Testimony last March from hundreds of supporters helped to pass a law that launched development, now underway, of a high school course focused on Black and Latino history. Said one state resident, 16 months ago: “We can’t begin to heal and move forward as a country until we have done the profoundly important work of reckoning with our past and learning our history. People’s lives, my son’s life, literally depends on it.”

The release this month of a comprehensive report and recommendations by a bipartisan commission, convened by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, outlines 31 steps to strengthen America's institutions and civic culture to help a nation in crisis emerge with a more resilient democracy. And Connecticut voices were prominent in its development.