Marlo Greponne Of HRA To Keynote MLK Day Observances

NB Museum of American Art To Hold Free Community Day To Mark Dr. King’s Birthday

Staff reports

NEW BRITAIN – Marlo Greponne, Ph.D, Executive Director of the Human Resources Agency (HRA), will be the keynote speaker at the Human Rights and Opportunities Commission’s observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) national holiday.

The annual event will be held at Smalley Elementary School, 175 West Street, a short distance from MLK Park on MLK Boulevard. Light refreshments will be available at 10:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 11 a.m. It is free and is open to the public.

“Your rights, my rights, our rights, all rights, human rights” will be the theme of Dr. Greponne’s remarks on the holiday that marks the birthday of the civil rights leader. Greponne, appointed to lead the city’s community action agency in 2020, holds Ph.D. in Human Services from Walden University and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Springfield College. She has more than 25 years experience in community action and as an advocate to end child poverty. Her work at HRA has included the Foundation for Financial Independence Program that since 2009 has provided Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and financial literacy education.

Also scheduled on the MLK holiday in New Britain and free to the public The New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) will hold a free “Community Day” in commemoration of Dr. King’s birthday that will include special programming from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The NBMAA “is partnering with the CT Center for Nonviolence (CTCN) to present an afternoon of art-making, music, and learning led by CTCN teaching artists and certified nonviolence trainers, including Shanna T. Melton, Adjovi Simpini, Gamaliel Moses, Melinda Alcosser, and Cherell Banks.

The NBMAA “is partnering with the CT Center for Nonviolence (CTCN) to present an afternoon of art-making, music, and learning led by CTCN teaching artists and certified nonviolence trainers, including Shanna T. Melton, Adjovi Simpini, Gamaliel Moses, Melinda Alcosser, and Cherell Banks.

Photo: John Woodrow Wilson’s “Martin Luther King, Jr.”, 2002. Etching and aquatint. William F. Brooks Fund, Dr. & Mrs. David Hickox and Mrs. Edward Olson, Jr. (2020-21)

from www.nbmaa.org

For program details and complimentary reservations visit the museum’s website at New Britain Museum of American Art | Art Museum in New Britain, CT (nbmaa.org)

The city’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) focuses on raising awareness and protecting human rights, according to its mission statement. CHRO handles complaints “that relate to human rights, affirmative action, inclusion, equal employment and fair housing opportunities to the appropriate agency.” Commission members include its Chairwoman, Jessica Angelo-Julien and members Laverne Jeffreys, April Lewis, Adalberto Ortiz, Joan Pina, Janae Willis and Lawrence Wooten.