February 1, 2021

My friends and I grew so excited that our children could have a new school to call their home and that Danbury Prospect would bring years of experience nurturing Latino children to our community. But, that’s when we also discovered that Danbury’s delegation was refusing to open Danbury Prospect and refuse to give it operating dollars because they don’t like that it’s a charter school.

By allowing unopposed renewal of the governor’s emergency authority, the General Assembly exposes Connecticut to the same imbalanced distortions that Mitch McConnell threatened at the federal level. The process by which government sets its rules is important, as it leaves a precedent to be followed by future generations.

Connecticut likes to think of itself as a progressive state that values equal opportunity for all. But the ugly reality is that Connecticut is one of the most unequal states in the country, with high levels of racial and socioeconomic segregation. While there are many causes behind this, a huge part of these inequities stems from exclusionary zoning laws: a hyperlocal land use regime designed to prevent new housing development, exclude newcomers, and create a scarcity of homes.

Throughout the history of the United States, new immigrant communities have had to struggle to achieve equality and proper representation in our society. Today, as the Latino community has become the largest minority group in the country, this struggle continues. In Danbury, where a majority of the student population is increasingly of Latino descent, their struggle for equality is gaining momentum. This community continues to be underserved, and its struggle for more representation and resources has garnered increased urgency.