Nellie E. Brown Mitchell was born in Dover, New Hampshire in 1845 (exact date unknown). She was trained as a singer at the New England Conservatory of Music, receiving a diploma in 1879. Nellie was a popular singer in New England churches and was lead soprano at four churches in Boston. She also found time to give concerts throughout New England and beyond, one 1874 concert was at Steinway Hall in New York City. Her sister, Edna Brown Bagnall, was also a singer, sometimes joining her in concerts. 

During the 1880s, Nellie not only toured with the Bergen Concert Company, but formed her own company, the Nellie Brown Mitchell Concert Company. In Boston she was musical director at Bloomfield Street Church from 1879 to 1886. She sang at the funeral of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison in 1879. She also sang at the 1909 first meeting of the National Negro Business League, (founded by Booker T. Washington) in Boston. 

Nellie then went on to teach voice techniques to African-American women students in Boston after retiring from touring. In 1909, she organized and hosted the first meeting of the Chaminade Musical Club, for the leading women musicians of Boston (named for French composer Cecile Chaminade.)

She married Charles Lewis Mitchell, (date unknown) a disabled veteran of the Civil War. Charles was one of the first two African-American members of the Massachusetts legislature, passing away in 1912. Nellie died on Jan. 5, 1924, at the age of 78.

Nellie and Edna’s brother, Edward Everett Brown, was also born in Dover in 1858 (exact date unknown), graduating from Dover High School in 1878. Edward studied at Dartmouth College then turned his studies to law under the tutelage of NH judge John H. White. He continued his study of law at Boston University Law School working in the law office of ex-governor William Gaston. He was a lawyer and anti-lynching activist in Boston.

In 1884, Edward was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar. A year later he and a friend were denied entrance to a Boston roller skating rink, called Highland Rink. He and fellow lawyer James Harris Wolff took the rink owner to Municipal Court for racial discrimination and violating an1865 state law from the Reconstruction-era. They won the case, bringing additional cases against the rink a year later.

In 1886, Edward became a partner at the law firm Walker, Wolff, and Brown, joining Edwin Garrison Walker and James Wolff at what became known as Boston's first "colored" law firm. He was founding president of the Crispus Attucks Club in Boston and first vice president of the National League of Boston. He also worked as the Boston Deputy Health Commissioner and at the time of his death on Jan. 14, 1919, the Boston Deputy Collector.

The Black Heritage Trail unveiled a historical marker in 2023 at the entrance to the Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover, emphasizing the contributions of both Nellie and Edward. 

“Wherever there is a human being, I see God-given rights inherent in that being, whatever may be the sex or complexion.” 
—William Lloyd Garrison

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” (emphasis added)
—Barack Obama

The neighbors baby's crying, it's keeping me awake at night. Of course I can't actually hear them,I know they are there. I'm feeling the cold, but not the way they are feeling it, in their tent, in below zero weather. Of course the foot of snow serves to insulate some, but not very much. 

The most troubling bit, is the sheer normality of their plight, shoved to back of mind, while Nobody's using Federal troops to resolve the real national emergency; problems of homelessness, and environmental disasters,

(which that power could alleviate).

Instead, the administration is occupied with sword-brandishing abroad, in Venezuela and against NATO , (next stop Iran). We are also forced to bear traumatic Witness to domestic siege in American cities,motivated by misguided race and gender-bias; and a fear of foreigners-in-general.

Add into this recipe for disaster;revenge on political opponents and activists. Sheer profit as the impetus for exaggerated use of force and violence against natural-born citizens or Naturalized American citizens. 

Soon , will people be expected to carry around ID papers; visas and such? To be surrendered upon demand, to a masked, unidentified, highly-overpaid, undertrained, or unsupervised Goon? 

They are arriving, and behaving like less than humane persons, to say the least. Hiring's ongoing, thanks to the Big Bogus Bill.

I heard a quiet voice saying watch; listen, be aware of the world and our neighborhoods. Keep your head.

Trump's got the wrong end of the stick again, needs correction, has for a while. 

Yet instead of finding a carrot at the end, the immigrant finds a billyclub and mace.

Whereas; the Executive branches' excesses, and lawlessness needs to be addressed calmly, and with certainty. 

The Congress has the power to restrain him, and rectify the situation, by making a Comprehensive Immigration plan today;and a Judicial panel to review it all.

Mis-treament of arrested and detained prisoners, faced with self-deportation, or enduring inhumane deportation camps' deplorable conditions continues,despite court orders; and is not as well-documented. 

