Roundup: January 6 Pardons, Wind Phones, Isles In The Aisles …

Posted on January 22, 2025 | 43 comments

There is a local angle to the 1,500 pardons granted Monday night by President Trump.

One of the convicted defendants who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 was Benjamin Cohen. The Westport resident — 21 years old at the time of the siege — was arrested in 2023, at his home off Bayberry Lane.

Last summer he pled guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.

Earlier this month he was sentenced to 5 years probation and 6 months of home confinement, and ordered to pay restitution of $2,000.

Benjamin Cohen, in photos released at the time of  his arrest.

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Lynda Bluestein’s final legacy were wind phones.

Two devices — disconnected rotary telephones, used to stay connected to loved ones who have died — were installed last year at the Westport Library. They honor the longtime Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport member, and medical aid in dying advocate.

A new wind phone was installed in the Memorial Garden of the Greenfield Hill Congregational Church in late November. A private dedication ceremony was held January 4 — the first anniversary of Lynda’s death.

Bluestein’s son Jacob built the structure to house the phone, which was donated Vanessa and Dave Bradford.

Lynda sometimes sat in with her husband Paul and Dave Bradford when they played music at the Black Rock Farmer’s Market and PorchFest.

Greenfield Hill Church wind phone. (Photo/Kristyn Miller Photography)

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The Westport Farmers’ Market reminds residents that “self-care and connection” is available every Thursday through March (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), at the winter location: Gilbertie’s Herbs & Gardens Center (7 Sylvan Lane).

In addition to farm-fresh produce and other goods, there are workshops focusing on wellnes (meditations, sound baths, Dharma massages and strength.

“Get Growing” children’s activities spark curiosity and foster connections with nature. Through hands-on experiences, younsters learn about the importance of sustainable living, and the joy of growing and eating local food.

Whether indoor or outdoor, Fatto a Mano always draws a crowd at the Westport Farmers’ Market. (Photo/Frank Rosen)

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Nearly 30 years after the Hartford Whalers fled to North Carolina, pro hockey comes to the Westport Library.

“Isles in Aisles” is a new partnership between the Library and the Bridgeport Islanders, the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate.

Players will be at the Children’s Library on February 4 (5:30 p.m.), February 18 (4:30 p.m.) and March 3 (4:30 p.m.) to read aloud from their favorite children’s and hockey-themed books. Players will sign autographs afterward..

This is a drop-in event for youngsters, but adults are welcome.

Potential books for Isles in Aisles include “Z is for Zamboni,” “Hero’s Ho Ho Ho Hockey Dream,” “Hockey Morning, Noon, and Night,” “The Magic Hockey Stick” and “The Hockey Sweater.”

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An incorrect time was posted yesterday for “Alice in Webland,” the Triple Threat Academy show set for this weekend at Saugatuck Congregational Church.

The correct times are Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, January 26 at 3 p.m.

Children growing up in the digital age can relate to the show’s characters, and learn valuable lessons about balancing social media and living in the moment..

Tickets are $5 (free for senior citizens). Click here to purchase, and for more information.

2nd through 8th graders rehearse for the world premiere of “Alice in Webland.”

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Mollie Klaff Passero — longtime owner of Klaff’s, the store that for many years had a Westport location — died Tuesday, surrounded by her family. She was 101.

From the early 1950s through 2015, she held court in her signature suits and silk scarves, in the Klaff’s of South Norwalk site.

Mollie Klaff was born in Norwalk. She began singing professionally at age 8. By 13 she had her own radio program on WICC. As a young woman she had a successful singing career, touring with Louis Prima.

While performing in Stamford she met her husband, Maury Passero. They married in 1948.

In 1921 her parents started Klaff’s, a plumbing supply company. They added electrical supplies and hardware in the 1930’s. After WWII, they added lumber, building supplies, and complete homes.

They added lighting and kitchen departments in the 1950’s. When they died in the 1950’s Mollie, her sister Debbie and Maury took over the business.

