Over 400 people packed the Library last month to hear Dr. Clarence Jones, Martin Luther King’s 93-year-old speechwriter and confidant.
Next week, he’ll have an audience of 100 million,
Foundation to Combat Antisemitism — a group created by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft — will air its first Super Bowl commercial ever. It will feature Dr. Jones.
“I know I can speak for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when I say without a doubt that the Civil Rights movement (including the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Acts) would not have occurred without the unwavering and largely unsung efforts of the Jewish people,” Jones told FCAS.
“With hate on the rise, it is as important as ever that all of us stand together and speak out. Silence is not an option. I’m glad that I’ve lived long enough to partner with Robert Kraft and FCAS to continue to spread the message to the widest possible audience — the Super Bowl.” (Hat tip: Howard Edelstein)
Dr. Clarence Jones (far right) at the Westport Library for last month’s Dr. Martin Luther King celebration with (from left) New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, and NBC host and Westport resident Craig Melvin. (Photo/Caitlin Jacob)
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Tomorrow (Sunday, February 4, 11 a.m.) marks the second walk calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The event is part of Run for Their Lives, a movement in more than 180 cities worldwide.
“The goal is to bring continued awareness to the hostages representing multiple nationalities still in captivity in Gaza,” organizers say.
“This is not a religious or political event. It’s about innocent civilians being held by terrorists, and not about the war.
“This is a peaceful walk. Children and dogs are welcome.”
For more details and the location of the walk, click here. The walks will continue every Sunday, until the hostages are returned.
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Make money on the Super Bowl!
The Staples Rugby Club is holding a “squares fundraiser.” Boxes are $20. Payouts are $100 for the first 3 quarters, $200 for the final. All net proceeds help fund the Staples boys and girls rugby programs.
Payment is due February 9. Numbers will be assigned February 10.
Payment can be made by Venmo (@staplesrugbyclub) or by clicking here. For more information, click here.
Staples High School rugby team.
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Statistics show that 1 in 5 girls ages 15 to 17 are sexually assaulted. In college, the figure is 1 in 5 women, 1 in 16 men.
In response, the Staples High School cheerleaders are organizing a self-defense fundraiser, with the Westport Police Department and Fit Club Jiu-Jitsu. The event is Sunday, February 11 (2 sessions — 9:30 to 11:30 a.m; 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.) at Fit Club, 1496 Post Road, Fairfield).
Instructors include Joe Oppedisano, detective Beth Leetch, and officers Mike Ruttenber and Rob Curcio.
The cost is $75 per person. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Rowan Center in Stamford, which works with victims of sexual assault.
Space is limited. To register, and for more information, email StaplesWreckersCheer@gmail.com.
Staples High School cheerleaders.
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Westport Pride is offering 2 $1,000 scholarships this spring. One is for a Staples High school student; the other is for a non-Staples student, elsewhere in Fairfield County.
Applications are open to “anyone who has planned or been a part of activism- centered activities or organizations aimed at bettering the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community, for any members of the LGBTQ+ community who feel their experience as a young queer person has shaped their perspective and an aspect of themselves, or LGBTQ+ individuals who produced an art piece that highlights history, struggle or triumphs in the LGBTQ+ community.”
Click here for the Westport Pride Staples Scholarship; click here for the Westport Pride Fairfield County Scholarship. The deadline for both is May 1.
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The teenager who was convicted of seriously injuring a 64-year-old Uber Eats driver during a 2022 Westport car robbery was sentenced to 6 months in prison yesterday.
Jason Minor, 18, of New Haven was handed the sentence — which also includes a 5-year suspended sentence, and 5 years of probation — after violating a program that could have ended with the charges against him being dropped, CT Insider reports.
Longtime Westporter Katharine Miller was delivering Uber Eats to supplement her income. She was assaulted picking up an order, and suffered a head injury. Residents donated $33,000 to help defray medical and rehabilitation bills.
After her recovery, Miller repaid that generosity forward. She had written a children’s book, and offered it at a low price — with every sale a donation to Bridgeport elementary schools. Click here to read that heartwarming story.
Katherine Miller in 2022, with Bridgeport students holding “magic keys” that were part of her book donation drive. She initiated the project after being assaulted as an Uber Eats driver. Yesterday, her assailant was sentenced to 6 months in prison.
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The other day, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport put on a barn dance.
As soon as the music started, a hawk flew into a tree, just outside the church.
He stayed for a while. “I guess he liked the music,” says Johanna Keyser Rossi. She enjoyed watching him — and photographed him, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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And finally … it’s not often that a rock star’s mother’s death rate a New York Times obituary.
But it’s not often that one has an impact on her like Adele Springsteen’s did.
Bruce’s mom — who died Wednesday at 98 — rented him his first guitar when he was 7, then encouraged him and his musical passion in the face of her husband’s lack of steady work and mental illness. (Click here for a full obituary.)
I understood Adele’s importance to her son — and to musical history — when I sat in the second row for “Springsteen on Broadway.”
Among the Boss’ many moving stories, the one about his mother stands out.
She was several years into Alzheimer’s, he said. “But the need to dance, that need to dance, is something that hasn’t left her. She can’t speak. She can’t stand. But when she sees me, there’s a smile.”
And then he launched into a loving, lovely version of “Dancing in the Dark.”
(You wouldn’t want “06880” to go dark, would you? Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
