WHAT'S HAPPENING

What's Happening

Below is a sampling of some current and past MRJC projects:

#CareNotCops Campaign - We're proud to be part of this statewide campaign organized by the CT Black & Brown Student Union (BBSU) to end CT’s reliance on police officers in schools and build an educational system based on community and care. Learn more and sign the petition here!

Strengthen Our Existing Public Schools - Not Charter Schools - When a charter school organization from Hartford tried to quickly push through a proposal for a new charter here in Middletown - which would have been the city's first - we raised serious questions about the potential impact on funding for our city's existing public schools. We also organized against locating the school on the site of the former CT Juvenile Training School, a youth prison with a history of abuse and trauma. While the school did not receive state funding in 2023, it will be up for consideration again in 2024.

T-Square Summer Enrichment Program - We have run a free summer enrichment program for youth in Middletown's predominantly Black Traverse Square neighborhood since 2021.

District Equity Leadership Team (DELT) - For several years, the MRJC partnered with the Middletown Public Schools as members of their DELT. This group was tasked with creating a Racial Equity Policy for the district. The MRJC has also done anti-racism trainings with staff and students at MPS.

Healing Work - The MRJC plans events to promote racial healing and center Black joy. In 2022, we organized a powerful private healing and altar-building event for people of color when the Amistad ship replica visited Middletown. We also plan educational and community-building events during Black History Month every February.

Juneteenth - The MRJC sponsors and participates in planning the city's annual Juneteenth festival and parade to celebrate Black liberation, led by our partners at the Middletown Ujima Alliance.

COVID-19 Response - In response to the COVID pandemic, the MRJC created a Relief Fund to help Middletown families support their basic needs, spend money at businesses owned by people of color, pay for self-care activities, and more.

School Naming Committee: The MRJC successfully organized community members around supporting a name for Middletown's new Middle School that is more inclusive and welcoming. In 2020, the Common Council voted to adopt the name Beman Middle School for the new building, honoring the Beman family. Learn more about their legacy here.

Youth Organizing Initiatives: The MRJC wants to lift up the next generation of organizers, so we are working to involve youth in all our initiatives, especially related to education. We are planning youth organizing trainings and projects over the coming year.

Back to Basics - In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, we stopped hosting monthly meetings with our members and allies and took time to reorganize our Steering Committee and internal structure. In 2024, we plan to once again begin hosting monthly membership meetings to reconnect with our base, inform future organizing and advocacy strategies, plan direct action, and train community members on the principles of anti-racism and community organizing. We also plan to canvas Black & Brown neighborhoods, create surveys, and host forums as part of this process to better understand the changes community members wish to see. Stay tuned for more info on how to get involved!

Fair & Affordable Housing - We partner with local and state housing activists and organizations to promote equitable access to affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, and monitor implementation of the city's newly created Fair Rent Commission. View a fact sheet about housing in Middletown here.

Human Relations Commission - The MRJC partnered with the Human Relations Commission of Middletown to create a report and a set of recommendations for undoing racism within city government.

Anti-Racism Taskforce - Our organizing pushed the City of Middletown to create a permanent, funded city taskforce in 2020 aimed at moving our city towards becoming anti-racist. The MRJC served as a member of the Task Force for its first three years and will continue to partner with the Task Force and provide support as needed in the future.