Screenshot of three maps depicting the population percentages of Black, Puerto Rican, and White inhabitants of Hartford, Connecticut's North End Neighborhoods in 1963. Source: Hartford Bound.
Resources
Windsor Historical Society is a small local organization dedicated to recording WIndsor's history by provising tours and preservation of historic homes, collecting objects and archives, and by recording oral histories of residents. Most non-colonial historical events in Windsor found during this project were sourced from the historical society. Otherwise, these events had to be consulted through newspaper archives. This resource connects to the community focus of black middle-aged residents by adding oral histories of people in that demographic recorded during the 2020s. There is also a tab dedicated to black history in Windsor, including a highlight about a kneel-in to protest racism at a Wilson dining establishment called Carville's in July 1963. The historical society is also a source recommended by the library for those seeking out local geneaology resources.
Hartford Bound is a website created by Dr. Fiona Vernal of the University of Connecticut and James Kolb, UConn alum and GIS specialist. This work in progress maps out the history of race, mobility, and migration in the city of Hartford. Because the move of Black and Puerto Rican populations towards the North End influences so much of Hartford today, they provide many maps that help contextualize the people interacting with Wilson, even if they are just over the town border. Vernal is a Jamaican scholar of Black history with specializations in West Indian and South African history, along with public history methodologies (Fiona Vernal | Department of History, 2022). 37 maps are provided, though 50 are planned for this project. Vernal's consulation services to the Connecticut Historical Society and use of other local archives to source map information provide visuals for an introduction to the area.
The School and State Finance Project is a team providing reports, consultation services, and initiative for transparent and well-utilized education funding in the state of Connecticut. They collaborate with legislators, community organizations, schools, and other stakeholders. This nonpartisan and non-profit organization was founded in 2015. The organization is a project of Third Sector New England, which provides similar services in addition to workshops, executive searches, fiscal sponsorship, and property services. TSNE began as Massachsetts Health Research Institute. The School and State Finance Project's reports provide important information about the continued impact of white flight from Hartford and its impacts on Connecticut's de facto segregated education system. Because schools and librares are often close collaborators, this provides insight about the funding of towns overall and the quality of life they provide. It is important to compare these and analyze Windsor's role as a suburb.
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Readings
1. "Voices on the Margins: Libraries, Community Agency, and Black Public Spheres" by Elizabeth Johnson and Donald Culverson
This essay looks into what the changing form and role of the "public" is concerning public libraries as a common good. The authors use this to examine their impact on revitalizing democratic practices by looking back at the integration of American public libraries both for black patrons and employees. They focus on the ethnographic research of Dr. Elfreda A. Chatman to use, diffuse, and become aware of information; how libraries can be a mirror of society (p.162).
Johnson, E., & Culverson, D. (2022). Voices on the Margins: Libraries, Community Agency, and Black Public Spheres. Research Issues in Contemporary Education (RICE), 7, 147–170. Education Source Ultimate.
2. "Designing Adult Services: Strategies for Better Serving Your Community" by Ann Roberts
This book, released in 2018, is helpful by approaching adulthood and midlife as a stage rather than by thhoughts on specific generations. Roberts offers a variety of suggestions and covers both the critical points of utilizing libraries as a young adult fresh out of teen services and also the midlife, but not yet a senior groups. It is getting harder to assume that someone is ready to soon retire, and options account for things like career changes or those who are caretakers besides parents.
Ann Roberts. (2018). Designing Adult Services: Strategies for Better Serving Your Community. Libraries Unlimited; eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). http://libdata.lib.ua.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1627216&site=eds-live&scope=site
3. "How Hartford’s North End Became an African American Community" by Fiona Vernal and James Kolb
This article directly supplements the Hartford Bound project and is a straightforward introduction to the history and maps utilized to track population movement within and out of Hartford. CT Explored is a publication made with support from Central Connecticut State University and the CT Cultural Fund. However, it is separate from the state historical society and humanities council, functioning as a non-profit founded in 2002. This article in particular highlights the parallels between movement of communities and movement of churches, alongside proximity to cemeteries, flood plains, and other "undesirable" settlement locations. The creation of affordable housing in the North End is also brought into consideration.
Vernal, F., & Kolb, J. (2022, August 26). How Hartford’s North End Became an African American Community. Connecticut Explored. https://www.ctexplored.org/how-hartfords-north-end-became-an-african-american-community/