2025 Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans|Connecticut | Puerto Rican Studies Initiative for Civic Engagement and Public Policy

Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans|Connecticut

Creating a Collective Agenda

Connecticut Legislative Office Building

Saturday, 11 January 2025
(Snow Date: Saturday, 18 January 2025)

Preliminary Summit Program (updated 20 December 2024)

Registration:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/947260380297?aff=oddtdtcreator

Preliminary Program (29 December 2024)

The most recent U.S. Census data available (2022) suggests that Puerto Rican and Latino residents of Connecticut account for 18.2% of the state’s population or by now close to a fifth of the state’s residents. Puerto Ricans account for 8.2% of this population, while various other Latino groups make up the remaining 10%. As UConnPRSI has documented, Puerto Ricans consistently experience the highest inequalities among all racial and ethnic groups in the state, including compared to Latinos. The goal of this summit is to retake the conversation on how to develop a Puerto Rican collective agenda for the state of Connecticut. The goal of the Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans|Connecticut summit is to provide a safe space for the discussion of policy issues and the articulation of community responses, to develop a collective agenda, that can address the particular experiences of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut. We would like to bring together the perspectives of stateside Puerto Ricans and other stakeholders in Connecticut to develop a collective agenda that can help shape public policies and legislation that address the inequalities experienced by Puerto Ricans in Connecticut.

To achieve this goal the summit program is designed to balanced topics related to the economic, electoral, social and political issues affecting Puerto Ricans in Connecticut. The first part of the conference will take place on Saturday morning and will provide a demographic and political overview of the status of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut. The second part of the conference will take place after lunch and will provide a series of breakout sessions to address some of these concerns. We are interested in developing an agenda to move forward with coalition building and discuss how the Puerto Rican and Latino Caucus, elected officials, community leaders, other stakeholders, and UConn’s Puerto Rican Studies Initiative can collaborate to help develop a collective agenda for improving the lives of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut.

CONTEXT

What do we know about Puerto Ricans in Connecticut?
What are key policies that can help improve the lives of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut?
What can policies and community strategies do improve the lives of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut?