Klaff’s became a destination home design center with locations in South Norwalk, Westport, Danbury and Scarsdale, New York. Their daughter Felicia managed the Westport store.

Here family says, “Mollie treated every employee at Klaff’s as family, with most spending their entire careers working with her.”

Mollie passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 21, surrounded by family. In addition to her children Joe and Felicia, she is survived by her son Jeffery, daughter Lisa, daughters-in-law Amy and Allison, and granddaughters Sasha, Lilli, Eve, and Izabella.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mollie’s name can be made to Temple Shalom of Norwalk, where services will be held tomorrow (Thursday, January 23, 1 p.m.).

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The mourning (not “morning”) dove that stars in today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature doesn’t mind the cold. It just plumps up its feathers, and watches the world go by.

Lou Weinberg offers this superb photo — and a link to learn more about mourning doves.

(Photo/Lou Weinberg)

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And finally … Garth Hudson died yesterday, in a nursing  home in Woodstock, New York. He was 87.

Described by the New York Times as a musician “whose intricate swirls of Lowrey organ helped elevate The Band from rollicking juke-joint refugees into one of the most resonant and influential rock groups of the 1960s and ’70s,” he was the last surviving member of The Band.

Click here for a full obituary.

(Politics, spirituality,, sports and more are all part of today’s Roundup. If you enjoy this daily feature, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Children, Environment, Library, Politics, Sports

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“Safe Streets” Draft Plan Offers Data And Ideas

Posted on January 22, 2025 | 10 comments

Anyone who drives, walks, bicycles or scooters in Westport knows our roads are dangerous.

Now we’ve got it in writing.

Tighe & Bond — the consultants hired last year by the town to formulate a comprehensive “safe streets for all” action plan, with a $450,000 federal grant — has weighed in with their first draft.

That’s the right term. It weighs in at a hefty 83 pages.

The front cover of the Safety Action Plan draft shows downtown without — incredibly — much traffic.

Some of it is table-setting: background of the project, information about previous studies, etc.

But the Shelton-based consultants certainly reached out to the town. They researched police records, held meetings, devised surveys, and created an interactive map for residents to comment on particularly dangerous areas, offer suggestions, and even praise whatever currently works.

Westporters responded. The leading issue was driver/car safety (32%), followed by pedestrians (22%), intersections (19%) and visibility (13%). Bike, school and transit issues were also mentioned.

Residents’ responses to the interactive safety map showed concerns all over town.

There were few surprises. The highest number of motor vehicle accidents take place on the Post Road, in Saugatuck, and along North Avenue and Cross Highway.

Using a formula involving crashes, public perception and more, the consultants prioritized these roadways:

They also prioritized these intersections:

Tighe & Bond offered several policy recommendations. They include:

  • Pedestrian and bicylce master plan
  • Adopt red ight and/or speed cameras (recently approved by the state)
  • Comprehensive street light policy
  • Establish a team or dedicated person to implement and manage recommended changes, safety projects, and pursue grants.

Of 30 project recommendations, all but 2 were ranked “highest” or “high.” The top 5 are:

Kings Highway North, between Post Road and Wilton Road: pedestrian facility and sight distance improvements (estimated cost: $3-4 million)

Riverside Avenue at Bridge Street: modern roundabout ($5-6 million)

North Avenue and Long Lots Road to Cross Highway: pedestrian facility and intersection improvements ($500,000-$1 million)

Compo Road North at Evergreen Avenue; Easton Road at Bayberry Lane; Sylvan Road North at Pequot Trail; Long Lots Road at Bayberry Lane/Maple Avenue North: intersection sight distance improvements (vegetation clearing, approach realignment, and/or intersection control modifications (less than $25,000 per location)

Lower speed limit to 30 mph on town roads; consider 25 mph on commercial corridor (cost estimate not applicable).

The full list of all 30 recommendations is below:

To read the full report, click here.

