CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2025
TEAM WESTPORT
TEEN DIVERSITY ESSAY CONTEST!
@JerriGrahamPhotography
Kaila Patel (1st Place)
Liam Harrison (2nd Place)
@JerriGrahamPhotography
Kaila Patel was named the First Place essayist and awarded $1,000 for her work entitled “The Declaration of Independence: A Foundation, Not A Finish Line.” Kaila is a junior at Staples.
@JerriGrahamPhotography
Liam Harrison was named Second Place essayist and awarded $750 for his work entitled “Codex Officil Populi”. Liam is a sophomore at Staples.
With tremendous talent and keen insight, they continue the important tradition of teen essayists whose voices help shape how we pursue inclusion, equality and engagement within our schools and town. - Harold Bailey
Photos: @jerrigrahamphotography
The judges for this year’s contest were:
Michele Rubin, (Chief Judge) Director of Education, Programming, and Development, Westport Museum for History and Culture
Alex Giannini, Associate Director, The Westport Library
Shonda Rhimes, television producer, screenwriter, founder of Shondaland
All judges are writers.
Westport Library in partnership with AAPI Westport
“In time for AAPI history month, American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism shines a new light on the problem of anti-Asian violence and inspires us to build lasting solidarity. Join historian Scott Kurashige in conversation with Jason Oliver Chang, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies at the University of Connecticut.”
Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Visit the Westport Library website to read all about why you should attend! Register for a seat. Free event.
Our Mission.
Issues stemming from multicultural shortcomings are national problems. Yet they exist in Westport too. Achieving and celebrating “a more welcoming, multicultural community with respect to race, ethnicity, religion and LGBTQIA+” offers us a tangible, achievable objective for community activities as well as opportunities for individual commitment.
If our neighbors represent all the parts of the world in which we live, that will strengthen the community’s fabric – the way our lives interact.
We will do a better job of preparing our children for their future.
Our lively civic discourse will become even richer when additional diverse viewpoints are represented.
And perhaps most importantly, we will increase the possibility that each of us — in our own ways and in our own lives — will experience, enjoy and grow from the richness of diversity in our community.
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Book Club
Drop in as you like. No pressure! Participate in whatever way suits you.
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Community News
Events and news for everyone.
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Parent Work Group
Parents come together to discuss ideas or concerns about supporting our children and students.
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Westport Public Schools
Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our schools.
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No Place for Hate.
Learn about the program.
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Annual MLK Day Event
Join us each year! Co-sponsored by the Westport Library and the Westport Country Playhouse and TEAM Westport.
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Educational Resources
Recommended books, articles, links
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Calendar
It takes everyone together, not one group here or there. Othering, in all ists forms, runs through our society. It doesn’t affect one group, but all groups. Empathy runs through us all too. Together we are strong.
How can I help?
Help us achieve our mission to extend, and celebrate a more multicultural community. Your contribution will help support the Teen Essay Contest, special events programming, and other initiatives.