Over the spring and summer of 2020, America was confronted once again by the ugly truth that systemic racism persists throughout our society. The effects of systemic racism have consequences in housing, education, health, wealth, and nearly every other part of daily life – in fact, race is still the number one predictor of success and well-being in our country.

CCM hosted a series of online discussions called CCM CARES – Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable. CARES stands for Communities Advancing Racial Equity Series, as we must get comfortable having these uncomfortable discussions if we want our communities to take advantage of this crucial moment. You, the community, are the critical part of this equation, and we want you to watch each of the four 90-minute panel discussions with community and municipal leaders.

Achieving Racial Equity: National Experts Discuss Local Opportunities - A CCM CARES event

Panelists included:

• Wes Moore, author

• Betsy Hodges, former Mayor of Minneapolis

• Tim Wise, author

• Bree Newsome Bass, artist and activist

This event was moderated by Clarence Anthony, Executive Director of the National League of Cities.

This event was cosponsored by:

Western Connecticut CARES

This session took place on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Panelists included:

• Aidee Nieves, Bridgeport City Council President
• Jim Marpe, First Selectman, Westport 
• Anthony Bennett, Pastor, MT. Aery Baptist Church, Bridgeport  
• Elinor Carbone, Mayor, Torrington 
• Shaun McColgan, Deputy Chief of Police, Danbury
• Bianca Shinn-Desras, Director, Parent Leadership Programs, Stamford
• Brenda Penn Williams, President, NAACP, Norwalk

This event was facilitated by Chris Keating, Capitol Bureau Chief, Hartford Courant

You can watch a video of the entire discussion on our Facebook page.

South Central Connecticut CARES

This session took place on Thursday, October 22, 2020 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Panelists included:

• Justin Elicker, Mayor of New Haven
• Bishop Theodore Brooks, Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church, New Haven
• Arturo Perez-Cabello, Chairman, Hamden Board of Education
• Michael Freda, First Selectman of North Haven and CCM President 
• Kerry Ellington – Leader, People Against Police Brutality, New Haven 
• Khalilah Brown-Dean, Associate Professor & Senior Director for Inclusive Excellence, Quinnipiac University
• Dr. Darnell Young, Elm Family Dental, West Haven
• Doris Dumas, Leader, NAACP, New Haven

This event was facilitated by Keith Kountz, Anchor, WTNH-TV, Channel 8

You can watch a video of the entire discussion on our Facebook page.

North Central Connecticut CARES

This session took place on Monday, October 26, 2020 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.             

Panelists included:

• Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford 
• Michael Oretade, Black Lives Matter 860
• Shari Cantor, Mayor of West Hartford
• Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Superintendent of Schools, Hartford
• Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, Mayor of Bloomfield
• Ed Ford, Jr., Middletown City Council
• Yukiyo Lida, Parent Community Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Group, West Hartford

This event was Facilitated by Michael Savino, Reporter, WFSB, Channel 3

You can watch a video of the entire discussion on our Facebook page. 

Eastern Connecticut CARES

This session took place on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Panelists include:

• Michael Passero, Mayor of New London
• Leah Ralls, Willimantic NAACP 
• Patrick Daley, Chief of Police, Norwich 
• Benjamin Watts, Senior Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, New London 
• Yolanda Negron, Leader, Latina Unidos, New London
• Jennifer Muggeo, Deputy Dir. of Health, Ledge Light Health District

The event was facilitated by Christine Stuart, Editor, CT News Junkie; Reporter, NBC 30

You can watch a video of the entire discussion on our Facebook page.

Communities of Color Two Day Training

CCM launched a program to help encourage people of color to get involved in local government.  Click here to read more.