To the Editor,

My husband and I attended a Juneteenth event at the State Capitol sponsored by the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity in collaboration with the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and the Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday Commission. It was a beautiful event attended by many current and former Senators and Representatives and featured children reading essays on the importance of the holiday, African dance, and a panel discussion. We were so proud to see Newtown resident Nicole Maddox, Esq on the panel of speakers. Nicole is an entrepreneur and a social activist who co-chairs Newtown Allies for Change. When asked about the importance of Juneteenth, Nicole spoke of both the celebration of freedom and the long-standing racist hiding of information, truth, and history in our country that continues to fuel her work in Newtown. To this end, Newtown Allies for Change educates our community, helped to stop the attempted book ban, hosted a United Against Hate program with the US Department of Justice, and holds an annual celebration of Newtown educators who actively promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our classrooms. I would like to challenge all Newtown residents to learn more about this important work, attend an NAFC event, take a book out of the little library at Treadwell Park, and learn how to talk about difficult topics to address race-related issues. If there is one thing I have learned from NAFC it is that being an ally is not a title, it is an action!

Respectfully,

Christine E. Miller

Sandy Hook