Join us for an extraordinary evening of insight and inspiration as a panel of nationally recognized innovators from the fields of business, sports, and the military share how they’ve navigated complex divisions to lead diverse teams toward common goals.
Featured panelists include:
The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Allen Hilton, executive director of the House United Movement and Consulting Theologian at Greens Farms Church, who brings decades of experience in fostering dialogue across lines of difference.
Because, at a time when the United States is marked by deep political, racial, and cultural divides, the voices we need most are those who have successfully built unity across difference — not in theory, but in practice. And the remarkable panelists taking part in this panel discussion have done just that.
The Common Ground Initiative is The Westport Library's forum for public discourse on topical issues of importance to the community. The aim of the initiative is to host a positive, productive conversation on how we work together to move forward as a civil society; encourage respectful, constructive dialogue; and build capacity to tackle challenging and/or controversial issues.
Changing the world is difficult — but attainable through the choices we make every day. Join Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva, and Daniel Kelly, the authors of Somebody Should Do Something, as they paint a picture of how social change happens, one choice at a time. Alongside moderator Sharon Suchotliff, principal at ZS Consultants and a member of the Library's Common Ground Initiative, this panel will delve into a novel and scientific approach to creating transformative social change — and the surprising ways that each of us can help make a real difference.
Copies of Somebody Should Do Something will be available for purchase at this event.
Crucial issues like climate change, racism, and poverty, are structural. They emerge from our collective practices: laws, economies, history, culture, norms, and built environments. The dilemma is that there is no way to make structural change without individual people making different — more structure-facing — decisions. In Somebody Should Do Something, Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva, and Daniel Kelly show us how we can connect our personal choices to structural change and why individual choices matter, though not in the way people usually think. Taking inspiration from the writer Bill McKibben, they stress how one “important thing an individual can do is be somewhat less of an individual.”
Organized into three main sections, the book first diagnoses the problem of “either/or” thinking about social change, which stems from the false choice of making better personal choices or changing the system. The narrative then offers a different way to think about social change, anchored in a new picture of human nature emerging across the social sciences. Finally, the authors explore ways of putting this picture into practice. Neither a how-to manual nor an activist’s guide, Somebody Should Do Something pairs stories and science (plus some jokes) to help readers recognize their own power, turning resignation about climate change and racial injustice into actions that transform the world.
Michael Brownstein is professor and chair of philosophy at John Jay College and professor of philosophy at The Graduate Center, CUNY. He is the author of The Implicit Mind.
Alex Madva is professor of philosophy, director of the California Center for Ethics and Policy, and co-director of the Digital Humanities Consortium at Cal Poly Pomona. He is a co-editor of An Introduction to Implicit Bias and The Movement for Black Lives.
Daniel Kelly is professor of philosophy at Purdue University. He is the author of Yuck! The Nature and Moral Significance of Disgust (MIT Press).
The Common Ground Initiative is The Westport Library’s forum for public discourse on topical issues of importance to the community. The goals of the Initiative are to: host a positive, productive conversation on how we work together to move forward as a civil society; encourage respectful, constructive dialogue; and build capacity to tackle challenging and/or controversial issues.
“The moment you come to the Declaration of Independence, that every man has a right to life and liberty, an inalienable right, this case is decided. I ask nothing more on behalf of these unfortunate men, than this Declaration.” — John Quincy Adams, 1841 Amistad Case
On Sunday, August 11, The Westport Library is partnering with Southern Connecticut’s Rotary District 7980 and the Connecticut Lyric Opera to present Opus for Peace, an event series being launched with an abridged and narrated performance of Anthony Davis's powerful opera Amistad.
The performance runs 2-4 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Tickets for this event are free. Register to attend here.
Sponsored by local Rotary clubs, including Mystic, Westport, Westport Sunrise, and District 7980, the Opus for Peace initiative aims to create an environment where dialogue, empathy, and artistic expression converge to uphold efforts toward peace and fostering a culture of unity and reconciliation that extends far beyond the Rotary community.
“Amistad” is the Spanish word for “friendship.” Dennis Wong, Rotarian peacebuilder of the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club, cited this as the inspiration for the Opus for Peace production of Amistad. One question fuels every decision behind the Rotary’s principles: “Will it build goodwill and better friendships?”
“We believe live performances are entertaining and fun ways to bring people together,” Wong said of the collaboration behind the production. “This partnership between The Westport Library and Rotarians achieves our shared purpose of serving our community.”
As an active member of the Rotary for almost 20 years, Wong hopes that this event, in conjunction with the rest of the Opus for Peace series, will build connections and inspire conviviality in everyone involved.
Based on the saga of the 1839 slave revolt aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad, Davis’s opera first took the stage at Chicago’s Lyric Opera in 1997. It incorporates elements of African mythology and musical genres including jazz, blues, and skat as a linguistic storytelling device to recount a pivotal fight for life and liberty. Amistad’s themes of social and racial justice still resonate deeply today, preserving a vital narrative that connects history with modernity — particularly in Connecticut, where much of the Amistad court case took place.
