ELIZABETH HORTON SHEFF
Term  2004 - 2007

Elizabeth Horton Sheff

In 1989, when her son, Milo, was a fourth grade student at Annie Fisher Elementary School in Hartford, Elizabeth Horton Sheff joined with others and began a long and arduous journey to redress the inequity between the level of education provided to students in Hartford public schools and that available to children in surrounding suburban districts.

This journey has become known around the State of Connecticut, and throughout the United States as Sheff vs. O’Neill – a landmark civil rights lawsuit that seeks to prepare all children to live and prosper in a growing racial/ethic, economically globally connected world.

In 2004 – fifteen years after the filing of Sheff vs. O’Neill, and despite an agreement reached in January 2003 – the plaintiffs in this case continue to advocate for the State of Connecticut to uphold the constitutional rights of children in Hartford schools. Ms. Sheff, along with the other plaintiffs, remains committed to realizing our children’s full educational rights.

Elizabeth Horton Sheff is a justice seeker. Her many years of activism includes defending the rights of persons who live in public housing, those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, families marginalized by economic challenges, and against the proliferation of waste facilities in Hartford. She works tirelessly to address the high incidence of asthma, lead poisoning, and obesity that adversely affects the quality of life for Hartford’s children. Ms. Horton Sheff also works on behalf of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, having demonstrated such through the establishment of the City of Hartford’s Grandparents program.

Ms. Horton Sheff is currently serving her fifth term on the Hartford City Council, for which she chairs the Health and Human Services Committee. She is the first African American in the United States of America to serve at the city council level of government under the banner of the Green Party.

Some of the issues Ms. Horton Sheff addressed in her previous terms, during one of which she served as Majority Leader of the council, included initiating the city’s “Campaign for Civic Pride,” which resulted in an increase in citizen access to and participation on City Boards and Commissions; jobs and wealth building opportunities for Hartford residents and businesses in city assisted projects; city-wide literary through the “Keep Them Reading” campaign; and community policing through strengthening the city’s Civilian Police Review Board.

Councilperson Horton Sheff( (left) greets a resident during a community event.
 

Ms. Horton Sheff created Community Council, a public access television program, which offers residents and organizations the ability to reach out to the broader community to inform people of activities and programs available. Through Community Council Ms. Horton Sheff also keeps the community abreast of policies under consideration by the city council. She maintains an open door policy – ever willing to meet with individuals on a one-to-one basis.

Ms. Horton Sheff is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including the “Living the Dream Award” from Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, the “President’s Award of Excellence” from the Cricket Hall of Fame, the “Pioneer Woman of the Year” award from Hartford College for Women, and the “Distinguished Sojourner Truth Award” from Tunxis Community College, Office of Minority Affairs.

Ms. Horton Sheff believes in life-long learning. She is a licensed trained nurse. She has successfully completed the Hartford Seminary Black Ministries Certificate Program. In 2002, Ms. Horton Sheff received an Associates Degree in Science with Honors from Charter Oak State College, where she remains enrolled in pursuit of her Baccalaureate degree. Ms. Horton Sheff plans to continue her studies; her ultimate goal is to obtain Doctorate in Education.

Ms. Horton Sheff is the Director of Neighborhood Services at the Community Renewal Team (CRT). Through her work at CRT, Ms. Horton Sheff assists persons and families to meet their basic human needs.

Email:  Elizabeth Horton Sheff