Ruptures in the Fabric: A Conversation about Social Division and Inclusion

Wednesday, April 5, 11:30AM – 12:50PM

Room: GenRE Forum

There have been more and more legislation targeting marginalized groups with the implicit message being that these groups are fundamentally un-American. For instance, legislation such as Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill and the elimination of African American AP courses, again in Florida, are serving as a basis for other states to enact similar harmful legislation that brings into question belonging and inclusion. Keynote speaker Dr. Pappalardo will serve as a respondent for this panelist discussion.

Panelists:

The Rev. Jake Miles Joseph is ADL Connecticut’s Associate Regional Director. His work at ADL focuses on incident response and statewide capacity building to fight hate and bias. He received his BA in French from Grinnell College in Iowa and his Masters of Divinity and Graduate Certificate in Human Rights from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Jake served UCC (Congregationalist) congregations for over seven years in his home state of Colorado and in Connecticut focusing on LGBTQ+ equality and affordable housing advocacy. Jake currently serves as a Commissioner for Milford Redevelopment and Housing Partners, on the DEI Committee of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), and as the Chair and Founder of the NAHRO National LGBTQ Subcommittee. He and his scientist husband live in Milford, CT.

Cadence Pentheny (they/them) is Triangle Community Center’s passionate Community Educator, with a demonstrated commitment to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community through training and education. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Franklin & Marshall College, and a Graduate Certificate in Human Sexuality through the University of Minnesota. Upon graduating, they served two years with the AmeriCorps program City Year, where they supported students in an under-resourced elementary school. Before joining the team at TCC, they worked as Coordinator for LGBTQ+ Programming & Initiatives at the University of Mississippi, doing a wide variety of work involving intersectionality, diversity, equity, and education, especially around LGBTQ+ issues and sexual and gender liberation.

As leader of TCC’s LGBTQ+ Training Institute, Cadence is responsible for engaging with the wider community to provide educational opportunities and professional development surrounding LGBTQ+ cultural competency/humility across Fairfield County and beyond. Further, they facilitate interactive workshops on sexual violence prevention for schools and sports teams through the Sexual Violence Prevention Collaborative of Fairfield County’s Coaches as Partners program.