My name is Dave Canton and I am the first President of the Black Caucus of Hamden, CT (BCHC) and it is my honor and privilege to share a few words about our organization. After the murder of George Floyd, numerous protests occurred across the nation and the world that demand police reform.  Earlier in the year, a Louisville police officer murdered Breonna Taylor she was another African American victim of police violence. Last year, a Hamden and Yale police officer shot into a vehicle with two unarmed passengers Stephanie Washington and Paul Witherspoon. Hamden residents marched and protested to ensure the police officers were punished. The protests placed pressure on law enforcement officials to bring charges against the police officer who killed George Floyd. The protests forced Fortune 500 companies and others to donate millions of dollars to black organizations even though the police have killed African Americans for over century. Protests are necessary, but they are reactive.

Since the election of Donald Trump, he has nominated a large number of young conservative federal judges and a federal judge is a life time appointment. On a state level, there are more Republican Governors that Democrats and Republicans are in control of state legislatures. On the national level, most Americans pay attention to purple states such as Georgia, but there is a saying “all politics is local.” Connecticut is a Democratic state, but on many issues, such as equity in education, tax reform, and institutional racism, a number of local and state Democratic officials are moderate and support a pragmatic status quo politics. The goal of the BCHC is encourage black residents in Hamden to participate, educate, and motivate our community about the business of politics, community organizing and power. In addition to voter registration, BCHC is committed to educating individuals about political issues and holding their representatives accountable. BCHS is a proactive and does not wait for a crisis to occur before

In 1965, Bayard Rustin, civil rights activist, wrote an essay titled, “From Protest to Politics: The Future of the Civil Rights Movement” and he stated the civil rights movement had removed the “barriers to full opportunity.” However, institutional and systemic oppression are as “American as apple” pie. The BCHC believes that protest and politics are necessary to radically transform Hamden and the nation to achieve the goals of racial equity and justice.