On Tuesday, February 4, 2020, leaders from our GHIAA congregations filed into the sanctuary at Union Baptist Church in Hartford’s North End to hold the first Delegates Assembly of the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance (GHIAA).   Minister Ronald Campbell of Urban Hope Refuge set the tone for the night by leading those gathered in a stirring rendition of “I’m On My Way to Freedom Land.”

At the top of the slate were the launch of GHIAA’s two legislative campaigns: 1) Clean Slate and 2) abolishing welfare liens. In collaboration with CONECT organizers from the southern part of the state, GHIAA is organizing to get Clean Slate legislation passed that would expunge qualifying criminal records for people who remain crime-free for three years for most misdemeanors and five years for low-level felonies.  Dwayne Paul, Executive Director of the Collaborative Center for Justice and co-chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Task Force gave a presentation on the issues at hand.

Next up were CLJ Organizer, Joshua Serrano, and Peter Benner, of Westminster Presbyterian Church, with an overview and update on the campaign to abolish welfare liens.   In their presentation, “Hand Up or Drag Down?”, they illustrated how welfare assistance in CT is treated more like a loan than a helping hand. Connecticut and New York are the only two states that still utilize welfare liens, a practice that over 30 states decided was outmoded more than 50 years ago.  With welfare liens bringing in nearly $30 million annually, repealing them will not be easy. However, the team was clear that the cost of NOT repealing them is much greater in terms of maintaining obstinate cycles of poverty and perpetual indebtedness.

There were also short status updates on GHIAA’s other campaigns as well.  However, because the current legislative session is short, February 6 to May 6, 2020, GHIAA leaders stressed the need for swift and strategic action to move our legislative campaigns forward.

The 1980’s hit song “Eye of the Tiger” reverberating throughout the sanctuary bookended the evening as those gathered danced down the isles with filled-in cards pledging their commitment to the tasks at hand.

*If you or any individuals in your congregation would benefit from passage of clean slate and/or the repeal of welfare liens and are willing to tell your/their story, please email GHIAA@cljct.org.  To learn more about GHIAA campaigns or get involved, click here.