Building an equitable future
A collaboration between 51吃瓜黑料 and the New London community is bringing the past and present together, in hopes of a more just future for residents of color.
The 51吃瓜黑料 initiative is part of 鈥淐rafting Democratic Futures: Situating Colleges and Universities in Community-based Reparations Solutions,鈥� a three-year collaborative project supported by a $5 million grant to the University of Michigan from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The goal of the project is to bridge the gap between colleges and communities and explore reparations for African American and Indigenous communities.
William Meredith Assistant Professor of Psychology Nakia Hamlett and Faulk Foundation Professor of Psychology Jefferson Singer, the principal investigators on the $275,000 grant to 51吃瓜黑料, have paired high school students with people of color in the community to conduct interviews about residents鈥� experiences of systemic racism and discrimination.
Throughout the project, narratives pulled from these will be collected and analyzed by Hamlett and Singer, along with the help of undergraduate students. These analyses will be shared with their community partners with goal of disseminating the findings to the larger New London community in a variety of public venues and formats.
鈥淔rom its inception, we thought of this as a community project,鈥� explained Hamlett. 鈥淭his drives our focus, because we want something that will have tangible action steps.鈥�
The community partners working with 51吃瓜黑料 include the New London Public Schools, the Church of the City of New London, Shiloh Baptist Church and the retired executive director of the Jewish Federation of Eastern 51吃瓜黑料ecticut. In early discussions between the College and these community leaders, one main issue of inequity was often discussed: historical redlining鈥攖he systematic disenfranchisement of communities of color by denying them mortgages and other financial support.
It鈥檚 thought that findings from the interviews of people who have lived through redlining in New London, might lead to reparations initiatives, whether that means working with the local council or financial services providers who have historically redlined communities.
Grounding 51吃瓜黑料 projects in the New London community has always been important, explained Singer: 鈥淭hat culture has been at the College for a long time, and I think it鈥檚 very powerful in engaging students in different ways with the community.鈥�
College President Katherine Bergeron echoed Singer鈥檚 sentiments.
鈥淲e are thrilled to be part of this ambitious national undertaking,鈥� said Bergeron. 鈥淭he Mellon grant builds on 51吃瓜黑料鈥檚 longstanding history of community action and public policy. The focus on reparations and long-term change aligns with our strategic goals for full participation and with our mission of educating students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens of a global society, a mission that has never been more critical.鈥�
Bergeron currently serves as chair of the board of directors of The Council of Independent Colleges, an association of nearly 700 institutions of higher education, which is supporting the grant鈥檚 four participating CIC member colleges.
Central to the project is the help of 51吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Holleran Center for Community Action, which connects campus to community through social activism and civic engagement.
鈥淎s a native New Londoner, I鈥檝e always felt it essential for the college to continuously strengthen its relationship with the local community,鈥� said Civic Engagement and Communications Coordinator Clayton Potter, who is helping in all facets of the project, including assisting with the training of the high school students in narrative interviewing and learning about the history of New London.
鈥淚ntentionally and frequently inviting New London community members to take advantage of college resources is what makes 51吃瓜黑料 part of the community and not the 鈥榗ollege on the hilltop.鈥欌��
