'19th-Century Racism and 20th-Century Civil Rights' at the New Haven Museum

NEW HAVEN - Former Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr., will discuss the impact of Prudence Crandall’s life and actions at 6 p.m. Jan. 22, at the New Haven Museum, according to a release.

  Francis Alexander, portrait of Prudence Crandall.
Oil painting, #6953.
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections,
Cornell University Library.

The event is free and is co-sponsored by The Amistad Committee Inc., the release said. A reception and book signing will follow the lecture, the release said.

 

The snow date Jan. 29.

 

"When Prudence Crandall opened her 'school for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color' in Canterbury, Connecticut in 1833, she endured a violent public and political backlash that included being jailed, and the burning and eventual closing of the school," the release said. "But according to (Williams) the seeds of the 14th U. S. Amendment were sown during the arguments presented in Crandall’s defense, the case reversing the notorious Connecticut 'Black Law'.”

"The storm of controversy that catapulted Crandall to national notoriety in the 1830s also drew the attention of the most significant pro- and anti-slavery activists of the day," the release said. "The Connecticut state legislature passed its infamous Black Law in an attempt to close down her school. But Crandall’s legal legacy had a lasting impact—Crandall v. State was the first full-throated civil rights case in U.S. history. Her attorney’s arguments played a role in two of the most fateful Supreme Court decisions, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. In 1995, Crandall was designated the official state heroine of Connecticut as a symbol of courage for her stand against prejudice."

 The New Haven Museum, founded in 1862 as the New Haven Colony Historical Society, is located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Ave.

 

According to historian and Association for the Study of Connecticut History board member Peter Hinks, “Williams has authored what will become the authoritative history of Prudence Crandall and her controversial academy. He richly intertwines the life of Crandall with other key protagonists of the struggle for abolition and black equality, and demonstrates how Crandall’s courageous stand in Canterbury helped shape the struggle for black equality into the Civil War and beyond.”

 Find the museum on  facebook.com/NewHavenMuseum.

Public invited to Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute at Connecticut State Capitol

HARTFORD - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission will  hold the 28^th celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Jan. 20, 2014 at the State Capitol, according to a relase.

The event will be held in the Hall of Flags and the public i"s most cordially welcome to attend," the release said.

Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, State Treasurer Denise Nappier and "other luminaries" will attend, the release said.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission will honor three outstanding Connecticut women,  the release said.

"Tanya Hughes, executive director of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities will be honored for her two decades of leadership in the field of civil rights; Victoria Christgau, who founded the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence at the request of legendary civil rights leader, educator and activist, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr. will receive the community award. Also, Maggie Gardner, who in 2007 established Gardner’s House, Inc., to improve the course of personal recovery from cancer, and particularly for those living within Hartford’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods will receive the humanitarian award," the release said.

 

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it.

Yale Peabody Museum announces 18th annual MLK celebration

 

Events supports Dr. King’s legacy of social and environmental justice

 

 And it's free

 

NEW HAVEN - A teen summit, invitational poetry slam, keynote speaker and World Stage performers will highlight the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History’s 18th annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and his vision of environmental and social justice for all, regardless of race or income," according toa release.


Events and activities Jan. 19 and 20 will help demonstrate how "King strove to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect minorities and low-income communities. Local organizations will be on hand to show how environmental justice also entails equal access to relief and community participation in the decisions of government and industry," the release said.

 “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” proclaimed King, as shared in the release.

The museum is at  170 Whitney Ave.

Also in the release:

Sunday’s highlights include a presentation by keynote speaker Jacqui Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, at 4:00 p.m. entitled “Another Way Is Possible: Forging a Path to Preserving a Sustainable Planet,” and a teen summit, “Sitting at the Table of Equality: Teen Involvement in Food Justice,” from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Sunday also features storytelling with Karen Johnson, Joy Donaldson and Waltrina Kirkland Mullins and world stage performances by Neighborhood Music School Premier Jazz Ensemble, Kouffin Kanecke Company, African Arawak Connection and Hamden Academy of Dance & Music .

