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Being Black: The Immigrant Experience with SAACC
September 12, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Join us and the Seacoast African American Cultural Center for this important roundtable discussion
part of the:
Becky Field
About the Presenter:
Since 2012, photographer Becky Field has documented cultural diversity among immigrants in New Hampshire. Her photography project, Different Roots, Common Dreams: New Hampshire’s Cultural Diversity, has been exhibited throughout the Northeast. She has published two books, Different Roots, Common Dreams: New Hampshire’s Cultural Diversity, and Finding Home: Portraits and Memories of Immigrants. Becky set up the Different Roots,
Common Dreams Scholarship Fund at NH Charitable Foundation to help immigrants complete a college degree. She has studied at photography centers throughout the Northeast. In the past she was a research ecologist and university professor. She holds a certificate in photography from the former NH Institute of Art, and a doctoral degree in wildlife ecology. For more information, visit www.DifferentRootsNH.com, or email FieldWorkPhotos@gmail.com.
About the Presenter:
Jozimar Matimano is a fine art painter. He was born in the East Democratic Republic of Congo, Butembo, where he grew up and moved to Uganda at ten. Since he was a boy he has been interested in drawing and illustration.
On October 5, 2016, Matimano moved from Uganda to Manchester New Hampshire as a refugee through the International Institute of New England program. In 2018 he began painting in his free time as a way to express himself He began pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art (BFA) at the Institute of Art at New England College in 2019. He received his Associate in Liberal Arts in 2023.
In the future, he hopes to share his artwork with more people and see the impact that his art can have on other people and society.
Jozimar Matimano
Ali Sekou
About the Presenter:
Ali Sekou is a Concord City Councilor, and the Mayor Pro Temp (Vice Mayor). Sekou, was born and raised in a small, rural village in Niger, West Africa, before immigrated to the United States in 2012. He arrived in the U.S with almost zero English, and he went on to earn his associate degree in hospitality and Tourism Management from the New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI), his bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management and Political Science from Plymouth State University and graduated with honors at both schools.
He was elected to the Concord City Council in November 2023 as the youngest member, the first Muslim and Black member of City Council. He is a 40 under 40 Award recipient and a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire.
About the Presenter:
Dr. Sara Withers is a cultural anthropologist who has conducted ethnographic research in Sri Lanka, Mexico, and the U.S. She was Project Manager for the film Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in NH, and since then has presented the film at dozens of venues around NH, facilitating discussions about the experiences and realities of being a refugee—and a New American—in today’s world. Her most recent project was a photovoice project with local community college students who were part of the NHTI’s Multicultural Club. This project, which culminated in a student-curated photography exhibit, focused on ideas of community and cultural identity. As a Principal Lecturer at UNH, Dr. Withers teaches cultural anthropology, where she offers a variety of classes—including ones on Latin America, Migration, and Applied Anthropology.