(“06880” drives home the idea: This is our community, and we’re all in it together. Please click here to support our hyper-local work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Transportation, Westport life

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Pic Of The Day #2834

Posted on January 21, 2025 | 1 comment

Chilly Compo Beach pavilion (Photo/Nathan Greenbaum)

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Posted in Beach

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Roundup: Explorers Club, Snow Shovels, Alice In Webland …

Posted on January 21, 2025 | 1 comment

Congratulations, Richard Wiese!

The renowned explorer and science communicator (and Weston resident) has been elected the 46th president of The Explorers Club.

Wiese was executive producer and host of the mult-Emmy Award-winning ABC and PBS program “Born to Explore.”

In 2002 — after a previous election — he was the youngest Explorers Club president in history.

During his tenure he negotiated partnerships with Rolex, Eddie Bauer and later Discovery Networks.

Headquartered in New York, with chapters around the world, the Explorers Club supports scientific expeditions of all disciplines.

Notable club members include Jane Goodall, Walter Cronkite, Theodore Roosevelt, the Apollo 11 crew, and the Mount Everest summit team of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.

Richard Wiese

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Like many Westporters, MaryAnn Meyer admired yesterday’s snowfall.

Then she headed outside, to shovel.

As she worked, she was approached by a pair of Staples High School students.

Emma and Quinn had shovels — and offered to help.

They cleared the bank around MaryAnn’s mailbox. And all they wanted was a thank-you.

MaryAnn watched them walk down the road, near Green’s Farms Church, to help other homeowners.

“I hope other neighborhoods have an Emma and Quinn!” MaryAnn says.

This is not Emma or Quinn. But you get the idea.

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Everyone has heard of Alice in Wonderland.

This weekend (January 25 at 7 p.m., January 26 at 3 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church), Triple Threat Academy presents “Alice in Webland.”

The new play “takes a timely, kid-friendly tumble into a whimsical but risky world of web temptations.”

Children growing up in the digital age can relate to the show’s characters, and learn valuable lessons about balancing social media and living in the moment.

The show is written and directed by Georgia Wright. The cast of young actors is overseen by Triple Threat founders Cynthia Gibb and Jill Mann.

Tickets are $5 (free for senior citizens). Click here to purchase, and for more information.

Writer-director Georgia Wright (right), and Triple Threat actors.

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Melissa Newman — Westport’s own, and one of the most popular Jazz at the Post regulars — returns to the VFW this Thursday (January 23; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7 p.m.).

She’s joined by guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, bassist Phil Bowler and drummer Bobby Leonard. Click here for tickets.

Melissa Newman

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Yesterday’s snow is today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.

Claudia Sherwood Servidio captured the seren scene, on Cross Highway.

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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And finally … we honor our own great explorer, Richard Wiese (story above). Meanwhile, here’s another one:

(Every day, “06880” explores Westport [and Weston]. If you enjoy reading what we unearth, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Entertainment, Weather, Westport life

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[OPINION] Soccer Coach: Situation Offers Chance To Learn From Mistakes

Posted on January 21, 2025 | 40 comments

Chris O’Dell is a 1995 graduate of Staples High School. He is also head of operations for The O’Dell Group, a design builder of environmentally friendly homes.

And he is the longtime freshman boys soccer coach at Staples. Last week, he learned that his contract would not be renewed. Chris writes:

I have been a part of the Staples boys soccer program for over 30 years. I was a player and captain in the early ’90s for head coach Jeff Lea. I have coached in the program since 2005, first under head coach Dan Woog, most recently under head coach Russell Oost-Lievense. 

My business has built many homes, kickboards for the soccer team, sets for Bedford Middle School plays, and sponsored local PAL basketball teams. Dozens of Staples students have interned for me. 

Chris O’Dell built this, at Loeffler Field. 

My brother, his family and my mother all live in town.

My best friends from high school are still here. They coach youth sports, they are PTA presidents, they open up local restaurants and other businesses, all to make Westport a better place. 

I have been to weddings of former players, seen the birth of their children, written job references, and worked in their homes and the homes of their parents.

I was one of the Staples coaches whose contract was non-renewed. I was told the reason was because I was a witness to an event, and did not report it. 

