Merrimack Valley School District is hosting a community conversation Tuesday night.
At the request of a school board member, the district has scheduled an event with Clinton Graham, a correctional officer and author of the collection of poetry called Progressive Perspectives. It will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.
The event is described as an effort to “engage attendees in conversation on some of the societal issues we face today,” to create dialogue and broaden perspectives.
The idea for this type of event was brought up back in July. Boscawen state Rep. Caroletta Alicea, also a Merrimack Valley School Board member, suggested over the summer that there be some kind of assembly on racial equality.
She brought up the topic in the midst of news reports of officer-involved shootings against unarmed black men.
As the plans took shape over several months, Alicea reached out to community leaders like Boscawen police Chief Keith Wyman, while Superintendent Mark MacLean worked with school administrators on how to integrate the event into school.
In the meantime, Alicea’s grandson, Samuel, created dialogue in the school community on his own by taking a knee before the start of football games, in the same manner as several NFL players.