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Larson Looks to End Social Injustice in Hartford

October 17, 2012

Click here to watch the meeting

Hartford, CT – Today Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) and Maya Wiley, the Founder and President of the Center for Social Inclusion joined The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Voices of Women of Color, and the Connecticut Commission on Health Equity for the town-hall style program: Transforming Hartford: The Call to Action Continues. The program focused on closing health and economic inequities in Hartford and eliminating the achievement gap among its students.

"Government works best when it is a collective enterprise, and bringing every stakeholder to the table is essential for social justice in Hartford and across the country," said Larson. "While we have made great strides in Hartford and Connecticut, more work must be done in order to end health and economic disparities for our residents and close the achievement gap in our schools. I am proud to see the work Mayor Segarra has done in Hartford since we were visited by the Congressional Black Caucus over a year ago, and I commend Maya Wiley for her efforts to end social injustice nationally. When an entire community comes together to help one another, the result is always positive. I am very pleased to participate in this discussion, and I look forward to continuing my efforts to end social injustice."

"This is an important conversation for the stakeholders in Hartford to be a part of. Hartford is a city with an incredibly innovative past and we need to make sure we secure that legacy in the future," says Mayor Segarra. "We need to address the economic disparities that exist as opportunities for solutions and growth. While we've made significant advances since last year with Opportunities Hartford, I look forward to more progress. Congressman Larson is a champion of Hartford, and I'm thrilled that both him and Ms. Wiley are so passionate about creating solutions."

"Hartford is a vibrant and diverse metropolitan area that has the best the country has to offer and faces some of the same challenges to fair and lasting opportunity that communities around the country face," said Maya Wiley. "I am honored to join Hartford's elected and citizen leaders in acknowledging Hartford's tremendous opportunities and discussing ways to strengthen fairness and prosperity for all."

The Call to Action Continues stems from the 2011 event, A Call to Action: A Conversation on Race & Social Justice. In June 2011, members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined with Congressman Larson, Mayor Segarra, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center to create a blueprint for how a community can come together to close the achievement gap and end economic and health inequities. Since 2011, the City of Hartford announced the Social Justice Initiative, aimed at addressing these issues through a community wide effort.

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