Two Hartford state legislators are organizing a public meeting to learn about allegations of racism and discrimination at the Department of Children and Families' secure facility for delinquent boys in Middletown.
Reps. Matthew Ritter and Douglas McCrory said they decided to hold the informational session on July 2 after being approached by employees at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School.
The meeting comes eight months after a youth service officer, Cornell Lewis, waged a seven-day hunger strike to draw attention to what he called a racist attitude by mostly white supervisors.
Lewis is one of four black workers who filed a federal lawsuit in 2010 alleging they've experienced racially motivated disciplinary actions.
DCF's commissioner will not attend because of the pending litigation. DCF officials previously denied receiving specific complaints of racism.
