EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 Overview Timeline Event Name: Urban League of Greater Hartford Black History Month Celebration 6:45pm – YOU arrive, visit the Date & Time: February 15, 2018, 6:45pm interactive exhibit, mingle with Location: Mark Twain House & Museum presenters 351 Farmington Ave. Hartford, CT 06105 7:00pm – Legacy Showcase begins Contact: Leigh Appleby (860) 818-1824 7:20pm – YOU are introduced by Composed by: Leigh Appleby Abdul Rahmaan I. Muhammad, give Logistics brief (3-5 minute) remarks, and VIPs: present Black History Month Adrienne W. Cochrane, J.D., President proclamation. and Chief Executive Officer, Urban 7:30pm – YOU depart League of Greater Hartford
Goal / Purpose: To present a Black History Month proclamation and deliver brief remarks highlighting African-American contributions to Connecticut.
Topline Message: African-Americans have made real and lasting contributions to the Connecticut’s economic, cultural, and spiritual life. Despite racially-charged and divisive language from some in positions of power, Connecticut will continue to fight for the values of social justice and
1 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 KEY FACTS
Event Program
Interactive Exhibit | 6:00 – 7:00 pm Legacy Showcase | 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Invocation Pastor Trevor Beauford
Black National Anthem Bloomfield High School Choir
Master of Ceremonies Abdul Rahmaan I. Muhammad
Greetings the State of CT Governor Dannel Malloy
Greetings from the Board Chair Dr. Paul Dworkin
A Legacy Revealed Overview Kyrinda Richardson
Celebration! Spoken Identity
Why is Black History in February? Deborah Richardson
Hartford Area SDA School If You Don't Tell Me My History students
I Am the American Legacy
Pioneer Spotlight - Whitney M. Young MC
Performance - Nothin Gonna Stumble My Feet Bloomfield High School Choir
Pioneer Spotlight - Bill Brown MC
Kareve Montaque, Great Path Performance - Change Gonna Come Academy
Pioneer Spotlight - Marietta Canty MC
Performance - Formation Act Up Theatre
I Am the American Experience
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Cultural Institution Spotlights - Artists Collective. Passages Art Gallery MC
Evolutions of Dance Studio 860
Pioneer Spotlights - BHS Alumni (Anika Noni Rose, Jimmy Green, Maia Wilson) MC
Performance - Poetry Spoken Identity
I Am the American Dream
Performance - Literary Arts Christina Jackson
Performance - Social Justice in the Arts oration Capital Prep scholars
Evolutions in Fashion Latoya Gibbs, Tayler Lambert
Legacy Charge - "Dream Bigger" Abdul Rahmaan I. Muhammad
Closing Remarks Adrienne W. Cochrane, JD
Prize Drawings Abdul Rahmaan I. Muhammad
Benediction Rev. Gail Williams
The theme for this year's signature event is “A Legacy Revealed: I Am America,” a cultural experience showcasing the achievements and innovations from people of color in S.T.E.A.M. industries, featuring the ARTS.
Throughout the event, the audience will be introduced to advancements and milestones from individuals within the African diaspora, namely African-American, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latino cultures. Youth from throughout the city will re-enact historical figures, act as exhibit tour guides and provide various forms of entertainment.
3 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 6:00 - 7:00 pm INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT During the Interactive Exhibit, there will be opportunities to browse "Innovation Stations," listen to live jazz tunes and sample culturally-inspired hors d’oeuvres. Learn about resources, services and activities offered by individuals/organizations within the community at each station.
7:00 - 8:30 pm LEGACY SHOWCASE During the Legacy Showcase, historical and cultural presentations will be performed through the I Am experience…
· I Am the American Legacy · I Am the American Experience · I Am the American Dream
This night will be a multi-sensory experience to remember as we inform, entertain and educate the community about Hartford’s history and culture!
About ULGH
Urban League of Greater Hartford, Inc. (ULGH) is a community based, not-for-profit 501(c) (3). Urban League provides programs and services in the areas of: Adult Education; Youth Development; Workforce Development and Training; Economic Enrichment; and Health and Wellness.
