Community members joined together in discussion Tuesday
evening for a Key Issues Forum on race politics in the contemporary U.S.
Panelists included Dr. Lois Brown (Chair of African American Studies at
Wesleyan University), William Howe (State Dept. of Education, multicultural
education, gender equity and civil rights), Orlando Rodriguez (Latino and
Puerto Rican Affairs Commission), and Adrienne W. Cochrane (CEO, Urban League
of Greater Hartford). The event was held
in conjunction with The Hartford Courant and was moderated by Laurie Perez of
FoxCT.
With a packed crowd of all ages and backgrounds in
attendance, discussion ranged from education equity, to housing, to jobs and
racial stereotypes. At the end of the forum, panelists were posed with
instructing the audience of one thing everyone can do to improve issues of race
relations and progress our communities forward. Answers included reading texts
from a diverse range of authors to having conversations with those of different
races and backgrounds. The panelists stressed that moving the U.S. to a
post-racial and post-racist society will take daily effort and dedication to
address the biases and systemic racism that plague public policies and social
institutions. If you missed the program, you can watch it On Demand through the Connecticut Network (see below).
We would like to encourage the continuation of this
important conversation! What are steps you will take to address racial
inequities? What are some challenges we all might face? How do we overcome
these challenges? Let us know!
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