Community Voices

Transgender Day of Visibility
“[Transgender people] are parents. We are children. We are coworkers. We are friends. We are artists.”
These words, spoken by PFLAG Northeast Regional Director Lindsey Pasquale, reflect the spirit of this year’s upcoming Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual celebration that seeks to affirm & uplift the voices of transgender and non-binary communities who are far too often ignored, maligned, or even demonized.

Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories
Not that it wouldn’t become obvious to the reader only shortly after diving into this article, but nonetheless, I think that it is important to address that as a male author of an article that is going to attempt to highlight the tremendous effort, resilience, and leadership displayed by a number of my fellow co-workers

Meet The Team: Shakir Leacock
One of the newest members of the YSB team, Shakir Leacock, brings with him to the position nearly a decade of direct service experience with underrepresented and marginalized youth populations, but also a refreshingly simple outlook that helps him connect with his new audience in as real a way as possible.

The Road to Transformation: An Introduction to the MPS Dept. of Race & Equity
Sometimes it feels as though the world is burning, with the ongoing and lasting effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the attacks on public education, the continuous threats to marginalized
communities in our nation, and so much more.

Black History Month Reading List
In commemoration of Black History Month, Better Manchester’s contributing writers have compiled a list of articles, novels, poems and more that celebrate black voices & honor the spirit of Black History Month.

Tackling Food Insecurity
For many, grocery shopping is simply a given, an afterthought in the barrage of weekend chores or hurried late night trips. However, for others, food insecurity is a seemingly insurmountable challenge, one that impacts innumerable households across Manchester, the state of Connecticut & the nation.