This abridged Amistad production is a collaboration with Harlem Opera Theater and Discovering Amistad. The production is part of a larger series of events spanning southern Connecticut throughout the year. It will culminate in a full production of Amistad to be performed across the state in May 2025.
The League of Women Voters of Westport and the Library’s Common Ground Initiative are facilitating a community conversation with the Town of Westport and Westport Public Schools leadership team to share the rationale, goals and process for the town's next decades of major capital spending projects. The future of Westport relies on a thoughtful and participative planning and funding process to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure (primarily public buildings and facilities).
The First Selectwoman and the Superintendent of Schools will present their capital spending strategies and rationale and a panel of experts will discuss possible funding strategies, capital planning best practices, and the approval process for achieving the capital spending goals. There will be the opportunity for Q&A with the expectation of future community sessions.
Local Information
History of Westport Schools
The 2023 Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen Memorial Lecture has been postponed. We are currently working with our partner, the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut, to identify a new date and time to hold the event.
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To honor UN Day, the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut will hold its second Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen Memorial Lecture on international affairs.
The Southwestern Connecticut Chapter of the United Nations Association has been promoting the ideals and work for the United Nations for more than 60 years. Its founder, Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen, worked tirelessly to support the UN. She established June Day, when Westport welcomes the staff and delegates of the UN, in 1965. The downtown bridge is named in her honor and the member nations' flags fly each United Nations Day. The chapter plans to bring a topical and thought-provoking speaker each year to The Westport Library on United Nations Day.
In this public lecture delivered in the Library's Trefz Forum, Roosevelt Institute Director of Climate Policy Rhiana Gunn-Wright will explore the interconnections between environmental and racial justice and discuss how to cultivate regional responses to the climate crisis, recognizing that environmental impacts cross town lines.
The talk is inspired by Westport's commitment to becoming a sustainable, thriving community — economically, environmentally, and socially — and by our ongoing community-based efforts to dismantle systemic racism. It was conceived as part of a Lilly Foundation-funded initiative at Saugatuck Congregational Church to “embrace our coastal community.”
In case you missed the event, you may watch the recorded program here.
Gunn-Wright leads the Roosevelt Institute’s research at the intersection of climate policy, public investment, racial equity, and public power. Along with her colleagues, Gunn-Wright aims to create a body of work that examines the role of economic policy and large-scale economic transformation in catalyzing just and rapid responses to the climate crisis. She also supports Roosevelt’s engagement with the Green New Deal Network and other partners in the climate movement.
Prior to joining Roosevelt, Gunn-Wright was the policy director for New Consensus, charged with developing and promoting the Green New Deal, and the policy director for Abdul El-Sayed’s 2018 Michigan gubernatorial campaign. A 2013 Rhodes Scholar, she has also worked as the policy analyst for the Detroit Health Department, acted as the Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellow of Women and Public Policy at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, and served on the policy team for former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Community Partners: Saugatuck Congregational Church, TEAM Westport, and Sustainable Westport
Sustainability
Science Reference Center
The Westport Library, community partners, and allies come together to celebrate the diverse stories of our LGBTQ+ community in recognition of Pride month!
Resistance, representation, visibility and belonging — join us for OUTspoken, an evening of true stories, told live, on the theme of Pride. Hosted by comedienne, educator, and former Westporter Mina Hartong.
Doors open 6:30 pm (mingling and bar). Stories at 7 pm.
This event is open to the public and registration is strongly encouraged.
Community Partners:
We Rise: Storytelling Collective
Food has the power to transform. From where it is grown through consumption, food transforms us along its journey from seed to plate. But what journey is your food taking? And is it reaching everybody? Do we all have access to healthy and nutritious foods?
Chef Michel Nischan has some answers! Join us for a lively discussion on food access and food choice, and how we can all play a part to create a more equitable and sustainable food system.
“Food as a single subject has more impact on human health, environmental health, societal health, and economic health than any other subject.” - Chef Michel Nischan
IF YOU MISSED THE EVENT YOU CAN WATCH HERE
Community Partners: Sustainable Westport, Westport Farmers' Market
“If we fix food, we have the ability to fix so many problems. It will take all of us – chefs, consumers, politicians, farmers, food producers of all sizes, and nonprofit leaders – to make this change.” - Chef Michel Nischan
Michel Nischan is a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef with more than 35 years of leadership advocating for a more healthful, sustainable food system. He is founder and president of Wholesome Crave, a food company selling responsibly sourced, plant-forward soups to large-scale dining facilities, and now available direct-to-consumer. A portion of the gross sales from Wholesome Crave products benefit Wholesome Wave, the nonprofit food equity organization for which Michel serves as co-founder and executive chairman. He is also co-founder of the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs Boot Camps for Policy and Change, as well as founder and partner with the late actor Paul Newman in the former Dressing Room Restaurant.
Michel is the author of three cookbooks on healthful and sustainable food, and he is an active thought leader advocating for the right of all in America to exercise their right to feed themselves and their families well, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or economic condition.
The Dinner Disrupted series is a partnership of libraries in Fairfield County and New Haven County, Connecticut, encouraging patrons to play a more active role in their food system by engaging in collective discussions and actions focusing on food security, climate change, land use, and agriculture.
