LYME/OLD LYME – A group of nearly two dozen area residents – consisting of both students and adults – have gathered together to form the Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice to energize local efforts aimed at supporting education reform, affordable housing and police accountability in Lyme, Old Lyme and New London.
The all-volunteer group’s mission is to educate residents on important topics of social justice and call attention to opportunities where citizens can support local, state and national social- justice efforts. The partnership has formed four task forces so far:
- The Task Force on Education Reform is working with school administration and the school board to assist in these groups’ efforts to foster changes in curricula, provide diversity training for school staff, recruit teachers of color, establish a zero-tolerance policy for racism and create a diversity committee of staff, parents and students.
- The Task Force on Affordable Housing is focused on increasing the availability of affordable housing.
- The Task Force on Police Accountability is focused on supporting regional and state efforts to reform the criminal justice system.
- The Task Force on New London Partnerships is focused on establishing an ongoing working network between the partnership and New London-based organizations.
The group plans to:
- arrange informative monthly seminars, meetings and/or webinars to educate area residents on social justice issues;
- appear before appropriate town boards and commissions that oversee issues of social justice; and
- forge an active network of residents willing to contact their elected officials by phone, mail or email on issues of importance; and submit letters to the editor to local media.
The group can be found on this Facebook page and reached by email at [email protected].
New members are welcome to join.