"A Legacy Revealed | Paths to Purpose" 2021 ULGH Black History Celebration Journal

black history celebration FEBRUARY 2021

INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT

LEGACY HONORS SHOWCASE

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

140 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 0610 (860) 527-01475 www.ulgh.org

INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT | 6 - 7 PM

VIRTUAL INTERACTIVE EXHIBITORS

VI CT Historical Society Divine Heads Hartford Police Departments Hartford Yard Goats Journey Writers Nabii Organics National Association of Black Accountants Slay It Proud The Root Center for Advanced Recovery The Village for Families & Children UConn Black Law Student Association Women of Praize

LEGACY HONORS SHOWCASE | 7 - 8 PM

ORDER OF PROGRAM Invocation Rev. Ashley Ramsey, Ashley Ramsey Enterprises Lift Every Voice And Sing UConn Voices of Freedom, University of Connecticut Introduction of MC Dejah Morgan, Youth Program Support Specialist, Urban League of Greater Hartford Mistress of Ceremonies Rep. Tammy Exum, Connecticut House of Representative Greetings Tamar Williamson, ULGH Board Member, Travelers Virginia Spell, Urban League of Southern Connecticut Earl Exum, Institutional Partner, Pratt & Whitney A Moment for the Culture Deborah Richardson, ULGH Youth Advisory Council Member, Educator & Black Historian

LEGACY HONORS AWARDS Paths to Art Honoree LaShawn Robinson, United People for Progress Performance, Act Up Theater Paths to Advocacy Honoree Denise Best, Voices of Women of Color Performance, T'Challa Williams, Poet & Activist Paths to Health Equity Honoree Angela Harris, Phillips Metropolitan CME Church Paths to Racial Equity & Cultural Philanthropy Honoree Rosaida Morales Rosario, Rosario & Associates, LLC Performance, Kim Pratt Paths to Community Enrichment & Engagement Honoree Michelle McFarland, Hartford Public Library Paths to Youth Achievement Honoree Sincere Mickens, Project Ready Scholar, Metropolitan Learning Center Performance, Studio 8SIXTY Closing Remarks David Hopkins, President & CEO , Urban League of Greater Hartford Benediction Rev Gail Williams, ULGH Youth Advisory Council Member, Anita, Ava House for Women

LEGACY SHOWCASE MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES

Tammy Exum is the current State Representative for the 19th Assembly district which includes sections of West Hartford, Avon, and Farmington. First elected in 2019, Rep. Exum currently serves as a Deputy Majority Leader and sits on the Commerce, Higher Education & Employment Advancement, and Screening Committees.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Tammy started her career as an elementary school teacher. Tammy moved to West Hartford with her family in 1999 after earning her Masters in Business Administration degree and being recruited by the Otis Elevator company.

Along with her husband Earl, she raised three boys - Evan, Kyle, and Jonathan all of whom attend or have attended West Hartford public schools.

Tammy is the former vice chair of the West Hartford Board of Education. She is a founding member, former president and executive board member of the West Hartford Special Education PTA. Tammy has been active on many boards and organizations. As the former West Hartford coordinator for the Parent Leadership Training Institute, Tammy is known as an advocate that listens to the concerns of people from all corners of our community.

2021 LEGACY SHOWCASE HONOREE

Sincere Mickens is an 18 year old student and Project Ready scholar with immense potential. She is a Connecticut native who attends Metropolitan Learning Center an authorized International Baccalaureate World School, and has been active on the basketball team, soccer team, IB Learner of the month, and passed her MYP-IB Capstone with Distinction.

Sincere joined the Urban League’s Project Ready Program as a freshmen along with her twin sister. Project Ready is a youth enrichment program which prepares teens for College, Work and Life. As a Project Ready scholar, she endeared herself to staff, participants and partners through her caring, pensive, socially-conscious and warm-hearted nature.

Throughout her time, she has enjoyed exploring colleges in and out of state, networking with local professionals, and working on specialized projects.

Sincere is a Creative who is passionate about painting, graphic designs, clothing creation and sketch illustration. Her work is even featured in the Urban League’s Youth Room with a color depiction of a Project Ready, 4 piece mural. She loves to use her creativity to come up with unique inspirations that people can be inspired by. This lead her to create her own business last year. Her future plans are to go to liberal art school, utilize her talent through the arts, and determine her own success by finding her purpose.

2021 LEGACY SHOWCASE HONOREE

Rosaida Morales Rosario is the founder and president of Rosario & Associates, LLC a minority-owned small business firm specializing in change management, organizational development, diversity and social justice consultation. She is also co-owner of Rosario/Shapiro Consulting Group, a statecertified woman-owned small/minority business enterprise which is also multiracial and multicultural and focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion consultation, equity and organizational culture audits and strategic planning for inclusion of emerging or underserved markets.

Ms. Rosario has 46 years of experience in management and training, strong analytical and evaluative thinking skills, and is highly skilled at helping others manage change and negotiate different perspectives to reach common goals. She has had a broad range of clients, including non-profit agencies, educational institutions, municipal, state and federal government organizations, foundations, professional associations and for-profit businesses.

Her work experience prior to founding Rosario & Associates included being National Executive Vice President at the

National Puerto Rican Forum, State Director of the CT Puerto Rican Forum and positions in corporate training and development at Travelers Insurance. She started her career in Hartford as a public school teacher.

She is an alumna of: Harvard University’s Executive Management Program, Wesleyan University, Institute for Educational Leadership of Washington D.C., and the American Leadership Forum/Leadership Greater Hartford. Rosaida is a certified facilitator by Interaction Associates, a certified trainer in prejudice reduction, conflict resolution, and mediation by the National Coalition Building Institute, a certified executive coach by The Third Sector and is also certified in testing and training in The Enneagram of Personality by Leadership Greater Hartford.

