There's a lot going on, in and around the Elm City

NEW HAVEN — A leading scholar on the issue of the emotional legacies of slavery and racism will hold summit meetings with youth, educators and community leaders in the New Haven area on March 22 and 23.
Joy DeGruy will lead "Black Student Achievement: Yes We Can," a discussion on how confronting the myth of black inferiority can lead to improved outcomes for black youth, organizers said. The summit meetings are being spearheaded by the Community Healing Network, New Haven Chapter of Girlfriends, Inc., the Yale University African American Affinity Group, and Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church. Co-sponsors include the New Haven Public Schools, Yale’s Office of New Haven & State Affairs, University Libraries, William Graustein, St. Luke’s Church and Dr. Deborah Desir.
Against a backdrop of shootings and shooting deaths among black teens in the New Haven and the academic achievement gap, a growing body of evidence suggests the myth of black inferiority is at the root of these and many other challenges facing the black community, summit organizers said. DeGruy, author of "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing," has lectured worldwide on the steps black people can take to heal from the continuing legacies of slavery, organizers said.
"Dr. DeGruy is coming back by popular demand," Diane Turner, co-leader of the Summit Organizing Committee, said in a statement. "Her presentation during Community Healing Days last October was a real eye-opener, and I wanted to make sure that more people, especially young people, have the opportunity to hear her message so that we can develop a community-wide response."
The with youth meeting, "Understanding Our History, Understanding Ourselves," will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. March 22 at Hill Regional Career High School, 140 Legion Ave. The meeting with educators and community leaders, "Understanding Black History, Understanding the Young People We Serve," will be held 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 23 in the Lecture Hall, Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, 177 College St.


NEW HAVEN — Mayor John DeStefano Jr. will hold three community budget meetings in coming weeks and urges all city residents to attend. The sessions are intended to offer residents a chance to learn what goes in to developing the budget and express their thoughts on city budget priorities, the city said in a statement.
Sessions will be held, all at 6:30 p.m.: Wednesday, March 25 at St. Bernadette’s Church, 385 Townsend Ave.; April 1, at Edgewood School, 737 Edgewood Ave., and April 29, at Wexler/Grant School, 55 Foote St.


State Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, Sen. Toni Harp, both D-New Haven, have announced the creation of a Senate Democrats’ Web page designed to help people access state and federal unemployment services.The address for the "Connecticut Senate Democrats’ Resources for Jobseekers" Web page is: http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Jobs. It includes contact information on unemployment benefits, job banks and employment assistance sites, free tax preparation, and unemployment insurance.