YWCA event celebrates King’s legacy

On Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., YWCA Greenwich and more than 60 community partners will host the 2024 Coretta Scott and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Conversation. The event, held each January, celebrates the lives and legacy of King and his wife by exploring an important issue that broadly affects those within the community.

This year’s conversation, titled “Bending the Arc? Inequity & Access in Greenwich,” will examine data that illustrates chronic disparities in the community and in the region. Panelists will discuss how the inequities and barriers affect the lives of people based on gender, race and other dimensions of identity.

“It’s important to remember that toward the end of his life, Dr. King was focused on economic justice,” said Simone Quartey, event moderator and director of the Center of Equity & Justice at YWCA Greenwich, in a news release. “Here at YWCA Greenwich, we honor and commemorate the oftenobscured aspects of Dr. King’s advocacy, as well as Mrs. King. Both were committed to not just expanding the scope of access, but also making sure all aspects of life from economic development to housing were equitable. We aim to carry out their message by discussing ways to improve lives while promoting the tenets of eliminating racism and empowering women,”

Participating panelists are Mark Abraham, CEO and executive director of DataHaven; Dr. Lou Hart, medical director of Health Equity at Yale New Haven Health System; Evonne Klein, founder of Fairfield County Talks Housing; and Demetria Nelson, commissioner at the Greenwich Department of Human Services.

For more information or to register for the free event, visit www.ywcagrn.org/csmlk2024.