Families separated and illegally charged,kidnapped by INS and ICE,could've been counseled, and offered the next step to citizenship and taxpayer status,as promised by the honorable mister Obama. 

Of course The Donald's against anything without his name on it, and justifies slashing the Healthcare named for his rival. Ditto Obama's agenda, which did better, arguably had a better record on both Immigration Judicial reform and International Peace Prizes. Happy groundhogs day.

Imagine you’ve done your civic duty, exercising your right to vote in a free and fair election, only to hear later from the Secretary of State’s Office. You have now been selected in a “random audit of your citizenship status” by the SoS and need to provide PROOF of your citizenship! Have you voted in your city or town for years or even decades? Doesn’t matter now, as the fear-mongers in the legislature are still banging the voter fraud drum! 

As an aside, since 2016 there have been fifteen voter fraud convictions in New Hampshire. These convictions consisted of out-of-state people voting in NH, people with a home in NH and another state but voted in both states and people voting in two different NH towns.

HB 1062 is being brought to us by the worst voter fraud fear-monger in the legislature, Liberty Alliance member Rep. Bob Lynn. On Tues., Feb. 3rd, the House Election Law Committee will be holding a public hearing at 1:40pm on this latest form of proposed voter suppression. You know where I’m going with this:
Click The New Hampshire House of Representatives, fill in your name, etc., Feb. 3rd, Election Law Committee, HB 1062, oppose and then submit. As of this writing, there are 91 who are opposed. Let’s bring that number up.

Another one is HB 1520, which will “define both New Hampshire and United States citizenship for the purposes of voting. This bill also requires the secretary of state to distribute New Hampshire citizenship cards to native citizens and those persons from other states who take an oath of allegiance to the state of New Hampshire.” 

This one will cost the state money to implement as it would have to “launch a statewide education campaign to inform registered voters about changes to definitions of New Hampshire and United States citizenship for the purposing of voting. This campaign typically involves educating through printing, social media, television media, election official training, forms changes, guidance changes, statewide voter registration changes, et cetera. Consequently, educating voters about the significant changes to definitions of New Hampshire and United States citizenship for the purposes of voting cost over $2,500,000.” 

I have asked this question before, where are they going to scrounge up the money? GoFundMe? Higher property taxes? Repealing more community minded services? Voting in a terrible budget? As of this writing there are 2,432 online oppositions with only 18 in support. This bill will be coming up for a vote in the House soon and you can let your representative know where you stand on this. (Scroll down to “Who’s my Legislator?” to find yours.) 

What to say:
~There is no such thing as “NH citizenship.” There is US citizenship and if you meet the legal requirements and are domiciled here, you have the right to vote here.
~HB 1520 is a power grab. It attempts to rewrite who belongs in our democracy by inventing new rules that don’t exist anywhere else.
~This bill creates chaos, confusion, and legal uncertainty, for a problem that doesn’t exist.
~It violates the basic NH value of Live Free or Die by letting elected officials decide whose voice counts.

Who this hurts:
~Students and young voters
~New residents who live and work in NH
~Election officials forced to interpret vague, extreme standards

Who this helps:
~Politicians trying to pick and choose voters
~Efforts to shrink the electorate through confusion

Taking a few moments to voice your opinion about proposed legislation that could hurt you, a family member or a neighbor or friend is worth the time. Take for instance, HB 1703, a bill looking to slap a fee on bicycles by requiring registration. There were 14,113 people who vehemently opposed to such nonsense that the Transportation Committee is going to recommend that the bill be “Inexpedient to Legislate.” In other words, they will recommend to the House to vote to “kill the bill.” Your voice and opinion matters. Use it. 

“The one thing the government fears is the day we stand together.”

 

Good evening everyone, on this bitter cold, snowy evening. I’ll make this brief. On Tues. Jan. 27th, the Housing Committee will be holding a public hearing on my bill HB 1171. This bill establishes a 90-day grace period for residential tenants who miss rent payments due to an unexpected interruption in their monthly Social Security benefits.

We’ve all heard the threats from the regime about cutting or getting rid of people’s life lines; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Well, this bill will enable seniors (many of whom Social Security is their only income) a little extra time to either find other housing or perhaps get those payments reinstalled. 

That said, I sure could use some online testimony support. And because we’ve all had so much practice in doing this, I’m reaching out in the hopes you’ll come through for HB 1171. And I promise, this is the CORRECT link, I triple and quadruple checked!

