The GMLKCI invites you to a FREE virtual Community Conversation on Discrimination: Rights and Remedies. This event is open to all. Registration required. See below. 

When: Monday, March 22, 2021; 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (via Zoom Webinar)

Dean Alfred Carter. Dean Carter, an educator, sociologist, and humanist, will serve as the program moderator and facilitator.  See panelists and host information below. 

Registration

This will be a virtual conversation utilizing Zoom Webinar. You do not need a Zoom account  in order to join our meeting and you can join for free. Participants can join our meeting from their phone, desktop computer, mobile or tablet devices. 

Registration for this Community Conversation is required. To register please click here: tinyurl.com/discrimt

If you have any difficulty registering, please email Leslie at leslieohta@gmail.com and she will register for you. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For additional information, please contact Leslie Ohta at 202-538-1161 or at leslieohta@gmail.com. 

Panelists

The following individuals will serve as panelists:

Tanya A. Hughes. Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) 

Established in 1943 as the Inter-racial Commission, the CHRO was the first state civil rights agency in the U.S. Today, it handles complaints of discrimination in employment, housing and other areas on the basis of a wide range of factors, including race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation and immigration status, as well as complaints of racial profiling and bullying. The CHRO seeks to eliminate discrimination through civil and human rights law enforcement and to establish equal opportunity and justice for all persons in CT through advocacy and education. The CHRO is responsible for enforcing human rights laws that ban illegal discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit transactions, and laws requiring affirmative action in state agency personnel practices. The CHRO works to  establish equal opportunity and justice for all persons in CT through education and outreach activities.

Ms. Hughes was named Executive Director of the CHRO in 2013. Previously, Ms. Hughes served as the interim executive director, and 15 years as the regional manager of CHRO's Bridgeport office. She has had a distinguished career at the CHRO, including four years as an investigator and staff attorney. Ms. Hughes was very instrumental in increasing staffing levels and improving relations with the public and other agencies. Since her appointment, she has been an active member on the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project, leading to CHRO's inclusion on the notification slip issued to drivers during a traffic stop. 

Ms. Hughes was awarded a significant grant to conduct Housing Testing throughout CT. During the  75th Anniversary celebration of the CHRO, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal recognized CHRO before Congress, entering into the Congressional Record CHRO’s many accomplishments in the areas of advocacy, education, research and assistance. CHRO has resumed and strengthened its memberships with the International Assoc. Of Official Human Rights Agencies and federal partners through EEOC annual and regional conferences, Fair Housing Association of CT, annual Housing and Civil Rights training sessions, and developed a new Diversity & Inclusion Committee, while providing continual training during this unprecedented pandemic year.

Ginny Roscoe. Glastonbury Human Relations Commission (HRC)

A native of Glastonbury, Ms. Roscoe was educated in the Glastonbury Public School system. She graduated from Connecticut College with BA degrees in Zoology and Russian Language. Ms. Roscoe worked as an engineering computer programmer at Bell Labs, Teledyne, and Pratt & Whitney, and as an engineer in IT project management at Pratt & Whitney until retiring in 2016. 

Ms. Roscoe has been a member and past president of the Welles-Turner Memorial Library Second Century Fund, a publicly supported not-for-profit organization whose charitable and educational mission is to help meet the long-term and large-scale needs of the library, since 2004. Ms. Roscoe is a strong supporter of  Glastonbury’s Welles-Turner Memorial Library.

The Human Relations Commission’s mission is to receive, investigate, and review complaints regarding illegal discrimination in Glastonbury under applicable federal, state, and local laws, and to refer such complaints, where appropriate, to the proper agency having jurisdiction in the particular matter. In addition, the Commission seeks, encourages and attempts to accomplish voluntary compliance with all state and federal laws relating to discrimination and equal opportunities, before referring such complaints to the proper agencies. The commission also reviews the status of affordable housing in Glastonbury and Glastonbury’s efforts to fill Town vacancies with women and minorities.

Ms. Roscoe was a member of the Human Relations Commission from 2003 to January 2018. Ms. Roscoe will discuss the Commission’s mandate, and the Commission’s involvement in discrimination complaints, affordable housing, and affirmative action in recruitment and hiring in Glastonbury. 

