Geraldo Reyes Jr

Our balanced budget is bringing a boost of approximately $25.3 for Waterbury Public Schools over the next two years. As the money pours in, the state is working on taking our landmark African American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino Studies course to another level. We are going to create an honors level class with the goal of eventually creating an Advance Placement college credit as well. I thank the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus for their continued work in this venture.

In December of 2020, Connecticut became the first state in the U.S. to require all public high schools to offer courses on African American, Black, Puerto Rican, and Latino studies. Now other progressive states are following our lead.

More students are learning about our rich and diverse history.

This course highlights why our children need to know their own ancestry. No one can fully know where they are going if they do not know where they came from. As a proud Puerto Rican, it warms my heart to know that teens from all Connecticut communities, regardless of size or racial make-up, is learning about our shared past. This means white students, educators, and administrators of different cultural backgrounds are learning our diverse American history.

In some other states, we are seeing a trend of book banning, the removal of books of black authors, and cuts to programs in higher education that support diversity. Connecticut is doing the opposite. We stand for inclusion in the classroom, and we will continue to move this agenda forward.