Click The New Hampshire House of Representatives, fill in your name, etc., Jan. 27th, Housing Committee, HB 1171. And I do hope you find it worthy of your support.

Thank you all and please share with others!

Where does it end? Apparently in a desperate move to make up for all the revenue the majority party has bent over backward to repeal, three Republicans have come up with this brainchild! HB 1703 “establishes a required annual registration fee for all bicycles and electric bicycles operating on state or municipally funded paths, trails and roadways which bicycles and electric bicycles are permitted to be ridden on. The bill also establishes a penalty for failure to register and directs funds from said fees and penalties to the commissioner of the department of transportation for the creation and maintenance of bicycle routes, lanes, paths, or trails in the state.”

The fee will be an annual $50 and because the Republicans do love themselves some penalties, the violation fee will be $100. And if you think your minor child’s bike will be exempt, think again: “The application of any person under the age of 18 years to register a bicycle or electric bicycle shall be signed by said person's parent or guardian, or in the event there is no parent or guardian, then by another responsible adult.”

On Tues., Jan. 27th at 11:00 the Transportation Committee will be holding a public hearing on this crazy bill. You know what to do:
Online testimony click here. Fill in your name, the date of the hearing, the committee, the bill number (HB 1703), and then just follow the prompts. If you would like to leave some written testimony here are some suggestions from Bike Walk Alliance of New Hampshire who strongly opposes this:

• The bill would cost a family of four with four bikes $200 per year. That would make parents think twice about buying a bike for their kids.
• The registration fee and penalties would have the unintended and unfortunate consequence of discouraging bicycling, which has significant public health benefits, improves quality of life and brings tourism revenue to NH.
• The bill would make NH a much less bike-friendly state, which would be disastrous for our tourism economy.
• It would make life even more difficult for those whose only mode of personal transportation is a bike, particularly the economically disadvantaged.
• The cost of implementing the registration program would be significant, maybe greater than the amount of revenue generated. The fiscal note sheds little light on the fiscal impact of the bill, stating that the revenues can’t be determined.

As of right now, 4,809 people oppose this crazy bill with only 14 supporting it! 

No one is coming to save us, but us.

After a full year of chaos, hatred, and wondering what latest dysfunction a new day is bringing by the woefully inadequate hands of the world’s largest two year old, I happened upon a message the poster said he had emailed to his representatives. I read it and like what I read, so decided to do a little tweaking and send it out to our own four representatives in DC. Please feel free to do the same with the following because no one is coming to save us, but us.

“Dear . . ., with his open declaration that he is willing to start a global war over a perceived Nobel Prize snub, Trump has made crystal clear that he is mentally unstable and a danger to the nation and the world. His threats against a NATO ally should be grounds for impeachment and his behavior of late is clearly that of a man who is incredibly unhinged and is unable to govern (not that he was ever able to govern). Although the Democrats are in the minority, you have a moral and official obligation to take all steps possible to either bring about impeachment hearings or invoke the 25th Amendment to have him removed, for the safety of not only our nation but the entire world! Reach out to the other side and make them understand polling is NOT in their favor. This is a 5-alarm fire and I am sick and tired of the virtual silence of our Democratic leaders. I want to know what definitive, assertive and forceful steps you intend to take to bring an end to this madness. This is not business as usual, it is a nation held hostage by a mentally impaired grudge holder. Republicans would NOT have sat by quietly if a Democrat president behaved this way. It's past time for the Democrats to learn how to fight and the stakes couldn't possibly be higher than they are now.
 

Thank you for your attention to this matter, not just for myself but also for my constituents!

Rep. Terri O’Rorke
Cheshire District 7, Keene”

And here is their contact information should you choose to do so:

Email Me | Congressman Chris Pappas

EMAIL Maggie - Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander

Email Senator Hassan | U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan

Contact | U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen

And now to end on a lighter note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQNcIyaNok

It’s worth the 14 seconds of your time! 

The recent disclosures of private GOP-Signal messages attributed to State Representative Kristin Noble, in which she appears to advocate for segregated schools, including remarks such as Republicans could add “fun stuff” “when we have segregated schools” and “imagine the scores though if we had schools for them and some for us” are utterly unacceptable from any public official.

They are especially disqualifying coming from the Chair of the House Education Policy & Administration Committee.

These comments stand in direct opposition to the values of equity, inclusion, and equal opportunity that should guide our public schools and our state. In New Hampshire, this is a bridge too far. We cannot, and must not, allow anyone who expresses support for any kind of segregation to shape education policy for our children.

