CCSU Center for Public Policy and Social Research

06/22/2022

As summer officially begins, states across the country are experiencing major climate disasters. From massive flooding to record breaking temperatures, these overlapping crises are proving to be more and more common with the country being widely underprepared to deal with the consequences. Montana and Wyoming are currently experiencing massive flooding due to heavy rains, high temperatures, and rapid snowmelt. The Yellowstone river is at historically high levels which has destroyed infrastructure and homes and forced over 10,000 people to evacuate Yellowstone National Park. These climate crises are not an isolated occurrence. The Southwest is seeing dangerous fire conditions with new and ongoing wildfires while many midwestern states have seen record breaking heat waves. Wisconsin is a prime example having experienced high temperatures, severe thunderstorms, power outages, and tornado watches. Climate scientists say these issues are only going to escalate unless carbon pollution is curbed. Even if the nation does become better prepared to combat these co-occurring climate disasters, there is only so much that can be done without targeting the root of the problem.

Montana and Wyoming have seen major flooding and a large swath of the U.S. population has baked under a heat wave. Experts say these overlapping climate-related hazards will only get worse and the country isn't prepared.

03/31/2022

Celebrating Women’s History Month:

The late Maya Angelou made history this year when she became the first Black woman to appear on a U.S. quarter. The American Women Quarters Program is a four-year program created to celebrate the accomplishments of women in U.S. history. The first of five women to be honored in 2022 is Maya Angelou. Angelou was a civil rights activist, actress, singer, screenwriter, and author best known for her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The book outlines the hardships she faced as a child and adolescent through racism and r**e. The book was nominated for the National Book Award and stayed on the New York Times’ paperback nonfiction bestsellers list for two years. She went on to receive many other nominations and awards for her work throughout her lifetime. She received a Tony nomination for her acting in the play Look Away, an Emmy nomination for her role in the tv series Roots, a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her poetry and essay collections, and multiple Grammys for Best Spoken Word Album of her poetry, one of which she delivered at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. She also became one of the first African American women to have a screenplay produced and to direct a major motion picture. In 2000, President Clinton also awarded her the National Medal of Arts, and in 2010, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Besides her literary and performing arts accomplishments, she was also active in the Civil Rights Movement having worked with the Organization of African American Unity led by Malcom X and as the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

03/22/2022

Recognizing Women’s History Month:

The second of four confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Jackson Brown began at 9:00 AM today. If confirmed, Jackson will become the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice and the fifth woman to serve overall, joining Justices Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Jackson gave her opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee during the first hearing yesterday, pledging to decide cases from a neutral and independent standpoint and affirming her love of this country and the Constitution. Jackson faces criticism from some Republican senators who have characterized Jackson as “soft on crime” based on her record and experience. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri labeled her past sentencing decisions in child po*******hy cases as lenient, which has received considerable backlash and been called misleading. Jackson also faces questions about her defense of Guantanamo Bay detainees as a public defender and in private practice. Additionally, senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties have raised questions about the role of “dark money” in the judicial nomination process. Click the attached NPR link for more details and updates on the confirmation hearings:

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday will hold the second of four confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jackson, the federal judge President Biden has picked to fill Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's seat, is the first Black woman to be nominated to the high court.

03/15/2022

Recognizing Women’s History Month on Equal Pay Day:

This year, Equal Pay Day falls on March 15th, marking how far into the new year the average woman must work to match what their male counterparts made the year before. It is worth noting that this year’s Equal Pay Day has come earlier than in previous years, which landed on March 24th in 2021 and March 31st in 2020. While this is a sign of progress towards closing the wage gap, this model reflects on the wages of women as a whole and does not account for how the wage gap impacts certain communities. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) provides a list of dates that specify when Equal Pay Day would be for Black, Native, Latina, and AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) women. Because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in the workforce, the Equal Pay Day coalition has adopted a new methodology for calculating these dates that includes seasonal and part-time workers. Click the attached link to find out when Equal Pay Day is for each of these specific communities of women:

There are more than one equal pay day to denote the day that women of color must work until before their wages catch up with men's.

