VIOLATION OF TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT?

By Cornell Lewis

In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed to much acclaim from people all over America. Finally the ugly specter of racism might vanish under these laws; segregation and Mr. Charley finally vanquished. Hey wait a minute. The Department of Children and Families along with Connecticut Juvenile Training School might be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. According to documents gained through the Freedom of Information Act DCF displays a clear pattern of discrimination against employees of color. If you look at the website dcfplantation.org there are charts/graphs describing how 66% of all disciplinary actions within DCF are against employees of color; CJTS has a class action lawsuit filed against it by five employees of color within the last 3 years. For 30 years there have been allegations, complaints, and legal action against DCF over issues of discrimination, yet no one (to my knowledge) brought up possible violation of Civil Rights violations. Records show that DCF receives millions of Federal funds directly, including, but not limited to Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, Independent Living, Social Services Block Grant, Child Welfare Services Grant, and many other grants. Also DCF receives Federal grants indirectly through other State agencies such as Department of Education and Office of Policy Management (OPM). From what Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 read someone could be in clear violation of the law.

Overview of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1963: Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination. If a recipient of federal assistance is found to have discriminated and voluntary compliance cannot be achieved, the federal agency providing the assistance should either initiate fund termination proceedings or refer the matter to the Department of Justice for appropriate legal action. Aggrieved individuals may file administrative complaints with the federal agency that provides funds to a recipient, or the individuals may file suit for appropriate relief in federal court. Title VI itself prohibits intentional discrimination.

For some activists of color working at CJTS discrimination comes in the form of retaliation for making public certain views: “DCF is based on White Supremacy and there is an unjust exercise of power and unearned privileges that come with whiteness.” All top positions [where real power resides] at DCF/CJTS are held by white people. When white supremacist society is mentioned I use author Robert Jensen’s definition: “a society (and DCF/CJTS are societies unto themselves) whose founding is based in an ideology of the inherent superiority of white people over non whites.” A perusal of DCFs founding and evolution seems to support Jensen’s thoughts. The continued cries of racial discrimination are largely ignored by a larger society. DCF/CJTS care for children/adolescents which hides an ugly truth from a majority of Connecticut residents. A question that must be asked is has The Civil Rights Act Title VI been violated by a state agency receiving federal funds?

THESE PEOPLE BELIEVE THEY ARE ENTITLED TO WHITE PRIVILEGE ON DCF PLANTATION

I recently started reading the book The Color of Welfare [how racism undermined the war on poverty] by Jill Quadagno. In this book it is clear that a majority of American whites opposed blacks [in 1960s,70s & 80s] getting welfare, housing, going to schools in white enclaves or child care benefits to improve their lives. Yet these same opponents enjoyed white skin priviliges, that enhanced caucasian life, and thought nothing of it. Seems as if little has changed in America relating to white skin priviliges, and how it is viewed as a God given right. At the Connecticut Juvenile Training Facility in Middletown, Connecticut the same sort of scenario is enacted for a new cast of caucasian characters. The fierce war going on at this facility between management [95% white] and employees not in management [90% non-white] is about who drinks from the cup of white skin privilige. If you look at items/graphs/charts posted on this website it is clear something is wrong; in the school system at CJTS most teachers are caucasian, most clinicians with higher degrees are caucasian. In every aspect of running that facility whites drink heavily from a goblet of privilige; anyone or thing threatening this power base is destroyed or marginalized, activists such as myself et al. (and others) are called racist-loose cannons or worse behind closed doors.  CJTS management is now even trying to terminate activists [say Cornell Lewis] over so called other issues, when the real problem is my highlighting injustices on the CJTS plantation. In America there is atendency to define racism as "one person or group treating another badly." I believe by saying this people avoid a larger discussion on 500 years of white skin privilige in America and how this translates into what is occurring at CJTS; whites in power and thinking it is their right. Then let us not forget lessons of history, how recipents of white skin privilege destroy attempts to dislodge them from a comfortable roost.

A DECLARATION AGAINST INSTITUTIONAL INJUSTICE

Peoples Manifesto:

Undoing Racism in the Dept. of Children and Families (DCF)!

