Speeches and Presentations

Posts, often including videos or photos, of speeches and presentations given by Manisha Bewtra.

Salem, MA League of Women Voters "How to Run for Office" Panelists

Salem League of Women Voters “How to Run for Office” Panel, March 21, 2019

Speeches and Presentations / By / / / 1 minute of reading

I was invited by the Salem, Massachusetts League of Women Voters to join a panel that included Ana Victoria Morales, Senator Warren’s Deputy Political Director for the Senator’s recent re-election campaign, campaign manager Kalen O’Hare, Ilene Simons and Rochelle Sport from the Salem City Clerk’s Office, Jason Tait from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, and State Senator Brendan Crighton. It was an excellent opportunity to demystify what a candidate campaign looks like, not only from a candidate’s perspective, but also from the perspective of campaign staff and municipal and state employees who must ensure that campaigns follow the law.

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Melrose High School Girls' Empowerment Conference 2019

Panelist at Melrose High School Girls’ Empowerment Luncheon, January 29, 2019

Speeches and Presentations / By / / 1 minute of reading

On Tuesday, January 29, 2019, I visited Melrose High for a girls’ empowerment luncheon for students in the Do The Right Thing Club organized by Social Studies teacher Hannah Edsall and outgoing METCO Director Doreen Ward. The students prepared questions for our panel of four women from different fields, and then we all had lunch together. This group of young women is definitely going places, and I loved the conversations I had with many of them. We shared our hopes, fears, anxieties, and inspirations with each other and I hope I get to see them all again soon. The other panelists were Tanisha Sullivan, Esq., the President of Boston NAACP and a biotech lawyer, Summer Williams, the Co-Founder and Associate Artistic Director at Company One Theatre in Boston, and Kathryn Denman, a Senior Project Manager for the Starbucks Achievement Plan. I still keep in touch with some of the students, who have since graduated from high school.

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Slide from Structural segregation and Melrose's Built Environment presentation, showing present day zoning next to 1938 HOLC (redlining) map

Melrose’s built environment and growth patterns before and since redlining​, presented on February 7, 2018 and January 21, 2019

Speeches and Presentations / By / / , , , , , , / 1 minute of reading

On two different occasions, in I gave a presentation on structural segregation and the built environment in Melrose, Massachusetts, first for MORE: Melrose, Organizes for Real Equality in February 2018, and later, as part of an Act for Racial Justice Panel on Martin Luther King Day in January 2019. During both of these presentations, I challenged the audience to first develop a mental map/picture of Melrose and surrounding communities, and think about patterns they’ve observed, stereotypes they’ve heard about different neighborhoods, and to share their personal experiences. Then, I shared historic and present day maps to show how patterns of racial and economic segregation, visible on maps of land use policies, have persisted for over a century.

Melrose’s built environment and growth patterns before and since redlining​, presented on February 7, 2018 and January 21, 2019 Read More »

Starting Race Talk Workshop 2018

“From Awake to Woke: Starting Race Talk,” MACDC Convention workshop, October 20, 2018

Speeches and Presentations / By / / , , / 1 minute of reading

On October 20, 2018, I co-facilitated a workshop with Gabrielle Sims, Marilyn Sanchez, and Shirronda Almeida called “From Awake to Woke: Starting Race Talk” at the MACDC Convention in Boston as part of my role on the Mel King Institute for Community Building’s Alliance for Racial Equity Steering Committee. The room was packed and we got a lot of requests from participants to bring this workshop to their organizations.

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Slide from Connecting Housing and the Economy Presentation, showing housing sales prices in Melrose and Plymouth MA

Connecting Housing and the Economy – MA Downtown Summit presentation, October 1, 2018

Speeches and Presentations / By / / , , , , / 1 minute of reading

On October 1, 2018 at the Massachusetts Downtown Summit, Manisha Bewtra, Melrose, MA resident, and Peter Forman, Plymouth, MA resident shared their personal and professional experiences in their respective municipalities, where they both served in elected office. Peter Forman, President and CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, also discussed the South Shore Chamber’s Housing 2030 Strategy and Manisha Bewtra, Massachusetts Housing Partnership Senior Program Manager, shared statewide housing, as well as community data resources.

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Flyer for Valuing Our Workforce Event

Valuing Our Workforce: How Nonprofits Can Support Millennials of Color in the Sector panel, #FUNinBOS festival, September 20, 2018

Speeches and Presentations / By / / , , / 1 minute of reading

Although I just barely qualify as a millennial, I was invited to speak on this awesome panel sponsored by TSNE Missionworks for the Fierce Urgency of Now #FUNinBOS festival in September 2018. More about the event here.

Valuing Our Workforce: How Nonprofits Can Support Millennials of Color in the Sector panel, #FUNinBOS festival, September 20, 2018 Read More »

Manisha quoted with phrase "Fear is something new I feel" in the Melrose Free Press

Melrose Stands Up: One Community, One Nation Open to All Community Vigil, June 29, 2018

Speeches and Presentations / By / / , , , / 4 minutes of reading

On June 29, 2018, community members in Melrose, Massachusetts came together for a vigil, responding to news about families being separated and detained at the US border. I was among the speakers at this event, which was covered in the Melrose Free Press. Attendees signed a pledge to stand with immigrants. Here’s a transcript of

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Flyer for Simmons Women in Politics Panel with Kim Janey, Manisha Bewtra, Lydia Edwards, and Lisa Peterson

Simmons Student Government Women in Politics Panel, March 28, 2018

Speeches and Presentations / By / / , / 1 minute of reading

Simmons College Student Government and IGNITE National partnered for a Women in Politics panel, which included Boston City Councilors Kim Janey and Lydia Edwards, Salem City Councillor Lisa Peterson, and Melrose City Councilor Manisha Bewtra. We talked about our experiences running for office and about our first few months serving as elected officials.

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