We face a moral crisis as a country and as a people. It cannot be met by repressive police action. It cannot be left to increased demonstrations in the streets. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk. It is time to act in the Congress, in your State and local legislative body and, above all, in all of our daily lives.

Kind, compassionate, empathetic. These words characterize those who show appreciation and gratitude for others. These words can also describe a small business—particularly one that gives back to its community. A Connecticut business helps other businesses to spread the word, highlighting what they do, how they do it, and the impact it has.

Even before COVID-19, many Connecticut renters struggled to make ends meet. The number of low-wage jobs in Connecticut increased by 34% between 2007 and 2018, while the cost of household essentials rose. United Way of Connecticut estimates that, before the pandemic, 38% of households lacked enough income to cover basic needs. The pandemic has made the situation more acute, and without government intervention, evictions will spike in January.

On March 10, 1919, the “Prison Special” train arrived in Hartford, carrying 26 suffragists from across the country who had been imprisoned in Washington, D.C. for demonstrating in front of the White House. Having been released, they now were on a speaking tour, stopping in 15 cities in three weeks - including in Connecticut. As we vote in 2020, century old history may provide some insight and perspective.

With greater focus on health and safety and adherence to new rules and expectations, students are at risk of exclusionary discipline. It is well-documented that such discipline disproportionately affects students with disabilities and students of color. Research during COVID-19 shows increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and traumatic stress among children, adolescents and their families.

When analyzing the driving factor behind your decisions, there is one common denominator that many people overlook: self-esteem.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown all of us onto an uncertain path forward to health and well-being. We do not know how and when the residents of our state will enjoy a world without this public health threat. We do know that, despite our collective best efforts to keep safe, people are suffering physically, emotionally and financially.

June 10, 1983, Tracey Thurman received one last beating from her estranged husband, Charles “Buck” Thurman, as the Torrington police officer she’d summoned waited in his car across the street. Connecticut law has evolved in the decades since, nudged by events local and national, but there remains more to be done.

Throughout the era of Jim Crow and until the late 1960s, African American travelers were never assured that they would be served at restaurants, allowed to rent rooms at hotels or motels, or be allowed to purchase gasoline. In 1936 Victor H. Green, an African American mailman in New York City, published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide to businesses that would serve black customers. By 1940 The Green Book included seven cities in Connecticut.

A long standing, pre-COVID-19 observation about cycling and pedestrian advocacy across our nation is that there has not been enough attention and focus on the issues of those with the most needs. One place to start is the safety and welfare of those persons who walk and bicycle, especially when it is all or a large part of their essential transportation.