Panelists Discuss Equitable Education and Raising an Anti-Racist Society; “This Can be Done in One Generation”
Last night the Democratic Women of Westport and the Staples High School Young Democrats club hosted an online panel discussion about how to better achieve equitable education in the State of Connecticut. Connecticut ranks as one of the highest in the nation for educational success amongst students, however the State also joins many other northeastern states in having large achievement gaps between races.
Panelists included Westporter Dr. Joshua Aronson, NYU, Michael Cummings, Fairfield Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Sandra Donnay, the Racial Equity Initiative, Steven Hernandez, Esq., Commission on Women, Children, & Seniors, Eric Juli, Shaker Heights Ohio Principal, Keith Little, SCO Family Services, and Patricia Billie Miller, 145th district. The discussion was moderated by Justine Marous of Marous Law.
“We need to get kids together” said Dr. Aronson when discussing a way to better raise children without prejudice, describing the works of Nelson Mandela and the common goal of trying to educate children in a way that doesn’t allow a prejudice to grow within them. “We can all agree that we learn better in an environment with people who come from different backgrounds and can give different perspectives.”
The privileges of the surrounding towns, including Westport, were not ignored as they described how even items such as homework or Advanced Placements tests could segregate a school system. An example of a district changing that achievement gap was given by Dr. Donnay when speaking about a New Jersey school system that made sure every student took at least one of the AP courses, leading to positive test scores as well as graduation rates when all students were given the same opportunity.
However changes like these do not come from a passive audience, according to Steven Hernandez, who said “We come with the weight of history” when discussing how citizens think about trying to make changes in racial disparities within districts. “We continue to admire what we’ve done from the backseat'“ he said, describing a situation where towns become content with the progress made, and lose focus on the goals needed to be met for the future of equitable and fair education.
Senator Will Haskell joined the panel to describe the current Open Choice bill, which describes bringing the program to more districts “that are showing declines in [suburban schools] student enrollment, right next to urban districts with overcrowded classrooms”. The program would push suburban districts such as Wilton, Redding, Easton, and others to accept urban students into the schools - fill the seats emptied by lower class sizes with urban students from cities such as Danbury and Bridgeport.
Staples Student and Staples Young Democrats Club member Jayden Melo asked panelists what they can do to push the agenda of anti-racism further in the schools. “Read” was the answer from Eric Juli, who listed some books by black authors or featured black protagonists that he feels should be read more in the high school setting. “Of Mice and Men is only relevant if you’re in the dust bowl in the 1920s. It doesn’t have any relevance to Westport, Connecticut in 2021.” The power of literacy was echoed by other panelists who described volunteering for children in underserved areas to help foster a love of reading, with Dr. Aronson continuing to say that we need to make sure “all kids can read, and love to read, by the 3rd grade.”
Rep. Patricia Billie Miller urged them to “visit us in Hartford (on Zoom)”, as she shared with excitement that the legislative process is easier to access during the pandemic with virtual hearings taking place. Keith Little reminded the high schooler to make sure they had “the right people at the table” because that’s what inclusion requires when making decisions, and to push to look at the relevant topics when given that seat.
Dr. Aronson gave stories of some of the best leaders he knows, who were all great because of their ability to be community organizers - a trait that allows leaders to excel, and to “bring people together to get [stuff] done.”
“You don’t move a mountain in one day” Eric Uli ended the discussion with. He told the over 80 viewers to remain relentless in the fight, and to fight with an unwillingness to give in to issues of race, equity, and inclusion.
“What is the one word answer to all human problems?” the panelist were asked before their screens clicked off.
“Community.”
The panelists, DWW, and SYDC all look forward to continuing the conversation through their respective committees and without the community. This was the second panel discussion hosted by the two Democratic clubs to start conversations about policy that can affect the local community.
MoCA Celebrates Season with Winter Lights Festival February 27
Press ReleaseMoCA Westport and the Up | Next Teens organization invite the community to attend an experiential Winter Lights Festival at MoCA Westport (19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport) on Saturday, February 27th from 12 - 6 p.m.
The Festival will feature a Maker and Crafts space in a large airy outdoor tent including supplies and step-by-step instructions for families to work together to create winter-themed decorations. These decorations will be incorporated into a walk-through Light Path, which will be lit at sun down. The public is invited to view the experience through the following weekend.
Attendees will also experience live performances by local high school musicians, can purchase delicious food offerings from The Melt on-site truck, and enjoy complimentary hot cocoa from Sheila Barton Events.
The Festival also includes complimentary access to MoCA Westport’s exhibition, Hindsight is 2020, featuring close to 200 high school student artists from across the region.
Members of MoCA Westport’s Teen Council will be on site to share their artwork and unique goods available for purchase during the entirety of the afternoon.
Tickets for the event are now available for purchase on mocawestport.org for two-hour blocks of time. Tickets for MoCA Westport Members are $25/family or $10/individual; Non-Members can purchase tickets for $30 family/$15 individual.