The facts and back story of this “incident” are concerning for coaches, but I think it is unproductive for me to discuss them here. I will state with 100% certainty that there was no physical contact. It was over quickly, and resolved. 

As a coach (and a parent), I have always preached one main guiding principle that is more important than anything else. When things go wrong, your energy needs to be spent fixing it, not placing blame or focusing on what went wrong. 

Chris O’Dell

I tell my players there is one guarantee when they step on the field. Referees are going to make bad calls, teammates and coaches are going to mess up, and bad luck will find you. 

I then point out that their reaction will go a long way towards determining their success as a team.

If they spend time yelling at the refs, blaming teammates or sulking about the bad luck that befell them, that means they are not spending time correcting the problem. 

In soccer, where one goal is all it takes to decide a game, that decision could be the difference between winning and losing. 

I take a similar approach to my business and life. I tell the people I work with, the one thing we know is that things will go wrong. Our first reaction needs to be, how do we work together to fix it, and then learn from that mistake.

It has been disheartening to see this situation evolve with the Staples soccer program that I have loved so much, and given so much to. 

It has been painful to watch lines drawn in the sand, and hurtful misinformation lobbed so freely.

Chris O’Dell urges his players on. (Photo/Frances Rowland)

I was at the Board of Education meeting last week, and listened to the player’s speech. I have never coached the player, but I have gotten to know him.

We hung out at the retreat. I encouraged him to bring the team together at his house during the season. He was on the phone with me 4 nights before the anonymous call was made, as he came to me for help navigating his place on the team. 

This is a young man filled with the emotions of being a teenager. Those same emotions caused me to make a lot of mistakes when I was his age.

But I don’t think it’s productive to talk here about his role. I think we, as adults, need to discuss our roles and our reactions.

I feel for the player, as I believe it is true that the actions (or more accurately inactions) of the administration have led to much needless suffering for all of us caught in the middle of this. I don’t think any of us want to add to that suffering.  

But, and this is important, I also do not want to focus my blame on the administration.

It has been easy for community members to state that a lack of investigation with blurry communication of the results is the problem. 

But it’s not so easy to admit that the results of the investigation were not going to solve the underlying problems which led us here.  

Those underlying problems derive from the modern structure of youth sports. Our antiquated policies and procedures do not properly address them.  

The 2024 Staples boys soccer program: freshman team (front), junior varsity (middle), varsity (rear). (Photo/Mike Beebe)

I think there are some good people involved in the administration who are trying to navigate some difficult situations as best as they can. I think it is important that as we talk about and comment on these issues, we focus on the work that needs to be done.

That is why I think we all need to focus on fixing the problem.

All of our children are watching this situation. We have an opportunity to teach them one of the greatest lessons: conflict resolution.

It is a lesson that is desperately needed for the next generation, to hopefully be able to improve upon our generation’s seeming inability to properly navigate our differences. 

I have sat in meetings with some concerned community members who are trying to drive all of us towards creating some processes and policies which will assist our administrators, coaches, parents and players in improving our approach to the current environment for youth sports.  

The pursuit of happiness can only be achieved if we are all allowed to make mistakes, and then learn from them.

In this case it is obvious that we, as a community, have not provided enough safeguards for our players or coaches. We need to take this opportunity to be the leading, inspiring town that we always have been.

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Posted in Sports, Staples HS

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Pics Of The Day #2833

Posted on January 20, 2025 | 1 comment

Scenes from our snowfall;

Wilton Road … (Photo copyright/Ted Horowitz)

… a Whitney Street window … (Photo/Molly Alger)

… and outside, on Whitney Street … (Photo/Molly Alger)

… with cross country skiing, at Sherwood Island State Park (Photo/Rob Grodman)

 

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Car Stolen As Victim Pumps Gas

Posted on January 20, 2025 | 29 comments

Just before 4 p.m. today Westport Police responded to the Exxon gas station on Post Road East between the Connecticut Humane Society and Fire Department headquarters, for an initial report of a carjacking.

