Myra Clark Siegel asked attendees to take selfies in what is now an annual tradition at the Stamford Unity Breakfast. The selfies aren’t just keepsakes, but also send a message.
“This is about putting community together and showing it so everybody needs to take your selfie, put it on your social media platforms,” Siegel said.
Siegel is the regional director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Westchester/Fairfield. She and others hosted nonprofits and community leaders at the Unity Breakfast at the Ferguson Library Tuesday.
The keynote speaker, Richard Harwood, a writer of books on civic engagement, emphasized the need to reach out to differing communities.
Other attendees say recent nationwide protests against the federal government make the breakfast all the more important. Even as some, including Mayor Caroline Simmons, expressed alarm over President Donald Trump’s recent deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
Donn Reid, director of training at Domus Kids, a nonprofit in Stamford, said the breakfast is more meaningful, and emphasized coalition building.
“Being in a time in history where the government is using our troops on our own people is frightening and horrific, and I think that the local actions that we can take to be able to say, ‘what do we do for our individuals, what do we do for our community members? How do we stand together? Is more important than ever,” Reid said.
Building that community takes work, and according to Harwood, it can start with just sitting down with people, and talking to them.
Harwood promoted his book, The New Civic Path, which had suggestions to reach out to people with different views, including suggested questions.
While most protest movements have been largely peaceful, some of those protests have been violent at times, due in part to police tactics.
Hardwood acknowledged many are angry.
“Resistance is important,” Harwood said. “It's part of the American tradition. But resistance still doesn't tell us what we're for, and if we want to move in a new direction, if we want to move in a more hopeful direction, we also need to be articulating what we're for.”
Other breakfast attendees such as Ana Gallegos, the secretary for the city’s multicultural council, have personal stories of how the city welcomed her. Originally from Ecuador, Gallegos said she came to the United States over 30 years ago. She pursued an education and eventually became a teacher.
She said those experiences made her feel supported and she says that’s the best way to advocate for her fellow residents.
“I don't know how we can help our communities feel more confident, but to know that there are people that we can count on, make(s) me feel that we can continue this fight,” Gallegos said.
