“From Civil Rights to Human Rights: African American, Puerto Rican, & West Indian Housing Struggles in Hartford County, 1940-2019”

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A black‑and‑white photograph shows an adult standing beside an open, worn wooden door with peeling paint. A printed notice is posted on the door that reads “Unfit for Human Occupancy.” The adult has one hand resting on the door and is looking toward the left side of the image. A child stands slightly in front of the adult, close to their side, also facing the camera. The room behind them appears sparse, with a wall, a hanging fabric item, and some small objects visible in the background.

According to UConn today, affordable housing in Connecticut is difficult to find. Associate professor of history and Africana Studies, Fiona Vernal, has developed a housing exhibition in the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. This exhibit focuses on on the struggles Hartford Country residents face when trying to find affordable housing. The exhibition has examples of emergence of ethnic communities in Hartford that was documented by the Press. The exhibition also includes issues of overcrowded neighborhood and changing of life. The research for the exhibit has given new ideas on how to use information gathered for the project such as how to track African American, Puerto Rican and West Indian communities from their initial settlement in Hartford. The exhibit will be on display in the Dodd Research Center until April 29th to read the article visit UConn Today.