Officers determined a carjacking had not occurred. But a car was stolen, and the complainant sustained minor injuries trying to prevent the theft.

The victim was pumping gas on the passenger side of their black 2022 Mercedes Benz GLS. A young male got out of a nearby car, and got into the Mercedes.

The complainant tried to open the driver’s door. When the suspect drove away, the victim fell.

The vehicle was last seen headed north on Compo Road North. Anyone with information on the incident should call Westport Police: (203)341-6000.

 

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Posted in Local business, Police

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Roundup: Snow, Fire, Ice …

Posted on January 20, 2025 | 3 comments

Yesterday’s snow was slippery for some, beautiful for many.

Here’s a view through Ted Horowitz’s Wilton Road window:

(Photo copyright/Ted Horowitz)

This was the scene at Mark Taglia’s home. The flamingo is a street mascot, passed back and forth by neighbors on Mystic Lane off North Avenue.

(Photo/Mark Taglia)

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A pair of Saturday Father’s Forums — places for fathers to talk about parenting challenges and strategies — are set for January 25 and February 22. Both are from 9 to 10 a.m., at Toquet Hall.

They’ll be led by Vince Benevento, founder and CEO of Westport’s Causeway Collaborative. The forums are sponsored by Westport Together. For more information, click here.

Father and son.

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It’s purely coincidental — given the recent tragedy in Los Angeles — but the current exhibition at MoCA CT is called “On Fire.”

Curated by Ive Covaci, Anne Boberski, and the Westport Public Art Collections Committee, it includes over 75 works in a variety of media.

The exhibit explores the ways in which artists from the 1930s to today have envisioned and responded to the interrelationships of energy, infrastructure and the environment.

This 4th annual exhibition by WestPAC at MoCA is inspired by 8 paintings, “The Evolution of Heat,” created by Ralph Boyer in 1934 for the old Staples High School as part of a WPA project.

The paintings usually hang at Westport’s central fire station, so this is a rare opportunity to see them in a museum setting.

Contemporary works — including scenes of  local bridges, waterways and infrastructure — ask visitors to consider the past and imagine the future of our community.

The gallery is open Thursdays (4 to 8 p.m.), and Fridays,  Saturdays and Sundays (noon to 4 p.m.). The exhibit runs through March 2.

Upcoming programs include:

January 23 (5 p.m.): Exhibition tour with curators Anne Boberski and Ive Covaci, co-chairs of the WestPAC Committee.

February 27 (6 p.m.): Community conversation: “Art, Infrastructure, and the Environment,” moderated by Ive Covaci.

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Pamela Rae Schuller — a “comedian, speaker and advocate who brings a unique perspective to inclusion through humor and storytelling” — will be here on February 6 (7:30 p.m., Chabad of Westport).

Click here for more information, and tickets.

Pamela Rae Schuller

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A recent photo of a Cybertruck parked in a handicap spot at the Westporot Weston Family YMCA — without a visible sticker — brought this comment from the owner:

“I have Parkinson’s and a handicap sticker from CT for more than 2 years.”

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Right before the snow, Anne Bernier snapped this shot of Deadman Brook, near the Levitt Pavilion and Imperial Avenue parking lot.

“I thought it beautifully encapsulated these cold, bright, winter days in Westport,” she says.

It does — which is why it’s today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Anne Bernier)

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And finally … in honor of the 2 events happening simultaneously today, along with the Westport Together event on January 25 (story above):

(Sure, it’s a holiday. But in the nearly 16 years since “06880” began, we haven’t missed a day. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, religion, YMCA

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MLK

Posted on January 20, 2025 | 6 comments

This story has become a Martin Luther King Day tradition on “06880.” At this point in our nation’s history, today — more than ever — we should think about the history of our nation before Dr. King was born.

And where we are, nearly 6 decades after his death.

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Westporters will celebrate with a day off from school or work. Some will sleep in; others will shop, or go for a walk. Few will give any thought to Martin Luther King.

Twice, though, his life intersected this town in important ways.

