For Immediate Release
September 23, 2015

Challenges of a Diverse Community: Government Responds - Forum Sept. 30

Suffolk government officials will participate in a public forum on September 30, 2015 at 11 a.m. to discuss the unique issues and problems being faced by minority, LGBT, disabled and immigrant residents and how government has been responding. Representatives will be present from the Police, Health, Social Services and Labor Departments as well as from the Human Rights Commission.  Rabbi Steven Moss, who is the chairperson of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission, co-chair of the County Anti-Boas Task Force, and vice-chair of Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity & Human Understanding, Inc. (CHDHU), will be the moderator.

The community and college students have been invited to a panel discussion of government officials on the response of the public sector to the increasingly diverse community living in Suffolk County.  This program, developed by the Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity & Human Understanding, Inc. in partnership with faculty at Suffolk County Community College, is in continuation of a series initiated in 2014 designed to explore the life experienced by minorities and immigrants in Suffolk County, develop empathy for their circumstances and create a culture of acceptance.

Breakout sessions scheduled for October 5 at 11 a.m. are intended to allow for dialogue with government officials and the development of action strategies to address the problems encountered by minorities and immigrants. One session will focus on law enforcement; the other will focus on human services, including social services, health and veterans services

Event Date:             

September 30, 2015; 11 am – 12:15 pm

Location:
Shea Theatre, Islip Arts Building
Suffolk County Community College
Ammerman Campus in Selden
                                                         
Speakers:
Police: Officer Terrance Buckley, Community Response Bureau
Health: Dr. Gregson Pigott, Medical Program Director
Labor: Vanessa Pugh, Chief Deputy Commissioner
Social Services: Traci Barnes, Assistant Commissioner
Human Rights: Mary Porter, Executive Director

Moderator:   
Rabbi Steven Moss, participating only on October 5
Judge Glenn Murphy, Supervising Judge of the District Court
Shannon O’Neill, Director of Veterans Affairs, Suffolk County Community College

Breakout Sessions:         
October 5, 2015; 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Law enforcement: Islip Arts Building Building, Room 117
Human services: Eaton’s Neck Room, Babylon Student Center