U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy attended an event at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford Monday morning honoring the late Shawn Lang.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (center) chats with legislators and advocates from local nonprofits at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford at an event to honor the legacy of Shawn Lang. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

A gathering in West Hartford on Monday morning honored the life and legacy of Shawn Lang, and celebrated her passion for activism in conjunction with a commemoration of World AIDs Awareness Month and Human Rights Month – both causes for which Lang fought tirelessly.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who joined the conversation, spoke of Lang’s passion for helping those living with HIV/AIDS. When she died unexpectedly in October at age 65, Lang was serving as deputy director of AIDS Connecticut.

Murphy said there has been a 64% decrease in global cases of HIV/AIDS over the past decade and a half, but while the end of the fight seems to be within sight, “the goal appears to be stalled.”

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy chats with legislators and advocates from local nonprofits at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford at an event to honor the legacy of Shawn Lang. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The intersection of COVID-19 and AIDS is also a factor, Murphy said, related to a shortage of affordable housing and places with elevated cases of AIDS having more limited access to vaccines. President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which Murphy said he supports, would provide funding for as many as 10,000 affordable housing units in Connecticut that would ease the burden.

Advocates, however, said funding remains the most critical need.

“Money, money, money, we need it,” said John Merz, CEO of Advancing Connecticut Together, in response to a question from Murphy about his biggest concerns. “The better we do, the less money we get.”

Angelique Crossdale-Mills, a project director based in Hartford, agreed. She said funding for HIV/AIDS allocated to her organization has been cut from $6 million to $3 million.

Merz, and Kara Capone, CEO of Community Housing Advocates, Inc., noted that low paying jobs in the nonprofit sector have created a critical need for qualified staffing. “Nobody who has $100,000 in college loans is going to want to start off making $30,000 a year,” she said, but the need for skilled employees has continued to grow.

From left: Kara Capone, John Merz, and Angelique Croasdale-Mills speak at an event to honor Shawn Lang at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Lang also advocated for people suffering from homelessness, domestic violence, and those struggling with opioid addiction.

“Obviously we miss Shawn, but her lifetime of service was loud enough that the vibration will continue for decades,” Murphy said.

East Hartford state Rep. Jeff Currey said a permanent memorial to Lang is being planned, with the goal of locating it on the Capitol or Legislative Office Building Grounds.

“That would also be a tribute to advocacy,” Murphy said.

From left: state Rep. Ed Vargas, Michael Bloom, state Rep. Kate Farrar, state Rep. Jeff Currey, and state Sen. Derek Slap speak at an event to honor Shawn Lang at the Elmwood Community Center on Monday. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.