Hearing that phrase first of all
gives me a sense of appreciation of
the fact that after many,
many years of people seeing black history
as separate and apart from American
history or particular states history,
in this instance Connecticut that there is,
I think, a growing realization that
black history is American history.
I've become a great appreciator
of the men and women in history.
They have not always had the limelight.
The individuals who have played a
significant role in various moments.
Let's take the Civil rights movement.
I mean, we often and rightfully talk
about Doctor King and Malcolm X and
Medgar Evers and so many others.
But there were individuals such as
Ella Baker and Dorothy Johnson and
Joanne Robinson and even Crow Scott
King who played a key role in advising,
counseling and providing critical
support to the civil rights movement
in the the March toward racial justice.
And those individuals don't often get.
The type of attention that is
meritorious to them.
It is unfortunate that in 2021
you know we still have this.
Narrative of somehow diminishing
devaluing the economy,
accomplishments of Blacks that
we somehow you know,
don't want to recognize or
come to terms with.
The history of structural
racism in this country and how,
though it doesn't exist in the
way it did 50 years ago.
The lingering effects are
still very much with us,
and it still exists in very
insidious in harmful ways,
so I think that's why it's important that we,
not just.
During the month of February,
but all year all the time are able to
lift up and highlight the accomplishments
of black individuals across our
American Society and really across the globe.
Permission,
which is the undergirding of
everything that we do,
is actually to put philanthropy into
action to create lasting solutions
that result in vibrant communities.
But what we've recognized
is that we can't do that.
While these structural barriers.
In inequities exist in those berries,
inequities are rooted in race place
and income but primarily rooted ANAN
driven by the structural racism.
We can't get to our mission if
we do not address acknowledge,
the structural barriers that prevent
that mission from being achieved.
So it is not either or it is us
addressing these inequities in service
an in the name of our mission.
So again, there's a long Rd ahead of us.
There are a lot of partners that
are essential in doing this.
When I hear the phrase black
history is Connecticut history,
I want everyone to embrace whether
you're a member of a community of color,
black community,
Latino communities,
and it doesn't matter if you
are a resident of Connecticut to
understand that Connecticut's success.
Apart of that success are the
contributions that Blacks have made.
I have been in Connecticut for
almost four years,
going on for years now and continue
to be amazed,
excited and inspired about the
contributions that Blacks have made.
In this state,
and I hope that people when they
hear that they don't think,
oh that's a February thing that they see
black history is Connecticut history.
Connecticut history is black history and not
only appreciating the historic contributions,
but understanding that where we exist as
a society as a state and as a community.
Right now the future,
that is before us as we navigate.
Hopefully what will be the ending of
this pandemic that we use this as
an opportunity to understand that.
Connecticut history and Black
history are inextricably tide.
They are linked together.
I think we are making steps, you know,
that's an interesting question.
Are we making steps to correct what happened?
Or are we simply in a moment where we
feel empathy and anger and frustration?
But then we fall back into the patterns
that we have endured for the for the
mini generation for hundreds of years.
That this has been a problem,
you know, there's probably both.
You know there are those that have
certainly have awoken to what?
Blacks and other members of
communities of color.
I've been saying that you know things
aren't equal that we've made progress,
but there is still more work.
I think ahead of us than there is behind us.