Using historical and present-day examples, Adolph Reed, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, outlines the political forces that shaped today’s housing system and what change could look like moving forward. Introduced by Daniel Moak, Associate Professor of Government and author of From the New Deal to the War on Schools: Race, Inequality, and the Rise of the Punitive Education State (2022). 

There has been a surge in tenant organizing in New London and surrounding towns in recent months. In this panel discussion, tenant union leaders address causes of recent rental housing problems in the area, as well as their experiences with community organizing.

Moderated by Ariella R. Rotramel, Vandana Shiva Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies and author of Pushing Back: Women of Color–Led Grassroots Activism in New York City (2020).

Speakers:

Caroline Fermo, Co-President, Alpha East Lyme Tenants Union

Daz Park, Alpha New London Tenants Union

Luke Melonakos, Co-President, CT Tenants Union

Hannah Srajer, Co-President, CT Tenants Union

Beryl Satter, professor emerita of history at Rutgers University, will preview her forthcoming book Cash on the Block: The Broken Promise of Reinvestment in Black Urban Neighborhoods (May 2026).

Satter traces the history of government and corporate involvement in the creation of the segregated Black urban neighborhood, as well as how private interests exploited efforts to improve conditions by diverting funding from poor urban neighborhoods. Introduced by Daniel Moak, Associate Professor of Government and author of From the New Deal to the War on Schools: Race, Inequality, and the Rise of the Punitive Education State (2022).

A conversation with Krane Art History Scholar-in-Residence Andrei Harwell, Executive Director of the Yale Urban Design Workshop.

Introduced by Anna Vallye, Associate Professor of Art History and Architectural Studies and author of Urban Renewal and Highway Construction in New London, 1941-1975 (2020).

A community celebration and formal announcement of We Live Here/New London, an exhibition on housing past and present, September – December 2026.