MoCA Westport Executive Director Ruth Mannes stated, “We are so thrilled to work with the Up | Next Teens organization to share this event with our members and friends. We invite all new and familiar faces to MoCA Westport to enjoy this immersive experience combining the arts, music, food, and community.”
Addison Moore, the Up | Next founder added, “Everyone says that we are the future. But there is no future without a vision for success. Up | Next is excited to partner with MoCA Westport as we work hard to help local teens flex their muscles of new ideas, imagination and creativity. When it comes to innovative leadership, we’re up next.”
Up | Next is a student run organization designed to address three major goals, 1) Supporting a cause: that of helping feed those in need, 2) Educating teens: teaching youth how to invest in business, manage business, and be leaders in business, and 3) Providing support to youth to bring their project’s vision to fruition. To learn more about Up | Next, please contact the organization at UpNextMail1@gmail.com.
The event is also in partnership with the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
All State of Connecticut safety protocols will be explicitly followed, including wearing of face masks, social distancing, and timed visits.
In case of inclement weather, the rain date for the event will be Saturday, March 6th.
For more information on the Winter Lights Festival, please visit mocawestport.org or contact MoCA Westport at info@mocawestport.org or 203/222-7070.
CT Mirror: Lawmaker Targets Exclusionary Beach Policies; NAACP: “Westport should be ashamed of themselves”
New Haven Lawmaker Would Ban Exclusionary Beach Policies
by Keith M. Phaneuf, The CT Mirror | February 2, 2020
A New Haven lawmaker is trying to stop municipalities from imposing exorbitant fees that restrict many out-of-towners from using public beaches.
Rep. Roland Lemar, D-New Haven, introduced a bill that also would prevent communities from barring beach visitors from other towns on grounds that this would prevent COVID-19 spread.
“It doesn’t surprise me that every approach that any of these communities take is to limit who can access public beaches,” Lemar said, calling these measures akin to the racially restrictive land covenants and exclusionary zoning policies that bar many poor Black and Hispanic residents from affluent suburbs.
Connecticut’s shoreline and beaches are “a core asset” that have benefitted from millions of dollars of public investments in clean air and water and park development programs, Lemar said, adding every resident should have an opportunity to enjoy them.
But some shoreline communities say that simply isn’t realistic.
Parking is limited at municipal beaches, and residents should have priority over visitors from out-of-town, some leaders said.
Westport, an affluent Fairfield County community, made headlines three years ago when local officials set the prices for a seasonal beach parking pass at $50 for residents — and $775 for visitors from most other towns. Residents of neighboring Weston pay $375.
But some communities invest more in their beaches than others do, and Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe said the fee schedule is designed to spread costs fairly.
Compo Beach, the town’s main shoreline attraction, includes pavilions, picnic tables and cooking areas, restrooms, pickleball courts and a skate park, and it is adjacent to two marinas.
Adding and maintaining these amenities requires more funding than $50 local beach passes can raise. Town residents cover the bulk of the extra costs through their property tax payments, but the higher parking charges on visitors from other towns is an attempt to share some of the burden, Marpe said.
A few years ago back, “our own residents could not get to the beach because of a lack of parking spaces,” he said, adding this was unfair given that those same residents financed the beach’s development.
But Lemar said it simply isn’t realistic to expect poorer families to pay $775, adding that Connecticut’s largest cities don’t charge neighboring suburban residents for all of the benefits they provide.
“People in New Haven pay for the sidewalks, but we don’t say to the people in Milford, ‘If you work here, you can’t walk on our sidewalks.’”
“Westport should be ashamed of themselves,” said Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut NAACP. “In this day and time, Connecticut should not be involved in this level of discrimination.”
Gov. Ned Lamont’s communications director, Max Reiss, declined to comment Tuesday. Lamont’s home town of Greenwich set prices in 2019 that charged non-residents $150 for a seasonal beach pass, while residents paid $35.
Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo could not be reached for comment.
Lemar’s bill also would prevent communities from selectively banning non-residents from beach use in response to pandemic. A handful of communities closed their beaches to non-residents last summer to reduce crowd size and ensure social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Lemar said the solution could be to limit overall attendance — but not by excluding out-of-town visitors.
Fairfield, which charges non-residents $250 for a seasonal beach pass — versus the $25 residents pay — temporarily blocked out-of-towners from its shores last summer.
“To me, it was a public safety issue,” said Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick. “My biggest concern was allowing people to socially distance.”
The Connecticut ACLU, which cautioned communities against these policies last summer, hasn’t reviewed Lemar’s bill to date.
But Executive Director David McGuire said fair beach access is an issue that has haunted Connecticut for too long, with most restrictive policies grounded in politics, not health science.
“We know Connecticut has a long history of shoreline towns using a number of different policies to keep a number of people off their beaches,” he said, adding that “a lot of times, these policies are nothing more than thinly veiled racist policies.”
Sitting Duck Downtown
A male mallard duck sits on the ice near the Route 1 bridge through Downtown, Westport.