Rosaida served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for 12 years, where she spent her last three years as the first Hispanic Vice Chair. While there, she co-founded the Latino Endowment Fund and together with her husband established the Latino Children’s Fund. She also worked together with Marilda Gandara, former President of the Aetna Foundation to raise over $1 million to establish CT Hispanics In Philanthropy.

Her personal motto is: “Do Well While Doing Good”

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2021 LEGACY SHOWCASE HONOREE

Michelle McFarland is a lifelong Hartford resident who matriculated through the Hartford Public School system. Unapologetically black and proud, she later attended and graduated from Norfolk State University, a HBCU (Historically Black College & University) in Virginia.

An avid reader who loves to write, Michelle blends her passion and profession as an employee of the Hartford Public Library. For the past 24 years she has served in various capacities. And, currently she is the Outreach and Program coordinator for the Library on Wheels. You may have seen her around with a vibrant van, known as the “Book-Mobile” at parks, senior centers, schools, early learning centers and neighborhood events, bringing FREE books, movies activities, information and services to the community.

She is passionate about people being informed about resources in real time to get the best service. Even if they can’t physically get to a library branch, she brings the branch to the hood.

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2021 LEGACY SHOWCASE HONOREE

LaShawn Robinson is a mother, activist, organizer, artist, and youth worker.

LaShawn’s work within her community has proven to be trailblazing. LaShawn’s remarkable passion and tenacity to seek justice for her community has led her to the forefront of educational and social justice movements within her state and nationally. She was the lead plaintiff in Robinson vs Wenztell, a Connecticut case addressing racial disparities within the Hartford magnet school system.

LaShawn has also taken part in organizing local Black Lives Matter rallies and art opportunities.

To further her quest for justice, LaShawn cofounded "United People For Progress'', an organization seeking social justice for black and brown Hartford residents. As a Wayfinder fellow, LaShawn has received training from EdChoice and was a recent recipient of Yankee Institute’s “Unsung Hero” award.

LaShawn currently sits on the Board of Directors of Community First School in Hartford, while also recently being appointed to the Board for police conduct review by the city of Hartford.

2021 LEGACY SHOWCASE HONOREE

Angela Harris is a member of Phillips Metropolitan CME Church, Hartford, CT and has served as a Steward, Trustee, Project Manager and Owner Representative during the development and construction of the elderly housing complex Phillips Metropolitan Apartments in honor of Ida B. Wells, and on the Building Committee for the construction of the new church & administrative building, all located in the North Hartford Promise Zone (NHPZ).

Angela was Phillips' certified InPerson Assister for health insurance enrollment during the inaugural period of the Affordable Care Act, and established the North Hartford Collaborative of Assisters to promote cultural competencies to meet the needs of Hartford residents; and currently serves as an Ambassador in the Access Health CT Regional Community Partner Program. Angela is Chair of the Phillips Health Ministry and an Executive Committee Member of the Ministerial Health Fellowship, a regional collaboration of churches focused on health equity, advocacy, elimination of disparities, and the mobilization of congregations to address health care needs in CT communities of color. Angela Harris has been appointed to serve as the Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ) Resident Liaison for Northeast, Upper Albany and Clay Arsenal Neighborhoods for the NHPZ Health & Wellness Initiative. Angela is a member of the Well Being 360 Community Engagement Team that guided Youth Advocates through the successful passage of the Tobacco 21 Ordinance in the City of Hartford, the first municipality to do so in the State of CT. Angela is a member of the North Hartford Triple Aim Collaborative (NHTAC) Leadership Council comprised of local hospitals, anchor institutions, foundations and the City of Hartford to promote policy and system changes to improve population health outcomes of Hartford residents.

2021 LEGACY SHOWCASE HONOREE

Denise Best holds a master’s degree in American Studies from Trinity College and a bachelor’s degree in Education with a minor concentration in Urban Education from Lesley University. She is a certified Triple P practitioner and is certified in Mental Health First Aid. After relocating from Boston with her young family in 1980, her first place of employment was the Urban League of Greater Hartford where she served as the Head Teacher for the Adult Center of Education, (ACE Program). Years later she accepted the position of Director of Economic Development and Employment.

Denise began dedicating her free time in the Upper Albany community while working as the Director of Graduate Studies and Special Academic Programs at Trinity College. After retiring from Trinity in 2010, she worked for the Christian Activities Council, where she began her retirement career as a community organizer. She has worked on community development for Upper Albany Main Street, and at Blue Hills Civic Association in community/education organizing, with a focus on the design of the new Weaver High School.

Denise is currently the president and CEO of the Voices of Women of Color and the organizer for the North Hartford Seniors in Action. She is a writer, vocalist, and a co-host on the Easy G Morning Show on Energy Radio. She sits on the boards of the Friends of Keney Park, Upper Albany Development, Inc., Journey Writers, Inc., Hartford Votes, and is vice president of the board for the Community First School. She has served on the CT Trust for Historic Preservation, the City of Hartford Zoning Board of Appeals, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and numerous task forces and committees for mayors Perez, Segarra and Bronin. After serving nearly ten years as the Chair of the Upper Albany Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, (UANRZ), she stepped down in September 2020.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Urban League of Greater Hartford would like to express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to our staff, YPs, sponsors, exhibitors, donors, honorees and all who helped to make the 2021 A Legacy Revealed Paths to Purpose virtual Black History Celebration a success.

Urban League of Greater Hartford 140 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 860-527-0147 www.ulgh.org events@ulgh.org Find us online

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