Uplifting Resistance through Community

Monday, January 19, 2026, 11:00am-4:00pm (Doors open at 11:00am)
Memorial High School, 1 Crusader Way, Manchester, NH 03103

MLK Choir Sign-up

This year’s musical selection will be an SATB setting of the Civil Rights march tune We Shall Not Be Moved. If you want to join the choir, sign up by January 2 using this online form.

 

MLK Jr Award Winner: Hon. Melanie Levesque

Hon. Melanie Levesque holds the historic distinction of being the first African American State Senator in New Hampshire. She represented District 12, which spans from Nashua to Rindge, during her tenure from 2018 to 2020.

During her time in the State Senate, Melanie Levesque served as the Chair of the Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee. She also contributed her expertise as a member of the Senate Judiciary and Transportation Committees. Her legislative career began in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, where she served from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2014. While in the House, she was appointed to the Election Law Committee as well as the Science, Technology, and Energy Committee.

A tireless advocate for her community, Melanie Levesque has championed essential causes including voting rights, the availability of quality public education for every child, affordable and accessible healthcare, environmental sustainability with an emphasis on renewable energy, public safety, and retirement security. Notably, she sponsored and successfully passed legislation to establish the Statewide Emergency Notification System for New Hampshire.

Beyond her legislative work, Melanie Levesque has played significant roles within the New Hampshire Democratic Party, serving as Director of Outreach from 2021 to 2022. She is currently the Chair for the Brookline Democrats, Chair of the NHDP African American Caucus, and served as NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner Co-Chair in 2024 and 2025. Her dedication to civic engagement is further demonstrated by her previous involvement with NH Civics, the NH Women’s Foundation, the New Hampshire Endowment for Health Advisory Committee, and her service as a Trustee for the Town of Brookline.

Melanie is the President of TCS of America Enterprises, LLC, a telecommunications consulting firm, she and her sister Cindy Perkins own. She earned her MBA from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Having grown up in Nashua, Melanie now resides in Brookline, New Hampshire, with her husband Scott.