Urban League of Greater Hartford is an affiliate of the National Urban League and was founded in 1964. The League provides services to more than 3000 area residents annually.
Our Mission To reduce economic disparities in our communities through programs, services and educational opportunities.
Our Core Values Our focus is on empowering people in need to change their lives. 4 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18
We will be:
The PROVIDER of choice by serving the comprehensive needs of Greater Hartford residents; The EMPLOYER of choice by providing training that enables our employees to be successful in their jobs; The INVESTMENT of choice by offering programs and services that provide a sustained impact in the Greater Hartford Region; and A MODEL of integrity and excellence.
10 little-known facts about African-American trailblazers in Connecticut
Oscar-nominated movie "Hidden Figures" recently shed light on a little-known piece of history: the talented black women who helped launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
Here in Connecticut, we have some hidden stories of our own.
Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison once called Connecticut the "Georgia of New England" and the nickname remained for good reasons.
Slavery in Connecticut dates as far back as the mid-1600s and remained legal until 1848 - long after most Northern states outlawed the institution.
Beyond the abolition of slavery, the black men and women of Connecticut who had long fought for equal rights have shaped Connecticut's history in small and big ways.
Here are 10 little-known facts on some of the first African-Americans to break down racial barriers. 5 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18
A legendary freedman from Connecticut was also a literary wonder
Venture Smith was as bold as his name. The first-born child of a Guinean prince, Smith was captured and sold into slavery three times. In 1753, he married a slave named Meg. They raised three children and saved enough money to buy their freedom in 1765. Smith lived the remainder of his life as a farmer in Haddam, CT. His memoir, published in 1789, is one of the earliest books of African-American literature.
The last Connecticut slave died in 1857
Nancy Toney of Fairfield died in the home of a wealthy Windsor family, eight years before the abolition of slavery. She was 82-years-old and remained a slave until her death.
African-Americans in Connecticut used to elect their own governors
During colonial times, New England African Americans democratically elected their own leaders. In Connecticut, they elected black governors, black sheriffs, and black judges. Many of these black governors were African born or of African royalty. The practice lasted until the mid-nineteenth century.
The first black diplomat in U.S. history was from Derby
Born in 1833, abolitionist Ebenezer Bassett was the son of Black Governor Eben Tobias. He was the first black man to graduate from Connecticut Normal School - now known as Central Connecticut State University. The civil war had just ended when President Ulysses Grant asked him to be the first U.S. minister to the new republic of Haiti, marking the beginning of a long diplomatic career.
One of the first black Yale graduates broke even more records
In the 1870s, American universities had only graduated six doctors of physics. Edward Alexander Bouchet, a black man from New Haven, was one of them. He was already one 6 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 of the first African-Americans to graduate from Yale College in 1874 and the first black man to earn a PHD in America. Despite these many achievements, Bouchet was never offered a faculty position and spent most of his career teaching science to high school students.
Bridgeport was once the home of a lighting genius
The only black member of Thomas Edison's research team, Lewis Latimer invented modern carbon filaments in 1881, improving the lifespan of lightbulbs. He also drew Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone blueprints and worked with Hiram Maxi at the United States Electric Lighting Company in Bridgeport.
A New Haven dressmaker revolutionized ironing
In 1892, Sarah Boone, a young black dressmaker from Connecticut, invented and patented an early version of the modern ironing board with collapsible legs. If it wasn’t for Boone’s practical invention, we may still be ironing on tables.
The real Aunt Jemima was a theater director from Hartford
Hartford resident Gwen Reed played Quaker Oats’ Aunt Jemima on TV and on tours around the country for 17 years. But in the 1940s and 50s, she was also known as a pioneer in the theater community and throughout Connecticut, having directed and acted in many classic plays like “A Raisin in the Sun'' and “Stage Door.”
