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Hartford HHS committee recommends five appointees to African American and Black History and Culture Commission
Summary
The Health and Human Services Committee voted Dec. 2, 2025, to send a favorable recommendation to City Council for five mayoral nominees to the African American and Black History and Culture Commission; the full council will consider the nominations at its Dec. 8 meeting.
The Hartford Health and Human Services Committee voted Dec. 2, 2025, to send a slate of five mayoral nominees to the City Council with a favorable recommendation for appointment to the African American and Black History and Culture Commission.
Councilman TJ Clark, the committee chair and assistant majority leader, opened the virtual meeting and noted the session began without a quorum but proceeded with introductions. After Councilman John Gale joined as a voting member, Gale moved and Clark seconded a motion to forward items 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7 and 2.8 to the full council; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and the chair said the items would be taken up by City Council on Dec. 8.
Nominees who spoke to the committee included Dr. Benjamin Foster Jr., who said the commission would “tell their story then and now,” citing local historical figures such as Frederick Douglass and Chuck Stone and urging support to highlight Black contributions to the city. Reverend Dr. Eric Hurst described work he has done at Center Church documenting Hartford connections to national history, including visits by abolitionists. Dr. Fiona Vernal, an associate professor of history and Africanist studies at the University of Connecticut, described a digital humanities project, “Hartford Bound,” and a new Caribbean heritage museum intended to expand access to local Black and West Indian histories. Dr. Stacy Close recounted migration-era family histories and scholarly links to W.E.B. Du Bois and others. Dr. Sweets Wilson outlined her background as a therapist and the West Indian and African American community contributions she hopes to highlight.
Chair Clark invited the nominees to attend the Dec. 8 City Council meeting; he noted that nominees may speak during the council’s public-comment period, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The committee’s vote was taken by voice; the record does not include an exact numerical tally of votes.
Next step: the City Council will consider the appointments at its Dec. 8 meeting; nominees were encouraged to participate in that meeting’s public-comment portion.
