Walker-Myers: The Fight Against Racism Is Bigger Than Trump

President Donald Trump poses an urgent threat to basic rights. So does the poverty that has flourished since long before Trump took office. 

New Haven must be ready to fight both.

Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers conveyed that message by way of the alders’ annual Black and Hispanic Caucus State of the City address on Monday night.

Walker-Myers delivered the address in the Board of Alders chambers, just before the board’s usual proceedings on Monday night. Onlookers including the mayor, city department heads, and a variety of labor advocates filled the public pews.

In introductory remarks, Newhallville/Prospect Hill Alder Kimberly Edwards, the chair of the Black and Hispanic Caucus, acknowledged a pervasive anxiety in New Haven about the state of democracy under Trump’s presidency. 

“With so much chaos occurring in our country presently,” she said, ​“many people are suddenly up in arms — scared, depressed, and angry — because we all are now faced with uncertainty. The uncertainty of not knowing what craziness those folks in ​‘The Very White House’ will come up with next to further put our livelihoods and families in turmoil.”

Still, Edwards said, ​“As a Black woman… this is not a new feeling for me and many others.” 

Walker-Myers echoed that sentiment. ​“The federal government is separating families, taking away the rights of women, and trying to control who people can be,” she said. ​“They are determining, without all the facts, who has the right to reside in our country, while illegally sending people to dangerous prisons in other countries.”

America is in a ​“national crisis,” and it’s time to ​“fight with everything I have for the next generation,” she later said.

But she focused most of her speech on older perils: poverty, educational disparities, income inequality, and other ongoing injustices with roots extending back to African American slavery and segregation.

“The suffering in the Black and Brown communities has been going on so long, some residents have lost hope and given up on the American dream,” she said. ​“The dream to be able to work one job with dignity. The dream to raise your family in a safe community. The dream to acquire generational wealth to leave to your loved ones. The dream that all people would be treated equally.”

She argued that New Haven has reason to hope on these fronts, pointing to affordable housing developments, local labor organizing, declining unemployment rates, and more.

Walker-Myers also delved into the long path forward toward truly achieving the alders’ legislative priorities. ​“The data show that since the pandemic, unemployment rates in New Haven County have decreased,” she said, but the types of jobs predominantly available to Black and Brown city residents are not paid well enough.

“Many people in the Black and Brown communities work in the hospitality industry, retail, and entry-level healthcare positions. Others work as paraprofessionals, school custodians, and cafeteria workers,” she said. ​“These are important jobs, and our city couldn’t function without them. Yet they also pay low wages. One job should be enough to take care of your family, give back to the local economy, and when it’s time, retire with dignity.”

Yale provides many of these jobs to local residents, noted Walker-Myers — in part due to the advocacy of the union for which Walker-Myers is a chief steward, among other Unite Here and New Haven Rising affiliates. 

The university’s funding and independence are now facing threats, as Trump launches overt attacks against higher education institutions, with a particular focus on the Ivy League. Yale may soon become Trump’s target, in line with its elite university peers, and face the choice of whether to join New Haven’s city government as Trump’s active opponent. 

But Walker-Myers made clear that in the broader fight against white supremacy in America, Yale has its own atoning to do.

She pointed to the Yale and Slavery Project, a body of research on Yale’s role as an enslaver of African-Americans published last year. 

She also noted that New Haven could have had the country’s first Black college, had it not been for the city leaders and university alumni who successfully blocked its founding in 1831. ​“It is hard to overstate the hope and opportunities that a New Haven HBCU would have provided for our city’s Black and Brown students,” Walker-Myers said. 

Nearly two centuries have passed since that decision to block a Black college in New Haven. And still, Walker-Myers said, ​“it is sad to say that we have one of the best Ivy League schools in the world right here in our city, and still so many of our school-age kids are below grade level in reading.”

It’s time, Walker-Myers argued, to reckon not only with breaking news, but also with history’s impact on the present. 

And that reckoning won’t happen on Yale’s neatly-packaged terms. ​“Together,” she said, ​“we must decide on the steps Yale must take to address its historical injustices.”

Read her full speech below.

The 2025 Board of Alders Black and Hispanic Caucus Address

Good evening, Mayor Elicker, City Clerk Smart, Board of Alders and community members. 

A special thank you to the Chair and Vice Chair of the Black and Hispanic Caucus for allowing me to deliver the Black and Hispanic Caucus State of the City address.

Who would have thought five years after the pandemic took the whole world by surprise, I would be here again with great urgency to deliver hope to our community? The pandemic may be over, but the pandemonium has just begun.

Last year, this country elected a President who continuously attempt to divide us on the core values of what we stand for. The very fabric of what makes our nation great, is on the line.

Great, though, is a weighted word. ​‘Great for who’ is the real question.

Are we revisiting the times where segregation was law and human rights were not on the agenda? The federal government is separating families, taking away the rights of women, and trying to control who people can be. Trump and billionaires are making it impossible for working people to organize for dignity, fair wages, and a safe work environment. They are determining without all the facts who has the right to reside in our country, while illegally sending people to dangerous prisons in other countries.