03/08/2022

Recognizing Women's History Month on International Women’s Day:

International Women’s Day recognizes and celebrates the achievements women have made across the world while bringing awareness to the inequalities women continue to face every day. The first IWD was celebrated in 1911 in various European countries and became a global event in 1913. Women have made tremendous strides since then; however, biases still exist and gender-based discrimination continues to be a very prevalent issue. In recognition of these issues, this year's theme is . Francoise Olivas’s recent candidate endorsement interview with members of the North Brooklyn Progressive Democrats outlines the importance this theme. Olivas is a candidate for the New York Senate and prepared herself to answer questions about her experience and platform. During the brief 5-minute Q&A portion, she was asked multiple questions about her ability to do her job while being a mother. Unlike their male counterparts, these types of questions are common for women. Olivas reported not only being shocked that these sexist questions were asked in the first place, but that no member of the seemingly progressive group objected to them. Women continue to be subjected to double standards and discrimination which oftentimes go unchallenged, reinforcing the problem. Whether done through sharing stories, calling out discriminatory practices or challenging stereotypes, people need to take a stand and fight for a more equitable world.

A progressive Democrat group asked the question twice of New York state Senate candidate Françoise Olivas.

03/02/2022

Recognizing Women's History Month:

Women’s History Month originates from a week-long celebration organized by the Sonoma, California school district in 1978. The school district put together presentations, an essay contest, and parade to honor the contributions women have made throughout history. As the celebration spread to districts and organizations across the nation, President Jimmy Carter officially declared the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week in 1980. Years later, the National Women’s History Project petitioned to make it a month-long event and succeeded. In 1987, Congress officially declared the month of March as Women’s History Month. This year's theme, “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope”, was chosen by the National Women’s History Alliance as “a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.”

02/28/2022

Celebrating Black History Month:

Last Friday, DC Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Biden. Jackson has been considered the front runner for the vacant seat since Justice Breyer’s retirement and received support from nearly two dozen Supreme Court clerks. She previously clerked for Justice Breyer and served as a federal public defender in Washington. She was also a commissioner on the US Sentencing Commission and served on the federal district court in DC as appointed by President Obama.

This historic announcement has also brought to the forefront the ways in which Black women face disproportionate scrutiny regarding job qualification. Comments from several legislators suggest that setting the position aside for a Black woman would inevitably exclude more qualified candidates, including Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker calling the nominee a “beneficiary” of affirmative action or Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy worrying that the nominee wouldn’t be able to distinguish “a law book from a J. Crew catalog.” In the history of the Supreme Court, there have only been two Black justices, both men, and five women, none of them Black. Read more about this issue in the linked article:

A recent survey shows that public perception of candidates’ readiness for the Supreme Court varies by race.

02/23/2022

Celebrating Black History Month:

The city of Atlanta, Georgia is often regarded as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, as the city served as a hub for activists and leaders which helped to propel the movement into the national spotlight in the 1960s. Despite its rich history of pushing progress for Black Americans, the city finds itself at the center of a movement led by residents of the affluent Buckhead neighborhood looking to secede from Atlanta and form its own municipality. The movement has been driven by a steep increase in violent crime in Atlanta, which pro-secession activists say can be remedied by Buckhead creating its own police force to be more responsive to crimes in their area. Critics of the movement argue that Buckhead cityhood would be highly detrimental to the city of Atlanta due to the sizeable chunk of its tax base and population gone. Buckhead itself is about 74% White, as opposed to Atlanta as a whole which is 50% Black and 38% White with Asian and Latinx populations each making up 4%.