A Danbury opera icon became the first black woman to sing at the Met
An opera prodigy, Marian Anderson first sang at church functions and social events in Connecticut. In 1933, she embarked on a European tour where she quickly found fame. In 1955, she became the first black woman to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
This New Haven-born lawyer was a woman of many firsts 7 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18
Constance Baker Motley was a longtime Connecticut resident and a trailblazer for women of color. The first black woman to graduate from Columbia University School of Law in 1946, she went on to defend the Freedom Riders of Montgomery. In 1964, she was the first African-American to serve as a New York state senator. In 1965, she was also the first woman to become Manhattan Borough President in New York, and a year later, the first African-American woman to be appointed a federal judge.
Proclamation Text
WHEREAS, each year during the month of February, we celebrate Black History Month to expand our knowledge and deepen our appreciation of the countless contributions and achievements African-Americans have made to our state and nation; and
WHEREAS, in honoring Black History Month, former President Barack Obama proclaimed, “In the centuries since African Americans first arrived on our shores, they have known the bitterness of slavery and oppression, the hope of progress, and the triumph of the American Dream;” and
WHEREAS, Black History month affords us the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a state and a nation in the 155 years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and 54 years since the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but also to recognize the significant challenges that remain in achieving equality; and 8 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18
WHEREAS, African-Americans have made valuable and lasting contributions to the State of Connecticut’s economic, cultural, spiritual and political development that are worthy of celebration; and
WHEREAS, regardless of divisive language and racially-motivated attacks from some in positions of power, Connecticut will continue to stand for the values of fairness, diversity, and justice; and
WHEREAS, Black History Month has its origins in Black History Week, an observance initiated in 1926 by American historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and was expanded into a month-long celebration in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial; and
WHEREAS, it is important that public officials, educators and all of the people of our state observe the 42nd Black History Month with appropriate programs and activities that recognize and raise awareness of the vital history of Connecticut’s African-American citizens; now
THEREFORE, I, Dannel P. Malloy, Governor of the State of Connecticut, do hereby officially designate the month of February 2018 as
BLACK HISTORY MONTH in the State of Connecticut.
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TALKING POINTS
Good evening, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you tonight, and to pay tribute to the many African- American men and women who have made and continue to make our state economically, culturally, and spiritually strong.
In many ways, Connecticut has long led the way in the fight for racial justice.
In 1832, our state heroine, Prudence Crandall defied unjust laws by inviting black women from around the country here to Connecticut to be educated.
And in the years since, we have taken real steps toward ensuring 10 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 equality and justice for all.
And while we have made significant gains in recent years, we have more work to do.
The education gap still leaves too many children of color behind, which is why we are working to maintain critical education funding for Alliance Districts, and it’s why we’re working to ensure that the education workforce is diverse as the population they serve.
Too many people are denied a second chance at employment after a criminal conviction – often a mistake they made as a young person from which they can never recover.
11 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 That’s why we signed legislation to ‘ban the box’ – prohibiting prospective employers from asking about a criminal record on job applications.
And it’s why we have twice raised the age for what constitutes a juvenile in our court system. And it’s why I’m proposing that we do it again this year.
We often hear about the gender pay gap, but it’s less common to hear about the pay gap for women of color.
In fact, black women currently make only 62 cents for every dollar a man earns.
12 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 That’s not right, and it’s not just. It’s why I’m proposing new, stronger legislation aimed at taking big steps toward pay equity for all women.
It’s also why I’m proposing to once again raise Connecticut’s minimum wage.
My administration has focused every day on making Connecticut a better, fairer place to live.
We’ve made some real progress, but there is more work to be done to live up to our legacy of Connecticut Fairness.
13 EVENT BRIEF 2/14/18 My administration has proposed real and substantive action this year – from improving access to health care, to criminal justice reform, to environmental initiatives to ensure that our communities are protected from climate change – which disproportionately impacts lower-income communities.
We can have a big impact this year – together.
Now it is my honor, as governor of the state of Connecticut, to sign this proclamation designating February 2018 as Black History Month in Connecticut.
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