People are struggling, and true leaders must work to create real pathways to the American dream. New Haven has always been a model for others to follow. As a city, a board, and the Black and Hispanic caucus, we will continue to lead with humanity, love, and steadiness.

In 2020, I talked about changing the maps. The maps of redlining were created over 80 years ago that exacerbated racial segregation throughout many cities in the United States. New Haven did not escape these maps or their racist legacy of segregation. Even today New Haven’s Black and Brown community is experiencing the direct effect of redlining. Inequality, poverty, violence, underfunded schools, and high unemployment rates plague our communities.

Twenty-five percent of New Haven’s population lives below the poverty line, and most of that population reside in our Black and Brown communities.

Many of us who love the city we grew up in, can no longer afford to stay here. Many of our residents fight day in and out just to afford and live in housing, even when the housing is not good quality.

The suffering in the Black and Brown communities have been going on so long, some residents have lost hope and given up on the American dream. The dream to be able to work one job with dignity. The dream to raise your family in a safe community. The dream to acquire generational wealth to leave to your loved ones. The dream that all people would be treated equally.

But we here cannot lose hope, and we must fight to give our residents more opportunities. Our city must deliver on the promise of the American dream even while national leaders work timelessly to undermine that.

Let’s take a minute to break down what is necessary to make that dream possible for the Black and Brown community.

The Affordable Housing Commission released the report in 2024 laying out the dire need for more affordable housing, and this issue is one of our board’s top priorities. Housing is a complex issue, but we will do everything possible to increase affordable housing for our residents. Seventy percent of New Haven’s residents are renters, so we must keep rents affordable.

As a Caucus and a Board, we have taken many steps to increase affordable housing in this city. We passed the inclusionary zoning legislation, established an affordable housing commission, created, along with the mayor, a land bank, and passed the accessory dwelling unit ordinance. 

New Haven was the first city in the state to recognize tenant unions, our city has increased the fines for bad landlords, and we allocated more American Rescue Plan funds towards affordable housing than any other city in the state. 

And we have supported the Fair rent Commission, which is ensuring that our residents know their rights around organizing and advocacy. 

We have developed thousands of units of affordable housing, with many more in the pipeline. One of these projects in my ward is nearing completion. The Cofield Estates, where some community residents are a partner in the development.

All of these initiatives contribute to more affordable housing in the city.

People might ask: affordable for who. The answer is affordable for many different levels of income. We will continue to change policy and pass legislation to ensure that we have all levels of affordability. Every resident, regardless of income, should be able to afford to live in this city.

We still have more work to do, and we still have a housing crisis, but we are leading the state in affordable housing solutions, and our city’s focus on addressing this crisis should be recognized.

You can’t achieve the American dream without economic stability and a good job.

The data show that since the pandemic, unemployment rates in New Haven County have decreased. This is good for the local economy, but let’s talk about who has these jobs and where they reside. Many people in the Black and Brown communities work in the hospitality industry, retail, and entry-level healthcare positions. Others work as paraprofessionals, school custodians, and cafeteria workers. These are important jobs, and our city couldn’t function without them. Yet, they also pay low wages. One job should be enough to take care of your family, give back to the local economy, and, when it’s time, retire with dignity.

Across the state and in the city, workers are organizing to turn low wage industries into good jobs. This is a way that more people from the Black and Brown communities can join the middle class.

On September 12th, Omni Hotel workers went on strike. During the strike they were joined by more than a thousand people, local and state elected leaders, community members, and other union leaders. With the workers leading the way, together we fought for a good contract. These workers clean your rooms, cook your food, and ensure you have the best hotel experience. They deserved and won a good contract with wage increases of up to 15% in the first year. Local 217, thank you for setting the standard for other hotels here in the city of New Haven.

This legislative session, members of our board have been advocating for the state to pass SB 8, which would provide unemployment insurance for striking workers. This would allow future workers to fight for a good contract without employers choosing a strategy of trying to starve them out. This is a policy that our state could pass to uplift Black and Brown communities.

When we raise standards for workers, the whole community wins. And we fight for more community members to have access to the standards we win.

Let’s not forget the fight for local hiring that this caucus, our Board, UNITE HERE, New Haven Rising, and the community led. In this fight, we won a jobs agreement where Yale committed to hiring 1,000 residents with 500 hires coming from low-income neighborhoods. When it became apparent that Yale was not going to meet the deadline, the Black and Hispanic caucus held a public hearing calling on Yale to account for its lack of progress. 

I’m proud to report that Yale eventually met these commitments, and that Local 34 and 35 won ongoing and permanent hiring pathways for New Haven residents. Now Local 35 has apprenticeships that have placed New Haven residents into good union jobs, and Local 34 has hiring pathways for New Haven Works members that are part of its contract.

This is what I mean by access. New Haven works played a major role in preparing people to take the step into a good job.. Our board and caucus played a major role in creating New Haven Works and since its creation it has placed over 2,000 residents into jobs. Eighty percent of these residents have been people of color and 53% of these residents are from a low-income neighborhood. This is a direct way to lift more residents out of poverty. New Haven works stepped up the pressure during the pandemic along with the team to hold Yale accountable to the community.