The first was Friday night, May 22, 1964. According to Woody Klein’s book Westport, Connecticut, King had been invited to speak at Temple Israel by synagogue member Jerry Kaiser.

King arrived in the afternoon. Kaiser and his wife Roslyn sat on their porch that afternoon, and talked with King and 2 of his aides. She was impressed with his “sincerity, warmth, intelligence and genuine concern for those about him — our children, for instance. He seemed very young to bear such a burden of leadership.”

Martin Luther King, with Sarah and Tema Kaiser at their home on Brooklawn Drive, before his Temple Israel appearance. Their brother Michael had a cold, and was not allowed near Dr. King.

King’s sermon — to a packed audience — was titled “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” He analogized his America to the time of Rip Van Winkle — who also “slept through a revolution. The greatest liability of history is that people fail to see a revolution taking place in our world today.  We must support the social movement of the Negro.”

Westport artist Roe Halper presented King with 3 woodcarvings, representing the civil rights struggle. He hung them proudly in the front hallway of his Atlanta home.

Artist Roe Halper (left) presents Coretta Scott King with civil rights-themed wood carvings.

Within a month Temple Israel’s rabbi, Byron Rubenstein, traveled south to take place in a nonviolent march. He was arrested — along with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

In jail, the rabbi said, “I came to know the greatness of Dr. King. I never heard a word of hate or bitterness from that man, only worship of faith, joy and determination.”

King touched Westport again less than 4 years later. On April 5, 1968 — the day after the civil rights leader’s assassination in Memphis — 600 Staples students gathered for a lunchtime vigil in the courtyard. Nearby, the flag flew at half-staff.

A small portion of the large crowd listens intently to Fermino Spencer, in the Staples courtyard.

A small portion of the large crowd listens to Fermino Spencer.

Vice principal Fermino Spencer addressed the crowd. Movingly, he spoke about  his own experience as an African American. Hearing the words “my people” made a deep impression on the almost all-white audience. For many, it was the 1st time they had heard a black perspective on white America.

No one knew what lay ahead for their country. But student Jim Sadler spoke for many when he said: “I’m really frightened. Something is going to happen.”

Dr. Martin Luther King

Something did — and it was good. A few hundred students soon met in the cafeteria. Urged by a minister and several anti-poverty workers to help bridge the chasm between Westport and nearby cities, Staples teachers and students vowed to create a camp.

Within 2 months, it was a reality. That summer 120 elementary and junior high youngsters from Westport, Weston, Norwalk and Bridgeport participated in the Intercommunity Camp. Led by over 100 Staples students and many teachers, they enjoyed swimming, gymnastics, dance, sports, field trips, overnight camping, creative writing, filmmaking, photography, art and reading.

It wasn’t easy — some in Westport opposed bringing underprivileged children to their town — but for over a decade the Intercommunity Camp flourished.

Eventually, enthusiasm for and interest in the camp waned. Fewer Staples students and staff members wanted to devote their summer to such a project.  The number of Westporters willing to donate their pools dwindled. Today the Intercommunity Camp is a long-forgotten memory.

Sort of like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Even on his birthday.

MLK speech

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Martin Luther King Day bonus feature: In the late 1950s, Westporter Tracy Sugarman took his son Dickie, and Dickie’s friend Miggs Burroughs, to a picnic in Stamford.

Rev. Martin Luther King was there, at the invitation of the host: Jackie Robinson.

Sugarman — a noted illustrator – was also a civil rights activist.

Miggs — a junior high student — took the Minox “spy” camera he’d bought earlier that summer.

He still has those photos. Here are the 2 pioneering Black Americans: Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson.

(Photos/Miggs Burroughs)

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Posted in History, Politics, religion, Staples HS

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Shonda Rhimes Offers Inspiring MLK Day Message

Posted on January 20, 2025 | 4 comments

Shonda Rhimes was raised to see obstacles not as roadblocks, but as hills to climb.

That was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s mentality too.

It was fitting that Rhimes — CEO of Shondaland; creator, head writer and executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” and “Scandal”; the producer of “Bridgerton” (and a Westport resident) — delivered that message, powerfully and eloquently, at yesterday’s 19th annual Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Library.

