A Resource for All
“I realized that I had to learn and continuously involve myself in DEIJ work so that I can feel like I can be part of New Hampshire,” explains Mejia. “Being part of the UNH community helped me turn my DEIJ work into my passion, that then quickly became my career.”
At the start of this school year, Mejia was named diversity, equity, inclusion and justice director of SAU 16, which includes schools in Exeter, Newfields, East Kingston, Kensington, Brentwood and Stratham. His position is a first such hire by a public school district in the Granite State.
In his new role with the Exeter school district, SAU 16, Mejia will organize and implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice programs across the district’s 12 schools, including DEIJ initiatives having to do with curriculum, organizational cultural competency, faculty and staff recruitment and retention, and professional learning. SAU 16 established the new director role to lead its DEIJ Team. The position is the first of its kind with a public K-12 school district in New Hampshire.
“Andres has a long history of working on social justice issues at UNH,” said Michele Holt-Shannon, Director of NH Listens. “He built the Treat Student Fellowship program where students deepen their skills in facilitating conversations across differences. He has made so many great contributions and we are excited about his opportunity to have an impact in the Exeter community.”
His position has met with some criticism from parents, who are skeptical about his role as a board member of the Seacoast chapter of Black Lives Matter. The criticism came in August, just after the state passed a ban on teaching “divisive concepts” such as Critical Race Theory in public schools.
“Some of the biggest misconceptions around DEIJ work is that people think it is Critical Race Theory, that DEIJ teaches people that white people are bad, and DEIJ is trying to divide us,” he said in an interview with the Portsmouth Herald in October. “These are all misconceptions as DEIJ focuses on acknowledging that all of our differences make us whole and that the SAU 16 community welcomes and celebrates those differences.”
Mejia earned his bachelor’s degree at UNH in social work, with minors in women’s studies and race, culture and power. He also earned a master’s in community development policy and practice through UNH’s Carsey School. Prior to joining NH Listens, he served as an admissions counselor here, and was coordinator of the UNH Connect Program, where he advised students of color, multicultural and first-generation college students. He also served on the UNH President’s Commission on the Status of People of Color, and the University Commission on Community, Equity & Diversity, as well as a staff advisor to multiple UNH student support groups.
“My hope is to create spaces where we can listen and recognize each other’s experiences and perspectives,” he said during his newspaper interview. “We hope that by creating these spaces, misinformation or lack of knowledge will be discussed and we come to a place of understanding. We want an environment where all students, teachers and community members feel and know that they belong in SAU 16.”