The Center for Inclusive Growth (also called IG New Haven) — Though they will be putting together and economic plan for everyone, it will have an intentional effect on economics in the Black and Brown community. It will help our residents the create the pathway to become a true entrepreneur. Not everyone wants to work a traditional job. Some want to own their own businesses, and to employ others. To create a florishing New Haven where every resident has access to the tools and resources to positively impact the community.

Whether it’s through organizing or entrepreneurship, our community doesn’t want a hand out but a true hand up to be successful in this city.

We cannot change the history and deliver on the American Dream if our youth don’t have opportunities and hope. The caucus has always supported youth in the city, and we understand how education changes the trajectory of lives. 

We raise money every year to support organizations that support our youth. We have made the Black and Hispanic Gala one of the most powerful city fundraising events for youth scholarships. Our board allocated an additional $8.5 million on top of to the school budget allocation for the year. 

Alders and our Mayor have joined the New Haven delegation in calling on the state to revise the ECS formula so that New Haven’s schools get more money from the state. We need more money from the state. We are working to ensure that our kids have access to the opportunities created in the biotech economy by creating the new STEM career pathways partnership.

When there are challenges, we respond. After the pandemic the data showed that 87% of the third graders in New Haven’s public schools were reading below grade level, we supported Mayor Elicker to launch the reading initiative. The investment is working, reading scores are improving, and our kids are getting back on track.

There is much opportunities they deserve. more work to do, but we will fight to ensure every student in New Haven gets the opportunities they deserve.

We are working hard to change the relationship with our police. It’s not perfect but it is better than it was 20 years ago. The only way to build trust is to work together to make our communities safer. Poverty has a direct effect on violence in the community. As a residents. caucus we will continue to develop opportunities to bridge the gap between police and residents.

So, we have started to change the maps, and I’m proud of our caucus’s accomplishments. But there is so much more to do. We moved the needle on unemployment and access to good jobs. We’ve created more affordable housing. We’re focused on youth opportunities and creating safer streets. And we are working to change and address, the racist structural policies that have long divided our city and unfairly denied opportunities to too many of our residents.

After years of community members, unions, elected leaders, and the community urged Yale to contribute more to our city they made a step in the right direction, but we still need a better partnership and more investment from the University. The redlining maps show that we have lived with many years of segregation and Yale has a stake in addressing this history. Ongoing poverty comes with lower performance in schools, higher unemployment, less good jobs, a lack of housing options, and increases in crime. 

Our city will not be able to address these problems if we are not fully funded. It is sad to say that we have one of the best Ivy League schools in the world right here in our city, and still so many of our school age kids are below grade level in reading. Yale can be a real partner in addressing this problem. We need to take a holistic approach to making our city better. We need a fully funded city.

Last year, Yale released a slavery report, and began its apology for this racist history. The University apologized for its role in denying the first HBCU from being established in New Haven. This apology came 20 years too late, especially when the research was already out there. 

But we must ask what kind of impact this college would have had on our city. How would it have opened doors in the biotech economy that is now starting to boom? Unfortunately, we will never know the potential of this school, but we do know that HBCUs have produced over 25% of all Black STEM graduates and 46% of Black women STEM graduates. 

It is hard to overstate the hope and opportunities that a New Haven HBCU would have provided for our city’s Black and Brown students.

Please take a moment and reflect on our late colleague Tom Ficklin. Before his death, he wanted to really explore the impact the actions documented in the Yale Slavery Report. Now we must answer his call. 

This is our history and we must have a voice in the steps that are necessary for addressing the injustices our communities have suffered. A fully funded city and access to good jobs are some steps that seem appropriate, but addressing these injustices requires widespread and deep engagement. 

The Black and Hispanic caucus will be leading these conversations the across neighborhoods in New Haven to evaluate the impact that this history has had on our city and our Black and Brown communities. Together we must decide on the steps Yale must take to address its historical injustices. The problem cannot be the only one in the conversation about the solution.

In times of national crisis, New Haven must remain a model for other cities to follow. We will continue to respect all residents that reside in our city. We will continue to lead with our core values. And last, but not least we will continue to fight for a racial, economic, and social justice.

I know that you might feel tired, afraid, or even hopeless. But it’s too late to turn back. We must move forward by organizing. It’s time to stand on the core values that have always powered our city’s fight for justice. We are taking the stand for the future generation, and I know I’m going to fight with everything I have for our next generation. 

Right now, and right here, we have our fight to build a city with true freedom. It will not be easy, and it may not be the most popular thing to do. But ease and popularity has never mattered much for a city that knows justice is won in each generation.

Will you sit back or will you join a fight? Our fight is bigger than just changing maps. We are demanding transformational change in this city. We will not stop. We will not bend. We will stand on the shoulders of those that came before us. 

We are putting everyone on notice that the residents in the Black and Brown community have had enough. We will lock arms with the entire community to demand justice. 

So, will you be a part of the fight? Will you be part of history? Or will you sit this one out? That is the question.