NAACP

Join us on Friday, January 15th at 9 am EST, Scot X. Esdaile, President, Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches, NAACP National Board Member Chairman, State of Connecticut Boxing Commission, will be our guest on the Criminal Justice Insider Podcast with Babz Rawls Ivy & Jeff Grant – Live on WNHH 103.5 FM New Haven, rebroadcast at 5 pm. Live-streamed on Facebook Live. On podcast platforms 24/7 everywhere. The Criminal Justice Insider Podcast is sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.

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Scot X. Esdaile

Scot X. Esdaile was born and raised in New Haven, CT. At an early age he developed a passion for public affairs and politics. He worked on several national campaigns as a young activist for prominent change agents such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Doug Wilder, former Governor of Virginia, and former Mayor John Daniels. In 1992, Mr. Esdaile founded Elm City Nation, an at-risk youth organization geared towards community development and the goal of eradicating gang violence. The organization grew to exceed 1000 youth members and was recognized nationally and featured on MTV, Montel Williams, BET, and the Sally Jesse Raphael Show.

Mr. Esdaile has proudly served as Commissioner of the New Haven Coliseum, President of the Freddy Fixer Parade, and the Chairman of the Black Expo. Currently serving as the President of the CT State Conference of NAACP Branches and National Board member of the NAACP, he chairs the National Criminal Justice Committee. In August of 2016 Mr. Esdaile was appointed the 1st African American Chairman of the Connecticut Boxing Commission. He is committed to empowering youth to become future leaders and believes that early intervention and prevention programs are the key to stabilizing our younger generations to come.

Mr. Esdaile has demonstrated unwavering commitment to social justice through his work with the NAACP. He served as the President of the Greater New Haven NAACP Branch for 7 years, and in 2004, was elected President of the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches; at that time he was the youngest State President in the country. He has expanded its programming on a statewide and regional level that brings merit to the objectives of the organization. Some noted recent accomplishments include the “Great Debate”, an event exceeding 8,000 students in attendance from the tri-state area, and a national tour highlighting the art of debate on relevant social issues between an HBCU and an Ivy League Debate Team to middle and high school students; implementing the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut Reception paying tribute to contributions of African Americans in statewide leadership positions; and the CT NAACP Harmony Classic football game featuring a local College or University and an HBCU featuring the HBCU Marching Band. In 2017 with community partners and statewide residents he launched the “Nothing About Us Without Us “ Campaign supporting criminal justice reform and has hosted statewide events, a policy reform summit and a March in Hartford CT in June of 2017. He very recently has begun to work with large corporations and small businesses in the National NAACP Initiative, ONE MILLION Jobs campaign, an initiative geared toward removing the barriers to employment. CT is taking the lead in this pilot program under his leadership.

Mr. Esdaile has also been an integral lightening rod for legislation in the areas of health care, criminal justice and political action. He very recently filed suit against the State of CT for prison gerrymandering, noted as the first statewide challenge of this system in the Nation, a system that counts disenfranchised prisoners where they are confined instead of at their home address thereby inflating the voices of rural, white residents and diluting votes in Communities of Color. In 2015 he fought alongside the ACLU and others supporting two criminal justice laws that passed including the Taser law. He was instrumental in getting a bill passed in 2008, to establish a 29 member Minority Health Advisory Council to eliminate disparities in health status among the state’s multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic communities, abolishing the Death Penalty and Education Reform. In addition, he has championed against racial bias in state government, the inadequate funding of education in urban areas, the appointment of people of color and women to State & Federal Judgeships and racial reform in the criminal justice system. He is the Host of a radio talk show on HOT 93.7 “Time 4 Some Action” Sunday mornings at 6:30am.

He is a graduate of Hamden High School. He attended Virginia State University from 1983-1987, Public Administration. Mr. Esdaile resides in Hamden, Connecticut with his wife Adrien, and three children. He has received numerous awards and tributes for his many years of public, community, and civil rights service and is the recipient of the Kelly Miller Alexander, Sr. “the National State Conference President of the Year Award”.