To recognize the value of a diverse work force, the
Connecticut Judicial Branch is sponsoring "Diversity Day" on
Friday, June 21, 2002, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
The daylong event for Judicial Branch employees will include
various activities: workshops, performances by various musical groups, a
keynote speaker, presentations by Judicial Branch employees, a display of
items from different cultures, and the presentation of the Judicial Branch
Diversity Award.
"Diversity Day is designed to celebrate the diversity
of the Judicial Branch's talented work force," Chief Court
Administrator Joseph H. Pellegrino said. "The Branch is extremely
grateful to the Diversity Day Planning Committee, which organized today's
educational and meaningful event."
Deputy Chief Court Administrator John J. Ronan will welcome
participants on the 21st, starting at 9 a.m. on the second floor
of the Legislative Office Building. The Rev. Frederick Streets, Chaplain of
Yale University, will speak next about "Diversity in 2002."
Judge Ronan then will present the Judicial Branch Diversity
Awards, which recognize employees who have improved services to the public
by promoting a better understanding of the needs of a diverse citizenry. The
employees are: Priscilla Arroyo, who oversees the Court Service Center in
the New Britain Superior Court, and Sharon Hicks Abney, who is a Juvenile
Probation Officer in the Waterbury Judicial District.
Presentations also will be made by employees who previously
served on the Thurgood Marshall and Hispanic Heritage Committees. These
committees were created to celebrate Black History and Hispanic Heritage
Months. The presenters will provide information about these two events and
their significance in relation to Diversity Day.
Workshops will be held throughout the afternoon, starting at
1:30 and lasting until 3:15. They will include: When Poetry Happens ... And
What to Do About It; The Underground Railroad, Issues of Gender Diversity:
Working with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth; Face
of Terror is Not the True Faith of Islam; Dealing Effectively with
Members of the Public Who Have a Disability; and Sensitivity
to Multiple Diversities in Public Service.
The event is open to the media. For information, please call
Rhonda Stearley-Hebert, Manager of Communications, at 860-757-2270.
