By Dave Matlow
Going from relative obscurity to an internationally known diversity group, TEAM Westport members met today for the first time since its white privilege essay notoriety to evaluate all the attention.
TEAM Westport Chair Harold Bailey, Jr. addresses today’s meeting. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“We’ve received much good publicity lately,” said an understated Harold Bailey, Jr., the black, soft-spoken, ex-IBM executive who has been group’s chair since its founding in 2003. TEAM stands for Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism.
Bailey, who oversaw the committee-authored high school essay contest prompt on white privilege, noted in the Town Hall meeting that coverage of the essay, touched off by a Jan. 31 Associated Press story, had spread to the United Kingdom, China, and beyond. (See WestportNow Jan. 31, 2017)
“There’s been a media barrage of letters to Westport town officials, including comments that “the subject was racist,” he said.
One comment received said, “It inculcates white guilt in the minds of the children of Westport,” Bailey said.
The TEAM meeting was the first since international attention focused on the high school essay contest. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
He said the subject of the essay was coordinated with the English and social studies departments at Staples High School and that the feedback “was great.”
“We’ve received some crazy stuff such as ‘are you some rich, white guy trying to spread hate?’” Bailey said.
Board of Education member Karen Klein attended the meeting and told members: “We do not want students to be intimidated and afraid to participate in the essay contest.”
Bailey said he had been invited by PTA Co-Presidents Anne Spencer and Candace Banks to address the PTA Council, made up of PTA presidents, on March 1.
TEAM member Susan Ellis said the essay contest “is meant to encourage discussion, not to take a position…” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
One idea that surfaced during the discussion was to allow anonymous submissions.
Bailey noted that he had issued a fact sheet about the competition several days ago (See WestportNow Feb. 5, 2017) and that all entrants must have parental permission.
TEAM member Susan Ellis said the essay contest “is meant to encourage discussion, not to take a position, one can talk about race and not be a racist.”
This was not the first time that white privilege has surfaced in a TEAM essay competition. Last year’s prompt asked students how they, personally, would make sense of the racially charged events of 2015. (See WestportNow May 16, 2016)
Second place winner Ellie Shapiro, a Staples junior, referred to Westport this way: “I am living in an affluent town, sheltered from the harsh realities of race tension. I am living in ‘White America,’ naturally privileged due to race.”
Following today’s discussion, First Selectman Jim Marpe seemed to welcome all the attention.
“One of the passions of Westport and positive distinguishing characteristics is the willingness to discuss controversial topics and issues in public,” he said. “We celebrate freedom of speech.”
This story has been updated to clarify that the essay prompt was a collaborative effort by TEAM Westport members.
