Community Conversations

We have held several successful Community Conversations on issues facing diversity, equity, and housing in our communities. Past events include:

1) Housing featuring Erin Boggs of Open Communities Alliance, Mike O’Leary, Hebron Town Planner, and Rob King, Hebron resident

2) How diversity affects the quality of life in towns, featuring Jay Williams, President and CEO of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Bill Howe, head of Multicultural Dimensions; Erin Siegel, policy director of Health Equity Solutions; and Catharine Freeman, attorney, entrepreneur and Grassroots Co-Founder of CT Urban Cities COVID-19 Taskforce

3) Segregation in our Towns, featuring Sara Bronin of Desegregate CT, Sean Ghio of Partnership for Strong Communities; and Erin Boggs and Taniqua Huguley of Open Communities Alliance

4) Equity from a Faith Perspective, featuring Dr. Benjamin Foster, Jr., public intellectual and lecturer in African American studies and religion at Central Connecticut State University; Rev. Ronald Kolanowski, rector, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Hebron; Rev. Dr. Denise Esslinger, pastor, Gilead Congregational Church, Hebron; and Diane Maran, cantor, United Brethren of
Hebron Synagogue

5) How to be an Ally, featuring Rev. Dr. Shelley D. Best, President & CEO, The Conference of Churches/The 224 EcoSpace; John Dankosky, Director of News and Radio Projects at Science Friday; Melinda Johnson, Director, Community Engagement & Advocacy, YWCA Hartford Region; Bonnie Malley, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; and Anita Ford Saunders, APR, Co-chair, Public Relations Society of America Diversity & Inclusion Committee

6) Creating Housing Choices in Rural Towns, featuring Kate Briggs Johnson, President of The Foundation for Norfolk Living; Jim Crawford, Advisory Council member of the HOPE Partnership, which serves Middlesex County; and Matthew Straub and Kasey LaFlam from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), which helps towns and cities create affordable housing

7) Hebron’s Plan for Housing Choices: an opportunity for the community to learn about and provide feedback on Hebron’s affordable housing plan; Hebron Town Planner Patrick Gallagher presented.

8) Voices of Young People: Housing and Community of Choice: featuring five young people who grew up in Hebron or Andover and have either remained/returned, chosen to live in a
nearby rural town, or moved to a city; the conversation probed what they look for in an ideal community (they highlighted diversity, affordable housing, places to meet others, recreation
and arts opportunities, and walkability and/or public transit). A video of this event was created.

9) Housing for All: Builds Strong Vibrant Communities, a forum to explore why and how rural communities can create more housing choices. The panelists were: Brandon L. McGee, Jr., Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Housing; Pamela Krist Atwood, Counselor & Owner of Atwood Dementia Group; Carline Charmelus, Collective Impact & Equity Director, Partnership for Strong Communities; Ronald Kolanowski, Vice President, Commons Community Development Corporation, and Rector, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church; Beth Sabilia, Director, Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity of Eastern Connecticut; and moderated by Claudia Tejada Riley, Vice President, Community Liaison Officer, Webster Bank.

10) Immigration Justice, a forum to learn about the rights, struggles and successes of immigrants and refugees, services available to them, and ways to support them. The panelists
were: Sister Mary Jude Lazarus, Director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry, Catholic Diocese of Norwich; Nawal Karahja, refugee and recent graduate of Manchester Community College; Erin O’Neil, Attorney and Founder of Norte Immigration Law; Tabitha Sookdeo, CEO of CT Students for a Dream; Susan Schnitzer, President & CEO of Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants; and Chris Vials, Co-founder of The Neighbor Fund.