What makes this even more alarming is that Rep. Noble doubled down when confronted. There has been no meaningful accountability. No consequences. And silence from GOP leadership.

This is not an isolated incident, it is part of a clear and disturbing pattern. The New Hampshire GOP has repeatedly demonstrated hostility toward public education and a willingness to undermine it. Taken together, these actions suggest they no longer believe in public education as a shared public good.

When rhetoric like this is tolerated, especially in leadership, it corrodes public trust, harms communities, and undermines our state’s commitment to fairness and equal opportunity.

Accountability starts now:

• Rep. Kristin Noble must immediately resign as Chair of the House Education Policy & Administration Committee.
• House majority leadership must remove her from all leadership roles for poor judgement and breach of public trust.
• The Speaker must not excuse Legislators implicated in racist or discriminatory rhetoric from a formal ethics review.
• Segregation, in word, deed, or in policy, must never be normalized in New Hampshire.

Public office carries an obligation to serve all residents with dignity and respect. The statements from Rep. Noble are a betrayal of that obligation and an erosion of the democratic values that bind our communities together.

Education policy should be rooted in expanding opportunity, not resurrecting the worst practices of our past. Anything less is a betrayal of New Hampshire’s children and families.

Take Action Now

• Email Speaker Sherman Packard and demand accountability and a clear commitment to public education:
  Email: sherman.packard@gc.nh.gov
  Phone: 603.271.3661
• Support change at the ballot box - consider donating to the Bedford Democratic candidates opposing Noble and the other GOP on the Bedford slate. 

Any funds received will be used to support all 7 Democratic  candidates against Noble and the other Bedford GOP State Reps. Bedford has an active committee and robustly engages in voter outreach on behalf of all their Democratic candidates. 

Here's the Bedford Dems donation link on ActBlue:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bedford2026

Checks may also be sent to:

Bedford Democratic Committee 
PO Box 10334 
Bedford NH 03110

Segregation is never acceptable. This moment demands moral clarity and action.

In solidarity,

Wendy E. N Thomas

New Hampshire State Representative

Friends of Democracy NH 

NH House Progressive Caucus 

I write to ask for your support of HB 1799, “an act relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.” You may review the entire text of HB 1799 by clicking this link. A brief outline of the bill is at the bottom of this note.

HB 1799 seeks to conform the state’s public school funding system to two new court rulings handed down in 2025 in the ConVal and Rand cases. When properly funded through appropriate state budget processes in the next budget cycle, or before that if possible, the HB 1799 formula will enable school districts to meet, at an admittedly minimum level, our state-level constitutional school funding obligations, thereby ensuring funding, with other currently available funding streams, sufficient to provide every child with the opportunity for a constitutionally adequate education while also enabling significant, constitutionally mandated local property tax relief across the state.

HB 1799 will be heard by the House Education Funding Committee hearing on Tues., Jan. 20th, at 1:30 PM. You may record your position on the bill, and provide written testimony if you wish, by clicking this Online Testimony Submission (Sign-In) link and then proceeding through a multi-step process to the point where you will be able to state your position on the bill.

The hearing will be at Granite Place in Concord, Room 232. In person testimony is welcome. You may also watch the hearing on YouTube by going to this link and clicking on the House Education Funding streaming video for Jan. 20th.

Thank you for considering this.

Brief Outline of HB 1799, “an act relative to required state funding for providing an opportunity for an adequate education.”  

1. At the core of HB 1799, in section 2, is its “policy, findings and purposes” declaration affirming the state’s commitment to provide and fund, in cooperation with local school districts but without excessive reliance on local property taxes, a constitutionally compliant, high quality, public education system for all of NH’s children.

2. HB 1799 sets, in section 5, new annual per pupil cost factors for determining each municipality’s state grant. On average, these new cost factors will increase the state’s annual adequacy grants to municipalities for their respective school districts across the state by about 1.7 times the current level of adequacy funding.

3. HB 1799 includes, in section 4, a new provision for “Statewide Oversight to Identify and Address Persistent Disparities in Achievement.”

4. HB 1799 establishes, in section 7, an “Adequate Education Funding Commission” to “study and identify transition and revenue options other than local property taxes for the full funding of state grants to public schools for consideration and action by state officials involved in the development of the state budget for fiscal years 2028-2029.