8:00-9:00am	Coffee and Registration
9:00-9:40am	Welcome Remarks State Representative Matt Ritter, Speaker of the House, Connecticut General Assembly Governor Ned Lamont, State of Connecticut (Invited) Senator John Fonfara, Connecticut General Assembly (Invited)
9:40-10:10am	Introductory Overview Charles R. Venator-Santiago, Director, UConnPRSI Goal: To provide a framework for the summit – Why are we here today? How do the panels and breakout session structure the conference. Discuss importance of addressing core questions in group discussions: What do we know about Puerto Ricans in Connecticut? Explain goals for the conference and expectations for the future.
10:10-10:25am	Coffee Break
10:25-11:00am	Plenary Panel: Connecticut Puerto Rican and Latino Caucus State Representative Minnie Gonzalez, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr., Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Jason Rojas, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Hilda E. Santiago, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Juan Candelaria, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Manny Sanchez, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Jimmy Sanchez, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Chris Rosario, Connecticut General Assembly Goal: To provide an overview of what the Puerto Rican and Latino Legislative Caucus legislators are doing in Connecticut today and what are their priorities. What is key legislation that affect Puerto Ricans in Connecticut? What can policies and community strategies do?
Concurrent Sessions 1 11:00am – 12:15pm	Concurrent Sessions. Concurrent breakout sessions promote active and deliberative engagement of multiple stakeholders in the solution of urgent social problems and add the development of community and policy strategies. The PRSI and PR&LLC main goals as organizations is to cultivate relations with a broad constituency, which is understood to be essential to carrying our mission. For our purposes, we consider business, nonprofit organizations, elected officials, academics, the media and community leaders to be essential stakeholders to our mission. The breakout sessions are organized by groups that represent the existing organizational structure of the Puerto Rican community in Florida. The common questions posed to breakout sessions are: What can we do? The groups will be asked to evaluate the potential for research and advocacy to have an impact on the definition and understanding of social, economic, and policy problems; the window of opportunity opened to policy and community leaders concerned with the implementation of solutions to the problem; and the likelihood of affecting public policies and mediating social institutions that influence outcomes for Connecticut Puerto Rican communities. Who is going to do it? The conference will help produce an inventory of resources, a directory of individuals and organizations that can collaborate in the near future (within the next year after the conference) to support projects that would result in relevant research, promote the utilization of that research by stakeholders, and assess discernable impact on social outcomes. What can the PRSI, and the PR&LLC do? Puerto Ricans in Connecticut have garnered more political power than any other state in the nation. Puerto Ricans in Connecticut have the highest representations of elected officials than any other state. This power has motivated the Connecticut Puerto Rican communities to engage in a broad range of issues and strategies all with the common goal of strengthening the voices of Puerto Ricans in the state. The PRSI and PR&LLC could play a unique role as a convener and network builder, as a think tank and source of reliable information, and as a documentarian of the process.
Concurrent Panel 1 Public Hearing Room 1A	Puerto Ricans and the State of K-12 Education in Connecticut Moderator State Representative Manny Sanchez, Connecticut General Assembly Panel Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Madeline Negrón, New Haven Public Schools Nitza Diaz-Candelo, State Education Resource Center Goal: To examine disparities in education, issues affecting the educational pipeline, expectations about federal reform at the local level, and prospects for bilingual education. How do we retain students? How do we increase graduation rates? What should be a collective agenda for Puerto Ricans around K-12 education?
Concurrent Panel 2 Public Hearing Room 1B	The 2024 Elections, An Explanation Moderator State Representative Hilda E. Santiago, Connecticut General Assembly Panel Edwin Vargas, Governor William A. O’Neill Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Practical Politics, Central Connecticut State University Alderman Ruben Rodriguez, City of Waterbury Marc Caplan, CT Citizens Action Group Goal: To explain and discuss the results of the 2024 Presidential elections. To provide recommendations for Puerto Rican voters in Connecticut.
Concurrent Panel 3 Public Hearing Room 1C	Housing Inequalities Moderator State Representative Jason Rojas, Connecticut General Assembly Panel Commissioner Seila Bruno-Mosquera, Connecticut Commissioner of Housing Councilwoman Maly Rosado, City of Hartford Wildaliz Bermudez, Executive Director of Fair Rent, City of New Haven Lee Osorio, City of New Haven Field Representative Goal: To identify current issues affecting Puerto Ricans access to affordable housing and to explain available programs.
