Jaclyn Jeffrey writes:
People often talk about a moment in time that marks their life… the before and after.
We have 3 children, all adopted from China. We have lived in this area all of their lives, and have experienced nothing but total acceptance. On Sunday I took 2 of my children to Sherwood Island. We love it there.
It was not very crowded. We sat down a bit more than 6 feet away from a woman with her husband and daughter. As we put the blanket down she started screaming that we needed to be 15 feet from her. Not wanting to deal with her, we moved farther away.
Once we sat down, I Googled. She was correct: That is the current rule for shoreline state parks.
An hour later a couple sat down near her, 6 feet away. She said nothing.
As we were leaving she turned to my children and yelled, “Why don’t you go back to China?” The hatred in her words was palpable. My heart stopped.
Like many around the world I am horrified by the treatment of minorities in this country. The events of the past few weeks are beyond comprehension. I am enraged and heartbroken at what our country has become.
For just a brief moment yesterday at Sherwood Island I was witness to pure, raw, hatred for another because they are not white. As a white woman, I know I am very privileged. This was the first time seeing this up close and personal. I see it on TV, read it in the paper, watch the stories on my various news feeds, but to be in the presence of this evil was something entirely different.
Yesterday, was my before and after.
A good day, spoiled. (Photo/Amy Schneider)
Staples graduate/Grammy, Tony and Oscar-winning songwriter Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, The Greatest Showmani) joins his musical partner Benj Pasek — and Tina Fey, Dolly Parton and more –at the first-ever Virtual International Thespian Festival
Set for June 22-26, the online event — originally scheduled to be performed in person — features college and scholarship auditions, the International Thespian Excellence Awards Showcase (“the Thespys”), performances, workshops and master classes.
Pasek and Paul will be interviewed by moderated by their James and the Giant Peach book writer Timothy Allen McDonald. There’s also a keynote address from The Lion King’s Alton Fitzgerald White, and a performance fromRuPaul’s Drag Race star Peppermint.
To register for the festival, click here. (Hat tip: David Meth)
Justin Paul (Photo/Dan Woog)
Yesterday, “06880” reported on the hatching of an oystercatcher chick at Compo Beach.
Now there are 2.
Tina Green notes: “Westporters should still give the oystercatchers a wide berth while in the area. The adults and chicks will remain in the area until the young birds are old enough to fly.
“Piping plovers, a federally protected species, are also on their nest. They too should not be disturbed, to insure a positive outcome.”
(Photo/Tina Green)
The pandemic has not been easy for many independent contractors — including photographers.
Yet David Dellinger — a longtime contributor to “06880” — is thinking of others. During this tough time, in an effort to support Black Lives Matter — and encouraging others to contribute too — he’s donating 50% of proceeds from all June photos sessions to the @mnfreedomfund.
In addition, he’s giving 100% from all print sales to other verified organizations that support #blacklivesmatter. Contact info@davedellingerphoto.com.
In 2018, David Dellinger photographed this Cockenoe Island wedding proposal.
And finally … in 1968, Phil Ochs was in the middle of a concert at Coleytown Junior High School. It was a fundraiser for the school’s Peace Corps project.
Someone handed him a note. He told the crowd that Lyndon Johnson just the nation he would not run for another term as president.
As 2020 looks increasingly like 1968, the underappreciated folksinger’s words are more meaningful than ever.
