Team Westport Calls on BOE to Act on Multiculturalism

Date: October 10, 2003

Source: Westport News (CT)

 

The Westport Board of Education (BOE) committed itself to advancing the aims of multiculturalism in the schools, when it voted at its meeting on Tuesday to add that objective to its goals for the school year.

 

The BOE pledged its commitment to "achieving and celebrating a more welcoming multicultural community" by implementing the tenets of the "Schools of the Future" plan that was adopted by the BOE in 1992.

 

In that plan, the school system took up the task of helping students "acquire the necessary attributes to become effective problem-solving citizens for their changing communities and the world."

 

The board of that year adopted the goal of teaching students to work for "greater cooperation among people of different cultures in an increasingly interrelated world."

 

This year BOE members were responding in their goal-setting to a presentation by Harold Bailey, Jr., chairman of Team Westport, the First Selectwoman's Advisory Council on Multiculturalism…"We believe it to be imperative that the Board of Education provide the administration with guidance in this area as expeditiously as possible…", Bailey said."

 

 

A Welcome Effort

Editorial

Date: October 3, 2003

Source: Westport News (CT)

 

A new committee's name may conjure up images of a high school pep rally, but the mission of TEAM Westport goes beyond a simple rallying call for victory. The members of this new group, appointed by Westport's First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell, has, as part of its mission, a goal "to achieve and celebrate a more welcoming, multicultural Westport/Weston community."

 

TEAM Westport, which stands for Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism in Westport, boasts an interesting, diverse and committed group of people who, during a recent book talk at Farrell's home, demonstrated the honesty, humor and openness they are willing to share with each other.

 

During this time of heightened national security, when we could easily become scared or made to worry about the actions of our neighbor, it is refreshing to be reminded of the importance of sharing one's views with other members of the community.

 

The call for a more multicultural and diverse community is not a new plea.  Throughout this nation's history there have been people, groups and leaders who lean toward greater tolerance or equal rights for those who are of a different culture, nationality, race or sexual orientation.  Most politicians and leaders lean toward appreciating diversity and encouraging educational programs that teach children to better understand the global environment in which we all now live.

 

In talking with members of the community, the next step is to make the issue of diversity an organic and perhaps, a more ordinary part of life.  We all worry about what our lives will be like, where we want to live, what our children become, what will happen to our town, but do we give the idea of a more inclusive society any thought on a day-to-day basis?  Are we honest with our neighbors and acquaintances about our feelings about the world and our place in it, when it comes to understanding and accepting those who are different?

 

Tough questions and for the busy bees we often are - whether it be holding down a challenging job, dealing with the demands of raising a family or pursuing our own interests - it is not always easy to begin such an intense discussion in our "down time."  But, it means everything to the way children shape their values, a community welcomes newcomers or the way a town is perceived by others.

 

As the committee chairman, Harold Bailey, noted recently, "The goal is not just about tolerance, but to get people engaged."

 

There are some fundamental issues that this committee will undoubtedly identify and analyze during the months to come.  Do minorities see Westport as a healthy and vibrant place to raise children?  Are people bypassing Westport and Weston in search of a greener pasture - one that might not necessarily be better, but more accepting or affordable?

 

If  past discussions on such far-flung topics as dogs on the beach, anything about Martha Stewart, speed humps, school construction projects, re-evaluation and taxes can produce a torrent of opinions, we would hope the work of this committee would inspire an equally dedicated response,  And, we suspect it will.

 

The group intends to hold a series of events over the coming months, including lectures and other special programs as it goes about doing its homework to develop recommendations for the first selectwoman.  There are any number of committees, of course, looking at quality of life issues - whether it be the future of the Longshore Golf Course, land acquisition policies, affordable housing and the like.  TEAM Westport, however, might be the one looking at the very fabric of society and the way we relate to one another.  A tall order, but one worth the effort.

 

In the future, as town officials begin to talk about affordable housing options, security measures in our post-9/11 world and other issues, this committee will indeed make the conversation richer.