Concurrent Panel 4 Public Hearing Room 1D	Connecticut Boards, Councils, and Commissions Roundtable State Representative Minnie Gonzalez, Connecticut General Assembly State Representative Chris Rosario, Connecticut General Assembly Registrar Giselle “Gigi” Feliciano, Registrar of Voters – Hartford Goal: To explain what the various Boards, Councils and Commissions in the State of Connecticut are and explain how more Puerto Ricans could join these bodies.
Concurrent Panel 5 Public Hearing Room 1E	Health Inequalities and Community Strategies Moderator State Representative Juan Candelaria, Connecticut General Assembly Panel Ken Barela, CEO, Hispanic Health Council Dr. Tina Loarte, Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. Dr. Angela Bermudez Millan, Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Farmington Dr. Anna-Michelle McSorley, Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Waterbury Goal: To examine health disparities, especially in key areas such as diabetes and its relations to nutrition, asthma, and mental health policies and effective preventive community strategies. Of special interest are the enrollment of Puerto Ricans in health plans, especially Medicare and Medicaid.
Lunch 12:15 – 1:15pm	Networking Lunch
Concurrent Sessions 2 1:15 – 2:10pm
Concurrent Panel 6 Public Hearing Room 1A	Environmental Justice in Connecticut Moderator State Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr., Connecticut General Assembly Panel Dr. Mayra Rodríguez González, Urban and Community Forestry, University of Connecticut Marilynn Aponte-Cruz, Connecticut Government Leader and Executive Public Administrator (Retired) Diana Martinez, Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice Goal: To explain Puerto Ricans are impacted by environmental issues in Connecticut. To explore how Puerto Ricans in Connecticut can develop a collective agenda that incorporates approaches that promote environmental awareness and justice.
Concurrent Panel 7 Public Hearing Room 1B	Puerto Rican Women and Leadership in Connecticut Moderator: Councilwoman Jessee Muñiz-Poland, Councilwoman- Manchester Panelists Kay Muñoz, President-CT Hispanic Democratic Caucus Evelyn Mantilla, Former State Representative/Executive Director – ITN Central CT Councilwoman Rose Reyes, Councilwoman – Willimantic Marilyn Alverio, Founder and CEO, Latinas and Power Corp. Goal: To examine some of the challenges and contributions that Puerto Rican women leaders face in Connecticut. To develop a collective Puerto Rican agenda that incorporates the visions, perspectives and goals of Puerto Rican women, while promoting the expansion of leadership opportunities of Puerto Rican women in Connecticut.
Concurrent Panel 8 Public Hearing Room 1C	Puerto Rican Day Parades and Collective Memory Moderator Joe Rodriguez, Puerto Ricans United/New Haven Puerto Rican Day Parade Roundtable of Connecticut Puerto Rican Day Parade Leaders Sammy Vega, CICD Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade Amilcar Hernandez, CICD Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade Milta Feliciano, Puerto Rican Parade of Fairfield County Joe Rodriguez, PRU-Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven Members of the CT Coalition of Puerto Rican Parade and Festivals Committees Goal: To explore ways that we can collaborate with the various Puerto Rican day parades throughout the state of Connecticut. To discuss ways that the Puerto Rican Day Parades can contribute to the development of a collective agenda for Puerto Ricans in Connecticut.
Concurrent Panel 9 Public Hearing Room 1D	Puerto Ricans and the Media in Connecticut Moderator State Representative Jimmy Sanchez, Connecticut General Assembly Panel Ana Alfaro, El Show de Analeh, Univision Sabrina Herrera, Latino Initiative, Connecticut Public Vanessa de la Torre, Chief Content Officer at Connecticut Public Goal: To discuss how the media promotes an understanding of issues affecting Puerto Ricans and how Puerto Ricans are part of the state.
Concurrent Panel 10 Public Hearing Room 1E	Puerto Ricans and Higher Education, Hispanic Serving Institutions Roundtable of Hispanic Serving Institutions in Connecticut President Zulma R. Toro, Central Connecticut State University Dean Fumiko Hoeft, University of Connecticut, Waterbury Dean Mark Overmyer-Velazquez, University of Connecticut, Hartford Goal: To explain what are Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) in Connecticut and how Puerto Rican students can benefit from attending an HSI. To develop a collective agenda to support HSIs in Connecticut in order to encourage Puerto Rican students to pursue higher education.
Wrapping Up 2:20-3:30pm	Closing Plenary: What Have We Learned, Where Do We Go From Here? Moderators: Charles R. Venator-Santiago and Representative Minnie Gonzalez In this session, moderators of each breakout session present a brief summary of conference participants’ view on “What can the UConn PRSI and the PR&LLC can do to support growing interest to support Puerto Ricans in Connecticut. What should be the priorities as conveners and network builders, as think tanks and sources of reliable information, and as catalysts of the solidarity movement? How do these roles benefit specific community groups given the state of their sector institutions and priorities as a social movement? Describe three issues that should be a priority?
	We need to vacate the LOB by 4:00pm
	For more information, please contact Charles R. Venator-Santiago at either charles.venator@uconn.edu or at 413-219-5933.

Phone:	(413) 219-5933
E-mail:	charles.venator@uconn.edu
Address:	El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin American Studies College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Connecticut Ryan Building 2nd floor 2006 Hillside Road, Unit 1161 Storrs, Connecticut 06269-1161