New Hampshire Magazine's it List: Consider it the guest list for the best cocktail party ever. The 2007 It List is our selection of the 34 most interesting, happening, talked about people in the state. If you got these folks all in the same room, no telling what would transpire, but you can bet it wouldn’t be boring.

Nabil Migalli and Dr. Marie Metoyer -
Multi-Culture Club

Joined Forces in Multi-Cultural Movement
 

Dr. Marie Metoyer is a retired psychiatrist and recipient of the Minority Health Coalition Award for her work to increase the availability of mental health services.

Nabil Migalli is president of the Arab-American Forum, working to increase understanding between these different cultures. They recently joined forces with two colleagues in the state’s multi-cultural movement, Lillye Ramos-Spooner and Theresa deLangis, to revive an event held in the 1990s called the International Festival. Now known as People Fest, the fall event seeks to bring the state’s earlier immigrant communities, French/Canadian, Scotch/Irish and Vietnamese, together with newcomers from Sudan and Somalia. The joy of sharing music, food and dance is a common denominator of humanity.

Published: 2007

King's death changed her life forever

BYLINE:  CAROL ROBIDOUX New Hampshire Union Leader

DATE: January 21, 2008 

PUBLICATION: New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH)

MANCHESTER -- Half a lifetime ago, Marie Metoyer was inspired to change direction, a move that brought her 300 miles north from New Jersey to New England.

It was not a mid-life reinvention of herself so much as it was an opportunity to rise to a new kind of challenge.

 "I decided to make the switch, from general practitioner to psychiatry," said Metoyer. "During the Kennedy years, the president was emphasizing community mental health and it was possible to take a residency and have a stipend a little higher, as long as you promised to work in community psychology."

It's a promise she's kept, and then some.

She eventually settled in New Hampshire in 1981, becoming the first black female psychiatrist to practice in the state.

Today, Metoyer is happily retired from the rigors of professional outreach, but continues to make a difference in her community through volunteerism.

Because of all she's accomplished and all those she's inspired along the way, Metoyer will be honored this afternoon as this year's recipient of the Martin Luther King Award.

Metoyer has made her mark here as an active member of the Cultural Diversity Task Force of Greater Manchester, the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation, the Manchester NAACP, the Commission on the Status of Women and served on advisory boards for the Mental Health Center, New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition and the Currier Museum of Art.

Strides she has made in her 83 years -- not only as a black woman, but as a physician, wife and mother of five -- never came easily.

But she never had to look far for inspiration.

Both of my parents are physicians. After World War II my mother studied gynecology. With that type of medical background, I saw her as a model of someone who could combine a career as well as raise a family. I felt I wanted to do the same, and patterned myself after her," Metoyer said.

In her adult life, role models such as Kennedy and King moved her toward community action.

She recalled how life in Jersey City, N.J., came to a standstill the day King was assassinated -- a painful punctuation to the civil unrest felt around the country in the years leading up to that moment.

For Metoyer, the timing seemed right to find a new way to connect with those most in need of healing and compassion.

"We knew we had to carry on in the manner he had set, so we continued. But it was at a time when there was so much conflict, with the 'burn, baby, burn,' fires being set across the country. I felt it was unsafe for my family to stay in Jersey City. Leaving for Vermont was a combination of that, and opportunity," Metoyer said.

Living in University of Vermont housing provided a sheltered atmosphere for her family, Metoyer said.

"We didn't have the experience of direct racism," Metoyer said. "It was amazing. There you were accepted as the person you were."

She was drawn to the mental health field to make a tangible difference.

"In those days it might take a person suffering from depression several months to get an appointment. If you were suicidal, you might be dead before someone could see you," Metoyer said. "That's really what drove me toward psychiatry."

Sandra Hicks met Metoyer shortly after she arrived at the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester. The two have remained close.

"She is a very strong, very special person. Her involvement in the community has shown her compassion for people. It has nothing to do with race. Marie makes that statement in her own way. She's a person of intelligence and grace, a real lady," Hicks said.

Martin Luther King Coalition chairman Nabil Migalli said each year the steering committee seeks to honor someone who embodies the values King represents.

"This year Dr. Marie Metoyer was chosen as a champion of health and human rights," Migalli said. "She has been a strong activist for the mentally ill, and for her entire life she has been involved in projects that promote equality, human rights, dignity and equality."

He said last year Metoyer headed the committee that organized Peoplefest, a celebration of the city's diversity. The hope is by making it an annual event, residents will learn to get past their outward or cultural differences and come together on common ground.

"Marie has always been the voice of reason -- insightful, persuasive, yet soft and warm. She is a great human asset to our community and well deserves the MLK Award," Migalli said. "She is a dear friend and inspiration to all who know her."

Honored today

Dr. Metoyer will be honored at the 26th annual Martin Luther King Day Community Celebration being held 2 p.m. today at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 650 Hanover St.

The guest speaker at the event will be Treda Collier, associate admissions director at Phillips Exeter Academy and founder of Sweet Sanctuary.

The Lionel Washington Johnson Youth Art Award will be presented to Omer Elrayah, Southside Middle School.

The event, presented by the Martin Luther King Coalition, begins with a potluck meal.

The program is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. and will include music by the Rhythm of New Hampshire Show Chorus, with interludes by the West High School Jazz Band.