We the People of Color and Working Poor of Greater Hartford are the victims of an unrelenting and systemic level of institutionalized racism and classism that permeates the Department of Children and Families, also known as DCF.  
We the People know that children, families of color and working class poor represent a significant percentage of the DCF caseload, yet its Administrators, Senior Management and Policy Makers do not reflect the population it serves in either color or working class background. 
We the People are informing all that this issue of racial and class bias within DCF has most recently been aggravated by the targeting of activists at Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown, Connecticut for disciplinary actions by DCF management. Also by the fact that a disproportionate amount of disciplinary actions throughout DCF are aimed at their employees of color. 
We the People know very well that the relationships between our communities and DCF has always been a highly tenuous bond, and the People view the latest management actions by the DCF / CJTS unacceptable and simply adding salt to a very deep and festering wound.
We the People are telling DCF and the State of Connecticut that our children and families are NOT financial commodities of the State nor the Federal Government, and we demand that the Peoples Voices and Faces be given equal seats and representation at the DCF Tables of Power.
We the People are committed to assuring that the racial and class imbalance in DCF senior administration END TODAY, and that DCF’s Senior Management and Decision Makers finally mirror those in the community it serves and not mirror a pale and middle class representation of the community!
We the People can no longer accept our children, our mothers, our grandmothers, our families being victims not only of the systemic racism existing in Connecticut but to be re-victimized by a family support system that should be empowering our children and families as opposed to the current climate of fear and distrust.
We the People of Color and Working Poor of Greater Hartford are committed to:

1. Ending the reign of racism and classism that permeates the senior management levels and policy makers of DCF
2. Transforming, NOT Reforming, DCF into an organization that reflects in ALL aspects the communities it serves
3. Developing a Child and Family support structure that reflects a progressive social policy reflective of the communities it serves
4. Assuring that DCF is a partner with, not oppressor of, the Community Based Urban Organizations of whose families it serves

We the People Declare that until such action is taken, We the People of Greater Hartford hereby put DCF and its workers on notice that they are persona non-grata in the North End of Hartford, bounding the area from Garden Street to Vine Street to Capen Street and back to Garden Street! 
We the People call upon all members of the community within this designated area as a non-DCF zone and to respectfully let the DCF worker know that they are not wanted in our community due to policies by certain members of a “cronyistic” DCF system which promotes middle-class white women to leadership positions within DCF!
We close with the simple yet relevant words of Nehru:
    “Action itself, so long as I am convinced is right action, gives me satisfaction.”

The Hart Monitor Voice of Liberation Issue 10

Page 5. Click here to keep reading

 

Page 5. Click here to keep reading

TRYING TO CLEANUP THE PLANTATION

People working at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School have noticed that management is attempting to cleanup glaring faults. Most recently management has seen fit (now of course) to hire a black male as Assistant Superintendent/Principal of the school on campus. This has been done in a rush as result of activists making known discriminatory hiring practices and lack of blacks or Latinos in the school hierarchy. Now it has come to light how management is looking at employees use of sick time,Workers Compensation, and sick leave. Hell, before the sudden change in management attitude, certain administrators or employees abused WC and sick time repeatedly and without shame. CJTS management looked the other way at such infractions and yawned at complaints pointing out such things. But with the DCF Plantation website and other community activists making such things public a new wind of change is blowing through the DCF Plantation. This wind of change from white management is not done out of altruistic reasons-historically oppressors never change except when pushed- but to cover their arse. A hue and cry of "clean house" is heard, everyone on the plantation is scrambling to give the appearance things are in order. Why even administrators of the plantation on Hudson Street in Hartford are dancing a new jig. Seeking to bring in consultants to discuss racism and lack of diversity in DCF and state agencies especially when it comes to minorities in meaningful positions [similar to my prior posting] Give me a break. When did DCF get on this hobby horse? Was it after public protests at CJTS and Hudson Street sites? Perhaps it was after I went on a hunger strike to highlight racism, at CJTS and DCF, that winds of change began to blow. We might consider people talking on local radio shows or being interviewed by media about DCF's problems as a catalyst for change. Watch closely readers because miracles seem to be in the air. Administrators are seeking to make a tired old hag seem like a race horse. How is this possible you say? It is done by trying to cleanup the plantation.