5. HB 1799 changes the Statewide Property Tax (SWEPT) to require the collecting municipalities to pay all revenue received to the department of revenue administration for deposit in the education trust fund. (Note that HB 1799 does not seek to change the amount to be collected by the SWEPT.)

Thank you for considering this.

Dick Ames
NH State Representative, Cheshire County District 13,
Dublin and Jaffrey
House Education Funding Committee

On Jan. 30th, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) bill, which is the one that funds ICE, is up for a vote in the Senate. This funding runs out at the end of the month. In order for this bill to pass, no less than 60 votes are needed. The current United States Senate consists of 52 Republican members, 44 Democrats and two Independents (Bernie Sanders – Vt. and Angus King – Me., who usually vote with Democrats). As we can see the Republicans need at least eight Democrats to vote with them and that terrorist group receives more funding.

ICE is investing roughly $100 million towards the recruitment of 10,000 new agents, adding to the 20,000 already employed. Just under the size of the Marine Corps Reservists, to put the numbers in perspective. They are permitted to use lethal force in self-defense, although we have seen time and again no one is attacking them! They roam our streets in unmarked cars, wearing masks, body armor and carry militarized weapons, using brutality to bully and frighten not just immigrants but law-abiding citizens. 

What can we do? We can ensure the ICEstapo loses its funding!

How? By demanding, yes demanding, our members of Congress and the Senate require the DHS spending bill must prohibit ICE from carrying weapons! 
Our members of Congress and the Senate must clearly and directly declare that ICE does not have absolute immunity under the law if they harm or murder civilians!

Who? Sen. Maggie Hassan; 202-224-3324; Email Senator Hassan | U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen; 202-224-2841; Contact | U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Rep. Maggie Goodlander; 202-225-5206; EMAIL Maggie - Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander
Rep. Chris Pappas; 202-225-5456; ZIP Code Authentication | Congressman Chris Pappas

Let’s overload their voice mail and email:
~ The DHS spending bill must prohibit ICE from carrying weapons.
~ The bill must include that ICE has no absolute immunity under the law if they harm or murder civilians.
~  Include that they must not target people because of race, language or accent.
~ Include that ICE agents are liable under civil and criminal law if they harm or murder civilians. 
~ ICE members need to be reminded of both the 5th Amendment and the 14th amendment, specifically the Due Process Clause.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for taking the time to defend our fragile democracy and fellow human beings yet again!

 

I’ll bet most people in New Hampshire have no idea how many security and surveillance agencies we have here. I know I didn’t. Other than local police, sheriff and state police departments I discovered we also have access to these, thanks to today’s technology:
Home - Law Enforcement Center Cyber
Search the Data | Atlas of Surveillance
Welcome to the Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management | Homeland Security and Emergency Management

The Mission Statement of the Division of Homeland Security (last link) states: “To provide an integrated, all-crimes/all-hazards, information sharing network to collect, analyze and disseminate information derived from multiple sources to stakeholders in a timely manner, in an effort to protect the citizens and the critical infrastructure of New Hampshire, while ensuring the protection of civil rights and civil liberties.”

Oh. OK. So, the state currently has an “information sharing network from multiple sources” and currently shares this counterintelligence information throughout law enforcement per RSA 651-F. 

On Thurs., Jan. 15th, the Executive Depts. and Administration Committee held a public hearing on HB 1605. Sponsored by Liberty Alliance member Rep. Mike Belcher – Wakefield, this proposed legislation will “establish the state intelligence and counter-intelligence office within the department of safety.”

Now wait a minute, don’t we already have that in the Dept. of Safety? Yes, we do but according to Belcher, "What it really is, is a normal investigative office that would be tasked specifically with looking at threats posed by foreign hostile actors, largely the Chinese." And of course this bill comes with a price tag all at a time when the Republicans are repealing every form of state revenue in sight, leaving the property owner holding an ever burgeoning bag! How does $6 million sound for a redundant office employing about a dozen people whose focus is on China? According to language in the bill, the state would also purchase "nondescript surveillance vehicles, an unarmed aerial surveillance platform, and night vision or thermal imaging devices, or both, and operational costs." Even the Dept. of Safety acknowledged this bill would be “duplicative to the efforts that have existed since 2010.”

As with their desire to bring back capitol punishment, which costs more than a life sentence, where are they going to scrounge up the money? GoFundMe? Higher property taxes? Repealing more community minded services? Voting in a terrible budget?

How about concentrating on furthering the intelligence of NH students by enacting previous court orders and properly fund public education? And I don’t mean the segregated kind.