 

Frankly, there are some out there who will think this is an exercise doomed to fail.  Or, the committee itself may fall short in getting its message out, despite its efforts.  While that would be a shame, the effort will still have brought together a group of intelligent and dedicated people who talk about the issues that make us human - respect, understanding, anger, acceptance, disappointment, success, joy and interest in living life right - with consideration of others who inhabit this planet.

 

Ideally, if we believe we should live in a multicultural society, then we should truly live that life.  It means going beyond supporting the programs that are formed to foster diversity and instead striving to live a diverse lifestyle - addressing preconceived notions and prejudices and analyzing why we all feel the way we feel about certain issues.  And, letting a group like TEAM Westport hear about it.  It will be our loss if we do not get involved in this discussion.

 

We have the chance to build on the international community that has already been fostered in the Westport and Weston communities - whether it is through corporate relocations or the long history our town shares with the United Nations.  This area is known to have been a beacon for inclusion even when nearby communities may not have been as accepting.  Let's not lose such good will.

 

Westport and Weston should not only be perceived as wealthy communities in terms of financial markers, but in terms of the richness and diversity of the people.

 

 

Members of New Committee Meet For A WestportREADs Event

Date: September 12, 2003

Source: Westport News (CT)

 

The discussion focused on the way the world was viewed by an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy growing up in Brooklyn in the late 1940s, but for a diverse group of residents, the way Westport is viewed in 2003 is equally important, when it comes to a community's concept of success, tolerance and understanding.

 

Members of TEAM Westport, a multicultural strategy committee, appointed by First Selectwoman Diane Goss Farrell, met Monday at her home to analyze the book Snow in August, by Pete Hamill, which has been chosen by the Westport Public Library for its WestportREADS program, this month.

 

The entire community is invited to read the book and participate in a number of activities this month, including lectures, book discussions and a visit by Hamill next week.  The mission of WestportREADS is to give people an opportunity to discuss issues, meet new people and forge community connections.

 

Those goals are not unlike those of TEAM (Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism) Westport, which has been brought together to "learn from one another, to analyze issues, to evaluate options and to recommend specific actions to achieve and celebrate a more welcoming, multicultural Westport/Weston community" according to its mission statement.

 

Harold Bailey, chairman of the committee, said since its formation, the group has sought to reach out to other town organizations and groups in an effort to engage them in a dialogue about their mission and the desire to be honest about diversity in the two communities.

 

"The goal is not just about tolerance, but rather to get people engaged," Bailey said.  "The interaction with others, with those of other cultures, that's the goal.  Otherwise, we are stifling our children and not teaching them (about how to) deal with the rest of the world."

 

Bailey added that the group is working to get the community to think beyond diversity for diversity's sake and make the concept of integration and cultural understanding a natural component of being a citizen in the Westport and Weston communities… As Bailey noted, if other cultures and races are not present in a general population, there can be the tendency that they don't exist.  And, if that place is thought to be a "great place to live," then those who are not there must not measure up.

 

It is those themes and others that the committee plans on addressing over the months to come through lectures and other links with other town groups to keep up the discussion of multiculturalism and the importance of engaging in an exchange of ideas…

 

Westport Playhouse Hosts Multicultural Group Discussion

Date: July 22, 2003

Source: www.westport-now.com

 

The backdrop was Harlem of the 1940s. The discussion was Westport of 2003.

 

Trying to bridge the decades and differences held the attention of dozens of Westporters late Monday evening following a performance of the Westport Country Playhouse’s latest offering, “The Old Settler.”

 

The play, by the late John Henry Redwood, is the story of two middle-aged sisters living together in a 1940s Harlem apartment. They are reminded of the importance of family following the visit of a handsome Southern gentleman.

 

Using the playhouse’s “talk back” interactive format with the audience, a new group, Westport TEAM, sponsored the discussion. It was the first event held by the group whose aim is “celebrating diversity in our community”…

 

050812