By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT — A TEAM Westport subcommittee met Monday to plan events for this year, brainstorming several ideas including a community lecture series on topics of diversity and equity.
The lecture series — a forum for community groups and other speakers to present ideas on “DEI,” (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) — got a nod of approval from the panel.
But there also was discussion of TEAM’s role “to take on the negativity” of others in Westport and nationally who members said oppose principles that the multi-cultural advocacy group stands for, said Harold Bailey Jr., the TEAM chairman.
A website created by a group of Westport parents to fight what they consider to be false narratives and racist ideas taught at the district’s schools, is completely anonymous “because they’re afraid of threats,” Bailey said. “But they’re the threat.”
He said his committee needs to study “what are the mechanics of what’s going on here,” and why some groups sow what he called misinformation. “They politically demonize people … they say that diversity is Marxist.”
TEAM Westport will continue to work with the town’s schools, as well as other local agencies and groups, to meet its objective to “make Westport increasingly welcoming with respect to race, ethnicity, religion and LGBTQI for people who live, work, visit and study here,” he said, despite the challenges.
TEAM Westport has been an advisory committee to the office of first selectman for 17 years.
A TEAM-sponsored lecture series could “highlight how relationship building and slow and steady conversations have made a difference,” said committee member Catherine Lewis.
“I think it’s important to have an overall umbrella” of conversations and events sponsored by TEAM Westport “that brings everyone in the town together,” agreed Maggie Mudd, also a member of TEAM Westport. “We don’t always want to just be reactive to national events.”
Ongoing discussion groups, training sessions and classes also were considered, as well as the lecture series.
Among the community organizations under consideration to work with TEAM Westport on lectures and other events were the Police Department, Planning and Zoning Department in relation to affordable housing, the schools, interfaith clergy and the arts and theater community.
Zoe Tarrant, a TEAM member, said that it is important for the committee to expand its purview beyond parents to households whose children are grown. “We need people at every sphere to expand the net wherever we can,” she said.
Bailey said the committee has recently garnered a lot of financial support not only from parents, but also from older residents. In the last year donations supporting the committee’s work totaled more than ever before, he said.
New appointees still under review
Meanwhile, the first selectwoman’s office has accepted more than a dozen applications for potential appointees to TEAM Westport, Bailey said.
The appointees are being considered for TEAM and other town advisory committees to comply with new rules on political party representation quotas and residency issued by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker in reaction to threatened legal action earlier this year.
Selectwoman Andrea Moore is interviewing the candidates, with final appointments to be made by Tooker.
Gretchen Webster is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Westport Journal. Learn more about us here.
Diversity isn’t Marxist, my friend. Diversity is great- it’s this country’s strength. People of all backgrounds working together as true equals. But Equity is Marxist. It’s the fundamental principle of Marxism- we all get to the same “outcome,” to be determined by some government authority, regardless of effort or ability… don’t conflate diversity with equity. Don’t trick people into thinking the only way to accept diversity is to accept equity.
Bailey’s suggestion for a community lecture series on topics of diversity and equity is rather ironic, given that he declined to participate in a panel that FAIR and others had organized to present at the Library last August 2021 with Ian Rowe on the panel. In fact, he never even responded to the email sent to him by the Fairfield Chapter of FAIR, inviting him to discuss under what terms he would be willing to participate. Furthermore, in declining to participate, the Library with which TEAM partners, felt obliged to cancel the event only two weeks prior thereto. Your story above quotes Bailey as saying of the anonymous group “They politically demonize people,” is also ironic, given that TEAM requested the Board of Selectmen to denounce the parent group for spreading fear and division in Westport. (see BOS meeting 10.13.21) I pose the question: who is engaging in threats and intimidation and who is attempting to prevent open discussion? There are two sides to this issue, but it appears to me that Mr. Bailey is being quite heavy handed in preventing an open discussion.
I read the article and Anne Alcyone’s comment and could not agree more where she says ‘ the anonymous group is politically demonizing people’. I have found that many people who feature themselves as ‘liberal’ are better called ‘illiberal’. They speak of being open and thoughtful but in many cases are exactly the opposite. The issues facing this country are serious and to ‘demonize’ success and achievement as being ‘inequitable’ is outrageous …we will become a third world country if we continue down our present path.
ho ho ho, nobody ever said “diversity is Marxist”
Westport has always been, the 55 years I have lived here, wonderfully diverse and we are proud of that diversity. We were raised in the ’60s, ’70s & ’80s to respect everyone.
Teaching and instilling victimization is Marxist –ie “white people are the oppressor”.
The whole team thing sets up a — me against them vibe– quite distasteful. Capitalism is that which levels the playing field for all free people. Marxism promises utopia but its failure to understand what motivates human beings to work hard and contribute causes revolution and bloodshed between the haves and have-nots.
Diversity is what makes America great! Diversity is America’s great secret to success. It is why America is the freest place on earth.
“equity” is fake. Free stuff for everybody is fake– don’t fall for it. Dr. Martin Luther King taught about a color-blind society where everyone enjoys equal opportunity. This is class warfare disguised as equity training. TEAM has jumped the shark into nonsense.
I do believe there are racial issues in our culture and these should be met head-on with equal rights. Do yourself a favor and read Aleksandr Solzhenitsynor Ludwig Von Mises or Adam Smith. And study them
I would add that my heart is always open to any man or woman in need of welcoming, a friendy person to talk to. The most important affiliation to me is that we are all human first. And there are victims in this world, all around us. I can always be reached at toddtracy67@hotmail.com
Well-stated! Thank you!!!!