Blog

This past semester, Wadana Kakakhel ’27 joined the Liberal Arts Action Lab project Islamophobia, Lived Experiences, and Community Space in Greater Hartford, partnering with the Muslim Justice Center (MJC) to explore how Islamophobia shapes the daily lives of Muslim residents across the Greater Hartford area.

Three community-engaged Liberal Arts Action Lab projects presented on on housing equity, transportation justice, and inclusive arts programming in Hartford this fall. Students worked alongside faculty and community partners to address research questions that community partners were looking to answer.

The Environmental Justice Liberal Arts Action Lab project is a component of the Hartford Environmental Justice Research Partnership grant funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a research collaboration between Trinity College's Center for Hartford Engagement & Research, Center for Caribbean Studies, and Center for Urban and Global Studies, with community partners at the Center for Leadership & Justice and the Stowe Center for Literary Activism. List image taken by Sarah McCoy.

This past fall semester, the Liberal Arts Action Lab welcomed twelve students for three projects. The students from Trinity College and CT State Community College Capital brought in great energy as they participated in the Action Research Methods in Hartford course (LAAL 200) and one of three Hartford Research Projects (LAAL 201): Frog Hollow Development Project, Talcott Street Church Commemoration Project, and Student Loan Equity Project.

Now in its sixth year, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) clinic at Trinfo.Cafe is expanding its free tax preparation services and support network through collaboration with the Liberal Arts Action Lab Family Finance Project. These efforts underscore the clinic’s crucial role in supporting low income families and advocating for policy changes in Hartford.

This past spring, the Liberal Arts Action Lab at Trinity College involved fifteen students in two key projects: the Family Finance Project and the Music Education Project. Led by Dr. Derin Atalay and Prof. Joshua Hummel respectively, these projects partnered with community organizations like United Way CT and House of Bread-Jubilee House. The initiatives focused on assessing the impact of a child tax credit and exploring music education for children in urban settings. Through research, interviews, and multimedia content, students addressed significant social issues in Hartford.

Rashida Rattray IDP ‘25 reflects on her personal connection to tenant organizing and her involvement in the Fall 2023 'Housing Equity Project' at Trinity College's Liberal Arts Action Lab, from from the standpoint of being both a community partner and a student on the project.

Inviting Schoolchildren to Campus with OMA, CHER announcement, and more

This past spring semester, the Liberal Arts Action Lab welcomed twenty-four students to three project teams. The upbeat new energy from the fall semester continued as Trinity College and Capital Community College students participated in an Action Research Methods in Hartford course (LAAL 200) and a Hartford Research Project (LAAL 201) each semester. This semester Dr. Ozlem Atalay taught Action Research Methods in Hartford and led one of the three Hartford research project teams. Dr. Laura Minor led the other two project teams. Each team worked with a community partner who posed a pressing question about the city.

In the fall of 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in the Inclusive Museum Project at the Liberal Arts Action Lab. Our team consisted of three Trinity College students and three Capital Community College students. We collaborated on a research project aimed at expanding the audience of the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) over the course of a semester. Our community partners, Ilene Frank and Andrea Rapacz, of CHS, posed critical questions for us to investigate: Why do 18-28 year olds in the Hartford area choose to visit the museum? How can the museum attract more diverse visitors? CHS hoped to use the findings from our research to reshape curation of exhibitions, presentation of programs, and marketing activities to broaden museum attendance.