Progress toward cityhood has been stalled by high-ranking GOP officials in the state including Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, narrowing the chances of cityhood for Buckhead passing through the legislature. Duncan mentions a lack of preparedness and answers on behalf of the Buckhead City Committee in addressing ‘real issues’ including crime reduction, education and infrastructure. He also cites a new measure that would allow Georgia residents and businesses to receive a state tax credit by financially supporting their law enforcement agencies, stating that recently elected Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens should have time to tackle the crime issue and implement this measure before any push towards cityhood should take place. Despite these drawbacks, the Buckhead City Committee does not plan to stop their efforts to become their own city. Read more about this issue in the linked article:

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02/15/2022

Celebrating Black History Month:

Recognizing the disparities in healthcare among Black communities in the country, this year's theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. It is no question that minority populations have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and Biden’s Covid test distribution continues to reflect that. While 500 million tests are to be shipped out to Americans across the country, households are only allowed to receive four tests, regardless of size. In the U.S, there are approximately 64 million Americans living in multigenerational homes, a disproportionate amount being people of color working essential jobs. This is significant considering Black, Latino and Native Americans have Covid death rates of 60-90% higher than White Americans. As a result, those already vulnerable populations are being forced to ration tests. While the Biden administration has made some attempts to address different testing related barriers, allowing every household to receive the same number of tests continues to promote the inequities in our healthcare system and puts communities of color at risk.

The administration plan was largely lauded when announced, but those who serve the nation’s most vulnerable say the tests should have been distributed more equitably.

02/08/2022

Celebrating Black History Month:

Given Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, President Biden now has the opportunity to fill that seat. Keeping his campaign promise, Biden has stated his plan to nominate a Black woman. If confirmed, whoever nominated will become the first Black female Supreme Court Justice. Paving the way for these women, Jane Bolin became the first African American judge in the United States in 1939. This wasn’t the first time she made history, as she was also the first African American woman to earn a law degree from Yale Law School, join the New York City bar Association, and the first to work in the office of the New York City corporation counsel. Being reappointed three times, she served as a judge for forty years until she met the mandatory retirement age. As a family court judge, she was outspoken on a number of issues pertaining to children and civil rights, changing segregationist policies surrounding probation and child-care agencies. She was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the New York Urban League.

Photo: Library of Congress/Interim Archives/Getty Images

02/01/2022

Celebrating Black History Month:

Black History Month is recognized every February in the United States to recognize the achievements and contributions of Black Americans, as well as the long-lasting and continuing struggle for racial equality. Although every U.S. President since 1976 has designated February as Black History Month, recognition of Black history and excellence started with the work of scholar Carter G. Woodson, Harvard scholar and son of formerly enslaved people. Inspired by the Lincoln Jubilee celebration, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of emancipation in Chicago, he formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1915. The association established The Journal of Negro History, the first scholarly journal to focus on the achievements of Black people. Dr. Woodson announced the first Negro History Week in February 1926 and chose February based on both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’ birthdays and already existing days of recognition. Over time, recognizing Negro History Week grew in popularity around the country with schools adopting Black History into the curriculum for the week and even starting extracurricular Negro History Clubs. By Dr. Woodson’s passing in 1950, cities across the country were celebrating Negro History Week and West Virginia had already begun celebrating what they called Negro History Month. In 1969, Kent State University students and educators proposed the first Black History Month and celebrated in February 1970.

“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” – Carter G. Woodson

Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States for close to 100 years but what is it exactly and how did it begin?

12/06/2021

Good afternoon, CCSU! On behalf of the Institute for the Study of Crime and Justice, the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, and the Center for Public Policy and Social Research, we would like to thank all of our students who attended last Tuesday night's virtual forum, High Stakes: The Impact of Cannabis Legalization on Connecticut's Criminal Justice System. We would also like to thank our guest speakers, Chief Public Defender Christine Rapillo and Senior Assistant State's Attorney Lou Luba, as well as our moderators Dr. Kimberly Meyer and Virginia "Ginny" Knudsen.

If you were unable to attend this lecture, you can access the recording via CPPSR's Events Archive, which is linked below:

Central Connecticut State University 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT 06050860-832-3200Equal Opportunity Employer/Educator