Monday’s featured event is the Annual Invitational Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Poetry Slam, an event that brings poets from around the country to compete. Also Monday is the Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Poetry Open Mic, an opportunity for people of all ages to share their original poetry or rap and speak their minds on issues of justice and injustice. Pre-registration is required.

Monday will also feature more World Stage performances and a participatory drum circle finale led by Michael Mills. World Stage performers include White-Eyed Lizard, Taikoza, Solar Youth Drummers and Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends.

Fresh from winning a national championship and new to the Peabody celebration this year is the New Haven Nation Drill Squad Youth Program that will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Comprising stepping teams and drummers and founded to instill the three Ds—discipline, dedication and determination—the Nation Drill Squad team has won over a dozen national championships. Program founder Doug Bethea, who lost his son to gun violence, says drilling teaches youths to keep their goals in sight and make the right decisions in life. Team member Ronnasia Shepard, a junior at Hillhouse High School, has also lost friends to gun violence and says the drill team helps her focus on productive things.

The two-day event is sponsored by Citizens Bank with support from Subway, Stop & Shop, Yale Office of New Haven and State Affairs and the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. We gratefully acknowledge honorary chairs Toni N. Harp, Mayor of New Haven; Martin Looney, State Senator, 11th Senatorial District; Rosa DeLauro, Congresswoman, 3rd Congressional District; and Toni E. Walker, State Representative, 93rd District.

Following is a detailed schedule of events.

Sunday, January 19, Noon to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

1:00–1:30 Neighborhood Music School Premier Jazz Ensemble

2:00–2:40 African Arawak Connection

3:00–3:15 Hamden Academy of Dance & Music

3:45–4:30 Kouffin Kanecke Company — Traditional West African dance and drumming performance

Auditorium (3rd Floor)

12:30–3:30 "Sitting at the Table of Equality: Teen Involvement in Food justice" —Teen Summit

4:00–5:00 Another Way Is Possible: Forging a Path to Preserving a Sustainable Planet

With Jacqui Patterson

Storytelling (New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue)

12:45–1:30 Karen Johnson — “Butterflies Should Be Free”

1:45–2:30 Joy Donaldson — “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Word and Song”

2:45–3:30 Waltrina Kirkland Mullins —"Remembering Martin!... and More!"

Monday, January 20, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

11:00–11:40 White-Eyed Lizard — Caribbean steel drum island music

12:15–1:00 Taikoza — Japanese drumming

1:15–1:30 Solar Youth Drummers

2:00–2:40 Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends

3:00–3:30 Nation Drill Squad Youth Program

3:45–4:30 Michael Mills — Drumming performance and drum circle finale

Auditorium 11:00–12:30 Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Poetry Open Mic — An opportunity for people of all ages to share their original poetry or rap and speak their minds on issues of justice and injustice. Pre-registration required.

1:00–4:30 Annual Invitational Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Poetry Slam.Invited Poetry Slam Participants: Christopher Caligas, Christopher Johnson, L.NuNuu, Aaron Jafferis, Jashua Sa-Ra, Porsha O., J.F.Seary, M.A. Hustleman John 1:1, Mind Evolution, Influence, Danny Matos, Nichole Acosta, Chelcee Lorraine, Rico Frederick, Camonghe Felix, Rachael Finley

 

 

 

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. Photo courtesy of the museum. Click one of the buttons below to share it.

Kennedys to serve as honorary co-chairmen of VNA of South Central CT’s Nightingale Awards

NEW HAVEN  - Dr. Katherine "Kiki" Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, Jr. were recently named honorary co-chairmen for the 2013 Nightingale Awardsfor Excellence in Nursing, according to a release.

John R. Quinn, president and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut made announcement, which included that it be held May 13 at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven, the release said.

“We are extremely honored that Ted and Kiki Kennedy would take the time out of their busy schedules to lend their support and leadership to the 2013 Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing” Quinn said, also in the release, “they are both knowledgeable about our health care system in Connecticut and they have the highest respect and regard for the nursing profession. Their mere presence at the Nightingale Awards is a tribute to those nurses we honor and will make the nurse’s evening a very special and memorable event.”

"The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing program was originally developed by the VNA/SCC to be a collaborative effort to celebrate outstanding nurses and elevate the nursing profession," the release said. "The goals of the program are to encourage retention, inspire future nurses, focus public attention and recognize the breadth and scope of nursing practice at the local level."

Kennedy is president and co-founder of the Marwood Group, a healthcare-focused financial services firm, the release said.  He previously worked at Wiggin & Dana in New Haven, the release said.

 Kiki Kennedy supervises residents and teaches psychotherapy as an assistant clinical professor at Yale University, and sees patients in her private psychiatry practice in New Haven, the release said.

For more information about the Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing, including sponsorship information and how to purchase tickets, visit www.nightingalenursingawards.org/newhaven/ or call the Nightingale hotline at 203-859-6765.

To make a contribution to the VNA/SCC in support of the event, contact Lindsey Christiani, Community Development Specialist, at 203-859-6054.  

To donate online visit www.razoo.com/story/Vna-Of-South-Central-Ct. 

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.

Yale Peabody Museum to hold King event on environmental and social justice

NEW HAVEN - The Yale Peabody Museum will hold a  two-day “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice 2011” event Jan. 16 and 17.
The free event will feature performances and activities espousing King’s environmental and social justice concerns, museum officials said in a statement.
It will be held noon to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 16 and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 17.

Activities will include music and dance performances, educational activities and an invitational poetry slam drawing poets from around the country.

"Events and activities will help demonstrate how Dr. King strove to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect minorities and low-income communities," the statement said.
Sunday’s activities will feature storytelling and teen diversity workshops focusing on King’s message. Performances scheduled for Sunday include the African Arawak Connection, Yale Bhangra Dance Troupe, and Pam, Jam, and Lime Steel Band,  the statement said.
Monday’s featured event is the Annual Invitational Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Poetry Slam, an event that brings poets from around the country to compete,  the statement said. It is named in honor of a dedicated Peabody volunteer and champion of the MLK celebration who died this past year,  the statement said.

Also on Monday is the Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Poetry Open Mic, an opportunity for people of all ages to share their original poetry or rap and speak their minds on issues of justice and injustice,  the statement said. Pre-registration is required.
Performing Monday in the Great Hall will be Boogie Chillun, Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends, the New Haven Breakdancers, and Kouffin Kanecke Company among others. Michael Mills will lead the drum circle finale. An Afro-Caribbean folk doll workshop will also be offered,  the statement said.
The event is sponsored by Citizens Bank with support from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Yale Office of New Haven and State Affairs,  the statement said.

A complete schedule of events:

Sunday, January 16, Noon to 4:30 pm (5 pm for the Teen Workshops)

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

1:00–1:30 Premier Jazz Ensemble

2:00–2:30 African Arawak Connection

3:00–3:15 Yale Bhangra Dance Troupe — Traditional Punjabi dance

4:00–4:30 Pam, Jam, and Lime Steel Band

Teen Workshops, 3rd Floor Auditorium

1:00–5:00 “Stop the Violence: Teens Standing Up for Change”

Storytelling (3rd Floor, North American Dioramas Hall)

12:30–1:15 Waltrina Kirkland Mullins — Past and Present: We Live the Legacy!

1:30–2:15 Joy Donaldson — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Word and Song

2:30–3:15 Karen Johnson — “Baba, the Farmer” and “Butterflies Should Be Free”


Monday, January 17, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

11:00–11:30 Boogie Chillun

12:00–12:30 Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends

1:00–1:30 New Haven Breakdancers

1:30–2:00 Morning Glory Christian Dance Academy

2:00–2:30 New Haven Breakdancers

3:00–3:30 Kouffin Kanecke Company:Traditional West African dance and drumming

3:45–4:30 Michael Mills — Drumming performance and drum circle finale

Family activity, (3rd Floor, North American Dioramas Hall)

10:00–2:00 Elaine Peters — Afro-Caribbean Folk Doll Workshop (using recyclable materials)

Poetry Slam, Open Mic, Music (3rd Floor Auditorium)

11:00–12:30 Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Poetry Open Mic

12:45–1:15 White-eyed Lizard Band: Caribbean steel drum island music

1:30–4:30 Annual Invitational Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Poetry Slam

Photo shows Michael Mills and Brian Jawara, courtesy of Yale Peabody Museum

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided wholly by the museum
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