Nearly 100 Rally Against State Budget Cuts: “We Need a Budget That Puts People First” by The People's Budget Coalition New London
Nearly 100 Rally Against State Budget Cuts: “We Need a Budget That Puts People First” by The People's Budget Coalition New London

The coalition organizes a rally supporting a plan to suspend Connecticut's restrictive budget guardrails for the next two years–a move that would enable the state to reinvest in K-12 education, restore essential services, and protect working families from further harm and injustices. They also urge the legislature’s Finance Committee to release a bold finance package that includes progressive revenue policies, providing long-term economic stability without sacrificing fiscal responsibility.

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Public Testimony to the New London City Council by Seanice Austin
Public Testimony to the New London City Council by Seanice Austin

In the most recent special meeting on April 23, the City Council approved the first reading of the Mayor’s budget. A total of 40 students, teachers, and community members showed up to the reading. 20 of which shared powerful testimonies, where folks named the discrepancies of this harmful decision and made the necessary ask of our city. Among the twenty was Shanice Austin‘s testimony, which delivered the core message of our campaign heartily and effectively.

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"I'm Alive" by Diamante "Dimo" Ortiz
"I'm Alive" by Diamante "Dimo" Ortiz

Diamante “Dimo” Ortiz (She/They) is a poet, community organizer, and journalist based in Philadelphia, originally from the Los Sures area of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Their work explores grief, gender fluidity, and Afro-Boricua heritage, influenced by mentors like Luis Garden Acosta, Frances Lucerna, and JL Umipig. Dimo has collaborated with creatives and organized events, including the Open Treasures open mic in 2023. They have worked as a senior reporter and editor for Protest NYC, founded Protest PHL storytelling with The Moth, and serve as the Statewide Communications Director for One PA. Dimo also launched “Notes to Self,” a Substack series reflecting on life and self-love, inspired by Issa Rae’s monologues in Insecure (dxmo.substack.com).

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Student Testimonies from the March 19th, 2025, Student Press Conference and Hearing in Hartford, CT.
Student Testimonies from the March 19th, 2025, Student Press Conference and Hearing in Hartford, CT.

Join us in reading this collaborative publication of testimonies given by young people from across the state of Connecticut. On March 19, 2025, over 100 students from New Haven and New London organized a day of action, held a press conference, and testified in the Education Committee to demand equitable funding for their schools across CT. We put this publication forth in efforts to call attention to the very lives of the people impacted by Senate Bill SB 1511, an Act Concerning Disconnected Youth.

We extend the utmost gratitude to Connecticut for All and @nhps.studentreps for leading this powerful action!

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Poems by Diamante "Dimo" Ortiz
Poems by Diamante "Dimo" Ortiz

A set of poems by Diamante "Dimo" Ortiz (she/they), a Brooklyn-born, Philadelphia-based, Afro-Boricuan poet and organizer who draws inspiration from Black, Brown, Femme, and Queer spaces to explore grief, nature, and heritage in their writing. They have been featured on NPR for storytelling with The Moth.

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