Robyn A. Porter

Last week, two significant events at the Capitol and LOB highlighted the barriers justice-impacted people face daily.
In the “Take A Walk in My Shoes Reentry Simulation,” hosted by the UConn Dodd Human Rights Impact, the simulation demonstrated the challenges faced with reentry and why it is crucial to provide readily accessible resources to returning citizens.

Guests were given a new identity with a packet of items to help them transition back into the community. The simulation demonstrated that they could not do much with the resources given to provide for themselves and their families.

Today I joined Stop Solitary CT and restorative justice advocates to support Senate Bill 1196, legislation ending routine strip searches in Connecticut DOC facilities. Formerly incarcerated citizens and their families bravely shared stories about the dehumanization of routine strip searches and the extreme trauma of this humiliating and intrusive practice.

Personal care attendants (PCAs) will have additional access to affordable health insurance after an agreement was reached to expand the application deadline for PCAs to apply for the first round of the new premium assistance benefit.

Despite historic growth, rising wages, and unemployment at a near-record low, women working full-time, year-round, are paid an average of 84 cents for every dollar paid to men. Pay disparities are even more pronounced for Black women, Native American women, Latinas, many Asian American women, and women with disabilities.

Last week, I joined my colleague's state Reps. Kara Rochelle, Corey Paris, Jillian Gilchrest, and Sen. Julie Kushner at the Blue Plate Kitchen in West Hartford to support increasing the pay for hourly waged tipped workers.

We rolled up our sleeves, put on our aprons, and waited on tables to bring awareness to the daily work servers do and saw firsthand why they deserve increased pay.

March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day. A day to celebrate women who have inspired change throughout history, and recognize those who continue to fight for the fair and equitable treatment of women and girls around the world

I had a wonderful time Saturday morning as the guest speaker for the Ms. President U.S. civic leadership program! The icing on the cake was being joined by two of my favorite Hamden elected officials, Board of Education member, Mariam Khan and Councilwoman Laurie Sweet.