Despite inclement weather, the Trefz Forum was completely filled. Hundreds of others watched via livestream.

She described her route to superstardom — and explained the responsibility she feels for telling true stories, while being true to herself — in a conversation with Trey Ellis.

He’s an award-winning novelist, playwright and filmmaker; a professor at Columbia University — and also a Westporter.

When she began her career, Rhimes said, she was driven to succeed. “If I was getting coffee for someone, I tried to make it the best coffee they ever had. I wanted them to remember me.” She did not want to “take over the world” —  but she wanted to be noticed.

She paused, then added, “Nobody thinks it’s remarkable when a white man says he’s going to take over the world.”

Tying together the economic impact of her work, the importance of showing diverse (and three-dimensional) characters, and staying true to her own principles, Rhimes said, “I only make shows that I want to watch.”

Doing that, however, has attracted viewers around the globe — and influenced how they see Black, LGBTQ and other minority people.

She wants her shows to be both mirrors (“for viewers to see themselves”), and windows (“to look out on a world they may not know”).

Shonda Rhimes

Noting the significance of today — it’s both Martin Luther King Day, and Inauguration Day — Rhimes said, “The struggle is not over. It’s beautiful to see how far we’ve come. But we take 2 steps forward, and 1 back. We will get through this all, if we stay vigilant.”

Looking ahead, she feels “even more of a responsibility to tell the stories I want to tell. It feels like we may be in for more suppression. Well, I’m not interested in being suppressed — or suppressing anyone else.”

A group of Bridgeport students — guests of the Walter Luckett Foundation — asked intriguing questions.

One youngsters wondered why Rhimes left California for Connecticut.

During the pandemic, Rhimes replied, she realized Los Angeles was not a great place to raise her daughters.

She wanted to move to a town that was focused on families. She found Westport almost by accident. But, she said, “this is a place where I’ll stay.”

Trey Ellis asked his own questions, and those submitted by Bridgeport youngsters.

Rsponding to another question, Rhimes said, “I tell my kids, ‘Who you are is up to you.'”

When a fan says “I want to be just like you,” she replies, “No. Be just like you.”

Rhimes concluded her Martin Luther King Day conversation with a reference to last year’s event, which featured King’s advisor and speechwriter, Clarence Jones.

“He wrote half of the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” Rhimes noted. “That’s a lot to live up to.

“But one thing I learned last year is that there is always a moment when you can make the world a better place, make someone feel included, or reach out.

“You can reach out in a million ways. And always ask yourself,’ “What did I do to make the world a better place?’

“If you don’t do that — what are you doing here?”

(Westport’s 19th annual Martin Luther King Day celebration was co-sponsored by the Westport Library, TEAM Westport, the Westport/Weston Clergy Association, the Westport Country Playhouse, and the Walter Luckett Foundation.

(The Martin Luther King Day celebration continues tonight [Monday, January 20, 7 p.m.], with a free screening of “King in the Wilderness at the Westport Country Playhouse. Trey Ellis is a co-producer.

(The Emmy Award-winning 2018 film follows Dr. King from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in April 1968. It includes never–seen interviews with people closest to King, interspersed with historical archives.

(Interviewees include Andrew Young, Harry Belafonte, John Lewis, Joan Baez, Jesse Jackson and C. T. Vivian. Click here for more information.)

TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey welcomed guests to the MLK Day celebration.

Making his second Westport Library appearance in a week, Senator Richard Blumenthal called Westport “a beacon of activism and hope.” He thanked attendees for “being foot soldiers for justice.”

Stamford singer Christian Servance opened and closed the event, with a rousing pair of gospel-inflected songs.

Christian Servance, singing to the full Trefz Forum. (This and all photos above/Dan Woog)

From left: 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Westport 10 founder Jay Norris, Shonda Rhimes, Trey Ellis.

(If it happens in Westport, you’ll read about it on “06880.” Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Entertainment, Library, Politics, Westport Country Playhouse

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