Guilford Selectmen Issue Open Letter And 'Anti-Hate Pledge'

GUILFORD, CT — In late July, the Guilford Human Rights Commission hosted the Hon. Angela Robinson, retired superior court judge and Quinnipiac Law School professor, to present an overview of critical race theory to the commission.

The human rights commission reported that the next day, Robinson received an email from an encrypted account that allows users to remain anonymous, that cautioned her about returning to Guilford.

The email read:

“We oppose your speaking at Guilford Human Rights Commision [sic]. Guilford is a community of over 96% Whites, they should be taught to love their race as you expect blacks to do. You should be working to build up your own race, rather than tearing down the culture of other races, this is an anti-White agenda. I expect you will be met with great resistance when you are in Guilford.”

Tuesday, all five members of the Board of Selectman signed an open letter to the community, an “anti-hate pledge.”

“We, as leaders in our community, condemn any and all expressions of hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and violence through actions or words. We affirm our commitment to promote the values we hold as inviolable truths: respect for the rights and dignity of others, kindness, and inclusion. We are a community open to civil discussion and a free exchange of ideas, but we will not stand for intolerance or threats of violence in any form.

Unethical behavior, such as anonymous communications and any threatening or intolerant behavior in any public forum are unacceptable in the Town of Guilford. Recent attacks against the Guilford Human Rights Commission (GHRC) and the Honorable Angela Robinson, retired Superior Court judge and Quinnipiac Law School professor, should not and will not be tolerated.

Acts of hate and discrimination are antithetical to our values as members of the Guilford community. We believe that bringing scholars and professionals to enlighten our community is crucial to allow each individual to form rational, personal opinions.

Guilford is a community that has historically worked together without toxicity, promoting change, and honest discourse. Neither can be reached without finding common ground among our citizens. Threats cannot and will not be tolerated in a respectable community. We urge all of Guilford's citizens to stand up in opposition to harassment and uphold our community values.”

The open letter is signed by First Selectman Matt Hoey and selectmen Charles Havrda, Susan Renner, Louis Federici and Sandra Ruoff.

Robinson was invited back and is again being hosted by the Human Rights Commission Tuesday night in an online event.

The Commission explained that while CRT is "currently a hot-button issue in Guilford and around the nation," it has "observed that its origins and theories are not well understood by many who are currently discussing it."

"A lack of accurate, reliable information about what CRT is has resulted in the creation of a divisive environment in our community and around the country. Our objective in offering this forum is to provide reliable, fact-based information on CRT to all Guilford residents so that they can make informed decisions about it for themselves," the Commission wrote.

The commission said it will record the event and post a link on its Facebook page.

Update Wednesday 8 a.m.: