gridlock and finger-pointing, what has become of basic civility and that broader spirit of caring, nurturing and giving back that so long has defined our relationships and communities, but that today seems broken or at best incomplete? How do we reknit our shredded skein into a diverse and equitable broadcloth of can-do Americanism, pride, vigor and hope? Are there restorative glimmers of a better way, a kinder voice, a more unified America we can grab hold of and nurture?

What are the points of hope and optimism that our Editorial Board Roundtable looks to right now that, just maybe, can show the way forward to a more civil, more respectful, happier tomorrow? What is the one thing we might do that could help nudge a return to positive momentum, here at home and in the wider world?

Thomas Suddes, editorial writer:

I believe that if everyone tried to listen more, and talk less, we -- all of us -- might decide that no one has a monopoly on wisdom, or good ideas, or common sense. Today public life sometimes seems as if millions of people, on one side of a chasm, and millions of people, on the other side, are screaming across that gap, aiming noise at each other, without hearing, or even wanting to hear, anything. Deadlock? Rancor? Thats the recipe.

Ted Diadiun, columnist:

What is the one thing missing from the America that once had a sense of common purpose; of the can-do spirit that transcended self-centered differences and partisan loyalties? I think its our shared faith in God and prayer that bound the nation together through challenging times and is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. If things get bad enough, perhaps we might return to the faith that breathed life into the founding of our nation.

Eric Foster, columnist:

In my last column, I wrote about the loss of my father. The response I received was overwhelmingly supportive. Unexpectedly, expressions of support came from people who disagree with me (and express it) on a weekly basis. I find hope in the fact that, despite our disagreement, some things are bigger than our differences. However, we can only get to those bigger things if we learn about each other. My hope (wish) is that we become intentional about getting out of our self-segregation habits in terms of whom we interact with and learn about those we disagree with. I believe that you can find something in common with anyone, if you look hard enough.

Lisa Garvin, editorial board member:

With a vicious new wave of coronavirus and a whiff of civil violence in the air, my optimism is currently in short supply. I find solace in the daily letters of political historian Heather Cox Richardson. Her expert juxtaposition of past history and current events inspires continued vigilance, and reasons to believe all is not lost. I also take heart at tiny signs of life in my winter garden, holding the promise of spring.

Victor Ruiz, editorial board member:

While there is a lot weighing on us right now, I am encouraged by the great shift in society that we are experiencing. Traditional society is being challenged in many ways, which is a good because it means that more of us can get access to the great American promise. So, keep challenging traditional workplace environments, so that everyone can benefit; keep fighting to eradicate systemic racism, despite the desperate efforts against it; and please be good citizens, and get vaccinated and wear a mask.

Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member:

When I am feeling overwhelmed by our nations incivility and political rancor, I ask God to intervene. And without fail, if Im paying attention, I can see His Hand at work. We Americans donate to charities. We rally to help our neighbors. We volunteer in schools and shelters. In everyday moments, God so powerfully reveals that the human ties binding us together are much stronger than the political forces attempting to divide us.

Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director:

One word: empathy. If we each work every day not to default to catch phrases or angry putdowns, we might be able to inch our way to greater open-mindedness and an ability to listen, understand, and be respectful. Rediscovering common ground will soon follow.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial board roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

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Christmas 2021 thoughts and hopes: Editorial Board Roundtable - cleveland.com