Maya McFadden Photo
Karen DuBois-Walton, Veronica DeLandro, John Lewis, and Immacula Cann at the Anchor Thursday evening.
Four mayoral candidates walked into a bar …
… and they were all Black.
Which means something in Connecticut.
New Haven’s Karen DuBois-Walton, West Haven’s John Lewis, New Britain’s Veronica DeLandro, and Stratford’s Immacula Cann were the four candidates in question. They met up at the Anchor Spa on College Street Thursday night to compare notes at a reception event hosted by The Connecticut Association of Black Democratic Clubs (CABDC).
CABDC hosted the event to introduce the candidates to one another to build connections among New Haven, West Haven, Stratford, and New Britain.
Cann gives Newhallville organizer Jeanette Sykes her number.
Currently Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, the mayor of Bloomfield, is the only Black mayor in Connecticut.
Over the Anchor’s Yuca Fritters & Corn,“Sexy Wings,” and Pulled Pork Sliders, the candidates exchanged contacts with the goal of supporting each other during the campaign trail and working together in the future.
“I can see the four of us sitting at Connecticut CCM [Conference of Municipalities] next to our sister in Bloomfield,” said DuBois-Walton.
The event was organized by CABDC founders Sean Mosley Esq, Otis Johnson Jr, Allen McCollum, Albert Lucas, Jerry Poole, James Gatling, Earnest Mosley. It highlighted three points: “Black businesses matter, Black lives matter, and Black candidates matter.”
Anchor Spa’s pulled pork sliders.
Poole and McCollum agreed that black businesses have been struggling in recent years. While supporting black politicians, the event also supported Anchor Spa, which is a black-owned business. The Anchor Spa celebrated its five year reopening anniversary recently and the businesses survival through the Covid pandemic. During the pandemic the bar remained connected with the public by serving cocktail kits to go and hosting instructional cook and drink making zoom sessions.
CABDC New Haven Chapter President McCollum promised the candidates help with establishing fundraising committees and volunteers to canvass for each of their campaigns.
“This will give the candidates additional hope that there is help in their towns and others,” said McCollum.
Poole noted that many more communities have Black mayors in the South than in Northern states like Connecticut. He spoke of recently watching a forum with six Black Southern mayors.
“There’s a lesson to take from the South,” he said. “It’s inspiring.”
“We need more African Americans in politics. To make change and to inspire our kids,” said McCollum.
“With voter suppression happening, the candidates need help and the people need hope to get them to the polls no matter what,” said Poole.
Other candidates showed up too. Victor Borras of West Haven joined the event in support of John Lewis and as a council candidate. Newhallville advocate Devin Avshalom-Smith announced that he will be running for alder of Ward 20.
Cann, who is a registered nurse and educator, is running for mayor in Stratford, hoping to be the town’s first Haitian African American mayor. She is running to keep minority voices in Stratford from continuing to be stifled, she said
“This election has consequences,” she said.
DeLandro is a mother, community advocate, and former district director for U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes. She hopes to be the change to New Britain’s eight-year Republican leadership.
Lewis, who served as former West Haven Mayor Ed O’Brien executive assistant, has a focus on improving West Haven’s economic development plan.
Click here, here, here, and here to read about DuBois-Walton’s campaign.
The four mayor candidates shared the need for campaign volunteers for phone banking and neighborhood canvassing and monetary donations.
John Lewis talks with Kara Patterson and friend.
While enjoying happy hour with friends at the Anchor, Kara Patterson was approached by Lewis. and they talked about education in West Haven. Patterson, an educator, said she would like to see schools invest in multicultural education for youth. Lewis added that he would like to see more educators of color in West Haven. Patterson remained undecided on who she will vote for in the West Haven primary, she said after Thursday conversation.
Three youth members of the CABDC New Haven Chapter, Princess Adjei, 17, Alianna Wray, 17, and Hunmae McCollum, 16, attended the event to network with the candidates and get tips on how to become “presidents, mayors, and congresswomen” in the future.
“It makes me feel like I can do anything when I see people that look like me doing great things,” said Adjei.
CABDC Host Reception for CT’s Black Mayoral Candidates
Posted by New Haven Independent on Thursday, July 15, 2021
interesting how the word 'organizer' is thrown around casually these days and even confused or interchanged with other words such as 'community worker', 'town council', 'neighborhood committee member'.....yet they wonder why credibility is questioned...before assigning the designation of community organizer, particularly grassroots community organizer let's not forget to understand and respect what that means...and no, not going to explain it to you, don't speak privilege