Civic Ambassador Reflects Impact of Engaging in Community to Advance Change
/by Valeriano Ramos
Antonia Edwards is a Civic Ambassador. Now a retiree, Antonia conducts outreach in communities on a daily basis as a family and community advocate. She encourages all voices in the community to be heard and makes a point of “meeting people where they are at”. While she is involved in a wide array of different organizations, she considers herself a nonpartisan actor whose focus is working for the people.
Connecticut’s Civic Ambassador are non-partisan agents of change who can build a movement for civic renewal by inspiring, motivating, and empowering others to be engaged. Any Connecticut resident who believes that engaging others in community and public life strengthens our state’s civic health and promotes community well-being can be a Civic Ambassador. They can be elementary, middle, high school or college students, young adults, older adults, or seniors.
Originally from Boston, Antonia moved to Virginia with her autistic son 10 years ago. However, Virginia did not offer the services necessary for her son to get the support he needed so four years ago she decided to move to Connecticut where her other child lived. She connected with FAVOR CT who helped her navigate the transition process and set her son up with the proper support. Antonia found this experience so impactful that she committed to giving back and has been actively engaged in community advocacy in Connecticut ever since.
“Antonia found this experience so impactful that she committed to giving back and has been actively engaged in community advocacy in Connecticut ever since.”
She now participates in the following boards/organizations: Greater Hartford African American Alliance, CT Council on Developmental Disabilities, Children's Behavioral Advisory Council, Health Equity Solutions, Desegregate CT, DCF Regional Advisory Councils, FAVOR CT Disability Rights, North Alliance on Mental Illness, Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, & Opportunity, Governor's Council on Women and Girls, Amistad Committee, Hartford African American Alliance, and the Connecticut Alliance for Research and Engagement.
Involvement in the many aforementioned organizations was not enough to satisfy Edwards’ ambition and she co-founded her own grassroots organization, SoliDarity and has used its power to pursue legislative action. A year ago, Antonia worked with Senator Saud Anwar on SB-1, Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis, which was signed into law on June 14, 2021.
Upon examining the disparities in health outcomes by race, Senator Anwar asked Antonia what she thought explained these gaps. She emphasized the importance of understanding how the stereotypes and implicit biases borne out of chattel slavery influence how racism operates in the present. This historical context is necessary to explain why all Black people in America, not just the Black people descended from chattel slavery, experience disparate health outcomes. Antonia's persuasive explanation motivated Senator Anwar to add a study of the impact of historical racism on Black American descendants of chattel slavery into the bill.
“After moving to Connecticut, she was shocked at the intensity of residential segregation, and found this state to be more segregated than southern states like Mississippi or Alabama.”
Antonia continued to broaden the scope of her work to include residential desegregation, federal reparations, and COVID relief funds. After moving to Connecticut, she was shocked at the intensity of residential segregation, and found this state to be more segregated than southern states like Mississippi or Alabama. SoliDarity teamed up with Desegregate CT to work on SB-1024, a bill which would have required municipalities to provide more affordable housing or face punishment. Antonia worked with Civil Rights Attorney and former Hartford Council Woman Cynthia Jennings, Wilbert “Reggie” Hales, and CT Parents Union President, Gwen Samuels, to inform local communities about an issue she is very passionate about: Federal Reparations for Black American Descendants of Slavery/Freedmen. Antonia and her collaborators also seek to find out what disparities exist in communities here and why they are not being heard.
This work has become particularly important in relation to COVID relief funds. Where are the funds going? What is being done? Who is benefitting? Antonia's work reveals that we don’t know where the funds are going, or what is being done, but it is obvious that people who need it— homeless, disabled, seniors, those in serious health crises— have not received monetary resources. She has helped draw attention to this issue with press conferences and recently partnered with Senator Kevin Kelley. Through her drive to improve people’s lives, Antonia embodies what it truly means to be a Civic Ambassador.
The breadth of issues Antonia tackles is impressive, and she was kind enough to share some advice for others who want to become civically engaged. She says to start by looking at your community and the broader issues it is facing. Then you invite people who are passionate about different issues to get together for a discussion.
Once you have gathered a group of people, it is possible you only have one chance to make a significant impact on them so Antonia advises that you, “talk about everything”. Cultivate a space where everyone feels free to voice their opinion and there is no political pressure to silence people. And once your group has organized the issues it wants to address first, you can draft an email or leave a voicemail for a legislator or fellow organizer. But she emphasizes that the most important thing is to say something. Do not let your voice go unheard. However, we all know it isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Antonia knows there are barriers to civic engagement, especially for people of color.
Antonia points to several barriers when it comes to people of color becoming civically engaged. She points to the lack of motivation for civic engagement because so often when people of color speak out about issues their communities face, they are ignored. She says people feel tired of complaining, asking for change, and being told something will be done, only to be let down again and again.
Antonia also mentions how intimidation is a factor because many people feel as if they do not belong in the Legislative Office Building (LOB). She connects this back to how children of different races are exposed to civic life. She often sees white students on trips to the LOB, where they are encouraged to learn about civic engagement and legislative processes, eliminating the mystery of how our state government operates.
Yet, Antonia does not see the same level of access and opportunity being given to students at Hartford schools and asserts that this dichotomy is systematic. Antonia points to her middle school experience as a legislative page at the Massachusetts State House as a reason for her current civic engagement. She received a certificate as a reward for her efforts and feels if more students of color were incentivized like she was, it may eliminate some barriers for civic engagement.
Antonia's deep commitment to serving the people of Connecticut is inspiring. She lends her talents to a broad range of issues, organizations, and communities. While she is dedicated to serving her community, Antonia is also seeking support in passing legislation regarding a personal experience. She is fighting to pass a bill promoting culturally competent mental health care and that addresses the systemic racism permeating the medical field. Antonia tried many times to receive mental healthcare for her two grandchildren after they experienced a traumatic event, but her concerns were dismissed by healthcare professionals. She believes this response was influenced by racism, and the lack of care tragically led to the passing of her grandson on August 7, 2020. (Antonia describes the experience in more detail in her testimony for SB-1.)
If you, or anyone you know, would like to support Antonia in her fight for culturally competent mental health care, please contact antonia.edwards@yahoo.com. We are grateful to have such an active and passionate Civic Ambassador among our ranks. Thank you, Antonia Edwards, for all you do for communities in Connecticut.
Val Ramos is Director of Strategic Alliances and Equity Officer at Everyday Democracy, based in East Hartford.Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill and Everyday Democracy launched the Civic Ambassador Initiative in 2017 in partnership with the Connecticut Civic Health Advisory Group.More information is at www.everyday-democracy.org/civicambassador
