Protesters criticize Ledyard official’s ‘social justice’ comments

Request for cultural training session triggers controversy

Ledyard — In a meeting last Wednesday, Ledyard resident Nicole Cruz-Glacken asked the town’s Community Relations Committee if it would be willing to do cultural competence training or host a social justice speaker, as the Juvenile Review Board and Ledyard Prevention Coalition have done.

When the topic came up again later in the meeting, Town Councilor Andra Ingalls said, “I’d like to propose the counter, then. If we’re going to bring in someone to talk about social justice, I’d like to bring in the counter, the counter perspective on that, because this is a serious issue, and I think both sides would need to be presented.”

Cruz-Glacken told The Day that upon hearing this, her heart started pounding and she was upset this would be Ingalls’ suggestion. She co-organized a protest of the comments outside Ledyard Town Hall on Saturday evening, which about 15 people attended.

“We were not there just to embarrass her, and some people think we have nothing else to do,” Cruz-Glacken said. “That kind of mindset and that language has a very real impact on people everywhere.”

Amid multiple Black Lives Matter signs, two signs that she and another attendee held captured what others have wondered on social media: “What’s the counter to social jus

tice??? I’ll wait” and “What will be taught as the counterpoint to social justice? Hate??”

In response to an email from The Day asking what she meant, Ingalls noted she was registered for “Liberty and Justice for All: A Conversation on Social Justice and Identity Politics with Jason Riley and Donna Brazile,” which is a debate Monday evening held by The Steamboat Institute, a conservative nonprofit. Ingalls said she would then take time to gather her thoughts and make a statement at Wednesday evening’s Town Council meeting.

In a Facebook post Monday evening, the Ledyard Democratic Town Committee said it is “appalled” by Ingalls’ statements and can only speculate why she said this or what speakers she had in mind. The DTC said it expects an apology from her and asks the Town Council to replace her on the committee.

The Ledyard Town Council revived the former Community Services Committee as the Community Relations Committee last July. Its three members are Republican Councilors Ingalls and Michael Washington, and Democratic Councilor Bill Saums.

The committee has held a public information forum with police Chief John Rich, and last week discussed having sessions about public works and the VNA.

Its mission statement is to be “an advocate for residents encountering discrimination when accessing Town services. The Committee is charged with providing recommendations to the Town Council that promote a welcoming experience and dignified treatment for residents receiving Town services.”

Cruz-Glacken said that being on this committee, Ingalls “is already engaged in social justice work, and so with that lack of understanding, I don’t really feel like she’s fit to sit on that committee.”

She thinks the councilor’s statement made it clear she “needs some cultural competency training.” Similarly, protest attendee Joaquin Lopez-Watson thinks Ingalls needs some education on social justice.

Lopez-Watson said of his reaction to watching a video clip that Cruz-Glacken shared from the meeting, “This is something I’m angry about and I’m justified to be angry about it, but a lot of times you’ll come across to people as the ‘angry Black man’ or ‘angry Black woman.’”

He called Ledyard “a town full of people who are really comfortable with how things are, and they’re pretty resistant to change, especially when it comes to matters of social justice.”

Lopez-Watson found out about the protest from his friend Michael Lopes, who found out about it on Instagram; both are 2015 graduates of Ledyard High School and town residents.

“Anything that has to do with social justice really in the town of Ledyard is something that I wanted to be a part of,” Lopes said of deciding to go to the protest. And after last summer’s protests, he wants people to know, “Don’t think just because it’s a year later, that we’ve all forgotten.”

The protest also drew nonresidents. James Flores of Willimantic said he helped with logistics and that he came because “injustice in any place can be injustice anywhere.”

Bella Langlois, a University of Connecticut student from Ledyard, didn’t attend the protest but emailed committee members. She wrote, “Who exactly are you even considering to invite to counter an argument made about social justice? While there are varied sides to many arguments, such as scientific research, economic policy, zoning policy, etc. there is NO alternative side to social justice. Of course, other than racism.”

Committee Chairman Washington said Sunday night that emails about the remarks were “lining up.”

He thinks Ingalls wanted to know what was meant by “social justice” and commented, “I’m not drawing anything from what she said, in a negative connotation, until the information is fully available on what social justice is, as it’s being delivered to the committee.”

“Social justice to me is when you make sure you treat people fairly; you don’t separate them out by creed, color, sexual orientation, weight,” Washington said. But he said he’s been to enough presentations where someone says it will be one thing and delivers something else, so he wants to know what a presentation would entail before saying yes.

Saums said he was “surprised” by Ingalls’ remark but also wants to know what the training would be.

Washington, who is Black, said he understands racism in Ledyard and can understand why people are frustrated. Noting he doesn’t move quickly on anything, he said he’s working with Kate Sikorski, coordinator of youth services, to learn more about past social justice presentations.

Sikorski told The Day on Monday that Tekisha Everette, executive director of Health Equity Solutions, gave 45-minute “Racism, Anti-Racism, and Racial Equity” workshops to the Juvenile Review Board and to the Ledyard Prevention Coalition.

“Our JRB services are for any teen within the town of Ledyard, so I felt that it would be appropriate for our board members to have an understanding of social justice,” she said.

Sikorski said Everette gave definitions of internalized, structural, institutional and interpersonal racism; talked about diversity, equity and inclusion; and talked about equity versus equality.