To the Editor:

It’s difficult to sympathize with the objections to the #108 Diversity is Not Scary submission for this year’s Scarecrow Contest hosted by Newtown Parks and Recreation at Fairfield Hills. The contest involves participants creating cleverly themed scarecrows that decorate FFH campus, and one particular creation animated the Newtown Neighbors Unite Facebook page with comments until the whole post was removed by the site’s administrators.

Concerns of politics, or of being directed at a Board of Education (BOE) member, or of taking the fun out of the event blow enough smoke to try to undermine the effective messaging about combatting racism, and since the scarecrow sports a backpack, racism a student may encounter. I don’t find some of these objections credible about the creator’s motives particularly if the strongest concern is the scarecrow is disrespectful to a BOE member, a member who tends to wear his politics with his questions about diversity, equity and inclusion.

I’m also puzzled by a current Legislative Council (LC) member who commented on the post believing the language on the sweatshirt the figure wears — “Racism Is Not Patriotism” — is specifically targeting the BOE member, as if a bullying maneuver. Respectfully, I think this is the wrong hill to make a stand on for an LC member who not so long ago called the former superintendent a liar to her face during a recorded LC meeting which was then explained away by him and for him as frustration.

As far as targeting someone, this less than desirable conduct during that meeting made quite an impact but I was impressed by the self-possession and professionalism of our former superintendent who calmly responded and carried on with the meeting.

My expectation for any elected official, volunteer or not, targeted or not, is to put on their professional pants and carry on like our former superintendent did in that moment. Most importantly, no need for outrage over what should be celebrated as universal truths and pointedly shared by this scarecrow: Racism Is Not Patriotism and Diversity is Not Scary.

Barbara Wojcik

Sandy Hook