Chief Marshall  Porter. Glastonbury Police Department

Chief Porter has thirty-one years of law enforcement experience, including more than three years as the Chief of Police in Glastonbury. Chief Porter has an A.S. degree in Criminal Justice/Police Science from Northwestern Connecticut Community College, and a B.S. degree in Psychology, and a Master's degree in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration from Central Connecticut State University. Chief Porter is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the New England Police Chiefs Association, and represents the Connecticut Police Chiefs' Association on the Governor's Sexual Assault Kit Working Group.

Chief Porter will discuss the legal framework within which the Glastonbury Police Department functions pertaining to discrimination related issues, police training, education, conduct, and complaints of discrimination brought to the attention of the Police Department and how such complaints have been handled. 

Kennedy Williams, BLM860

Ms. Williams, a graduate of Glastonbury High School, is a sophomore at Boston University where she is majoring in Biological Anthropology and French. Ms. Williams’ career goal is to become a fertility specialist. Ms. Williams is a member of BU’s Division One cheerleading team, the black student union, and the campus survivors’ activist group, and volunteers with Boston Boys and Girls Club. In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Williams was a service leader for the Missing Maps Project. She is a member of Black Lives Matter860 (BLM860) and a founder of Black In Glastonbury. Ms. Williams is also involved in mental health advocacy and Women’s Rights issues. 

BLM860 is a Hartford-based grassroots anti-racism activist group. BLM, founded in 2013, is a decentralized political and social movement advocating for nonviolent civil disobedience in protest against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people. 

Ms. Kennedy will discuss the issues which BLM860 is addressing in Glastonbury, including issues relating to the need for diversity hires in the Glastonbury school system and an accurate and inclusive curriculum for all of the Glastonbury schools. Ms. Kennedy will also discuss the Glastonbury Public School's Equity and Social Justice Commitment and the need for a Town ordinance establishing a Civilian Review Board to help maintain trust and confidence in the Town’s Police Department.

Arden Ericson, Black In Glastonbury 

Ms. Ericson is a resident of Glastonbury and attended school in Glastonbury. She is a sophomore studying Public Relations at Penn State University. Ms. Ericson is the vice-president of “Her Campus” at Penn State University (a national media publication), the Diversity and Inclusion chair for Alpha Omicron Pi, and member of Public Relations Student Society of America. Ms. Ericson is involved in fund-raising for organizations supporting arthritis and pediatric cancer research.

Ms. Ericson will discuss her involvement in Black In Glastonbury, a Facebook space for current and former Black students of the Glastonbury Public Schools to share their stories and experiences. Black in Glastonbury was started in order to bring together Glastonbury residents by increasing their understanding of the Black experience in Glastonbury. The Black In Glastonbury Facebook site has over 1800 followers and its likes range from 100 to 300 per post. The goals for the future are to change local and state regulations in order to make Glastonbury, and surrounding communities, more inclusive of  the Black community, as well as other minority communities.

Michael Oretade, CT Racial Justice Collaborative

Mr. Oretade is a teacher in Manchester, the President of BLM860, and a member of the Steering Committee of the CT Racial Justice Collaborative. The formation of the CT Racial Justice Collaborative was inspired by a number of social justice activists and has been fully supported by Senator Chris Murphy. The Collaborative promotes, fights for, and advocates for, the passage of legislation and governmental actions that will create statewide change and political progress. The Collaborative will also serve as a networking hub through which groups can share common actions outside the formal agenda to help build the political capital necessary to achieve its goals. In addition, the Collaborative will work to amplify and uplift the work those members’ organizations are involved in at the State and local level. Mr. Oretade will discuss the formation of the Collaborative, its membership, mission, goals, and legislative agenda.

Host:

The Glastonbury MLK Community Initiative is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, formed in 2001 under the auspices of the Glastonbury Human Relations Commission. GMLKCI's mission is to increase knowledge about, and understanding of, the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, and to provide leadership and active engagement to build an inclusive community. We believe that bringing people together to discuss openly and honestly important issues relating to social justice will help build a more inclusive and tolerant community. As Dr. King noted "…whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly…" and "…the quality of a community is determined by how members of the community relate to one another." 

The goal of the GMLKCI Community Conversations program is to engage residents of Glastonbury and surrounding towns in conversations about social justice issues. We believe – especially in today’s climate – that we must identify common ground between and among citizens rather than continue to exploit differences. In this way, we can foster meaningful relationships and dialogue and forge a better community. 

Our goal is for our panelists to provide both a starting point and a resource for what we hope will be an inspiring, lively, informative, and thought-provoking conversation.