Monthly Archives: October 2020

Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice’s ‘Teach-In’ Focused on Desegregating Spaces, Hearts, Minds

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The assembled crowd listens to Finn Darby-Hudgens speak at the recent ‘Teach-In’ held in Lyme and hosted by the LOL Partnership for Social Justice.

The author of this article, Sadie Frankel, is a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School.

LYME — On Wednesday, Oct. 14, the Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Partnership for Social Justice hosted its second teach-in focused on addressing important issues of racial justice in the area. The event was held at the Lyme Town Green next to the Lyme Town Hall. At the gathering, several speakers were invited to address the topic of the evening: Desegregating spaces, hearts and minds. 

Tariko Satterfield, Sr., a resident of New London, spoke first on the topic of desegregating hearts. Satterfield is the CEO and founder of the company ReaLifEmpire, a youth-development embassy which, among many other services, offers coaching and mentoring in both group and private settings. Satterfield shared his personal experiences with racism and racial injustice both in Alabama where he grew up, as well as in Connecticut.

Through personal stories and anecdotes, he addressed the main topic of his speech, namely, that in order for anything to change, people must first desegregate their hearts. “America is having a heart attack,” he said, explaining that our society has allowed the unhealthy parts of humanity to overtake us and now must seek recovery from the racism and prejudice overwhelming people’s hearts. 

Satterfield was followed by Finn Darby-Hudgens, the community outreach and education coordinator of Connecticut Fair Housing, a program dedicated to granting all citizens free and equal access to affordable housing in Connecticut. Hudgens spoke at the event about desegregating spaces, and gave a history of affordable housing battles that have taken place in New London County.

She discussed the background of zoning laws, identified the laws’ racist roots, and explained how and why towns need to fix them, as desegregating spaces is necessary to ensure equal opportunities in and outside of housing. 

Unfortunately, the last invited speaker was unable to address the crowd due to time constraints. Kevin Booker, who serves as a City Councilor of New London – and who is an area entrepreneur, social activist, and educator – will return at an upcoming Partnership event to address the topic of desegregating the mind.

The next teach-in will be at Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5:30 p.m.  All are welcome to attend.

The LOL Partnership for Social Justice is active in many parts of the community and invites the public’s support and participation.

More information can be found on Facebook at Lyme-Old Lyme Partnership for Social Justice.

Letter to the Editor: Carney Has Served With Integrity, Put His Constituents First

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To the Editor:

Devin Carney has served Connecticut’s 23rd House District with integrity and has always put us, his constituents, first. As a lifelong resident of the district, Devin has always worked to ensure our quality of life and that our small towns have the resources they need to succeed.

Over the past few sessions, there have been attempts to take away local control of our towns and schools, which would be devastating.  The state can’t get its own budget in order, yet they want to control how we run our local governments. Devin has always stood up to these power grabs and works to ensure that our voices are heard through the noise at the Capitol.  

He is also very conscientious about local issues.  He helped stop a federal rail bypass that would have decimated our shoreline.  He recently got DOT to extend service on the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, which is very important to those who live in Lyme.  He always works to help us preserve open space and is always supporting our local non-profits.

With Devin, we know that our towns will be well represented and that’s why we will be voting for him this year.

Sincerely,

Rowland and Nancy Ballek,
Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Carney, Rubino Display Distinct Differences in Response to President; Rubino Rebukes Trump, Carney Does Not

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To the Editor:

In 2016, Devin Carney said of Donald Trump, “Up to this point I have not expressed support for him and have not endorsed him. I’m not supporting him. I’m not supporting Mrs. Clinton either.”  Of course, the polls favored Hillary Clinton at the time so the politically opportune thing for a Republican to do was to ride the fence. Don’t endorse, but don’t rebuke. Since that time, Donald Trump has been caught on video making vulgar comments about women, ignored a global pandemic so profoundly that the U.S. has seen more than 220,000 deaths, overseen the biggest recession since the depression, and sowed racial divisions like no other President in recent history. Even Fox News confirmed that he called our fallen veterans “losers” and “suckers.”  One would think that Carney has ample reason to pick a side now. But he hasn’t. Because disavowing the President will lose him votes. We need a leader who has the courage to take a position on the important issues of the day – even if it will cost him politically.  

Dave Rubino has rebuked President Trump from the get-go. When Trump pushed the myth that absentee ballots would lead to fraud, Dave pushed back with the facts. Voters in our district should not have to choose between their health and their Constitutional rights. When Trump said that states like Connecticut had to send their students back to school or lose Federal funding, Dave spoke out. Most significantly, when in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the political tides favored support of Black Lives Matter, Carney spoke with vigor at BLM rallies. But when Trump and his enablers came out against police accountability, Devin fell in line and voted against the police accountability act.

We deserve better than that. We deserve a leader who will stand for what’s right regardless of the political consequences. We deserve Dave Rubino.

Sincerely,

Kim Thompson,
Old Lyme.

Lyme-Old Lyme HS Receives 2020 ‘College Success Award’ from GreatSchools.org

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School, which has just received a prestigious College Success Award from GreatSchools.org, is pictured above.

OLD LYME –  Updated Oct. 29, 8:13pm: Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) has received a prestigious College Success Award from GreatSchools.org.

Launched in 2018, the College Success Award honors schools that excel in ensuring students prepare for college, enroll in college, and succeed once they get there.

This year, LOLHS is among 2,158 award-winning schools from 29 states, which have demonstrated a successful track record of graduating students, who later enroll in two- or four-year college. These students are ready for college-level coursework, and then persist onto their second year, according to available data from each state.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School is one of 52 schools in Connecticut to receive this year’s College Success Award.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser commented exclusively to LymeLine.com, “We are committed to ensuring our students are prepared for whatever path they choose after high school,” adding, “I’m proud of our teachers, administrators, and staff for their dedication to providing the best education for our students.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the physical and financial health of the nation, LOLHS is endeavoring to ensure students graduate with the skills and resources to succeed as postsecondary scholars and productive citizens. College- and career-ready graduates are critical to fueling the U.S. economy, as 70 percent of jobs will require a postsecondary degree by 2027.

“We applaud Lyme-Old Lyme High School for prioritizing high-quality public education, putting students on the path to bright futures,” said Jon Deane, CEO of GreatSchools.org.

Deane continued, “Over the past year, students, parents, teachers, and communities have relied on one another like never before. We congratulate and thank all of these individuals at Lyme-Old Lyme High School for their unwavering pursuit of college success for all students.”

Editor’s Note: i) This article is based on a press release received from Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.
ii) GreatSchools.org is the leading national nonprofit providing parents with essential information to improve educational opportunities for their child. 

Duck River Garden Club Offers Virtual Program Tonight on Apple Trees; All Welcome

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Miles Sax will be the speaker in a virtual presentation on Apple Tress to the Duck River Garden Club on Tuesday. All are welcome to join the virtual presentation.

OLD LYME — Duck River Garden Club (DRGC) members are not letting COVID-19 stop them from sharing and showing their love of gardening, so programs and meetings have been moved online.

The club also welcomes friends and neighbors to ‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ their new Facebook page and find the latest program information on their redesigned website, www.oldlymeduckrivergc.org

The following virtual program is open to the public: Miles S. Sax, Ph.D., Connecticut College Arboretum Director, will give a presentation Tuesday, Oct. 27, titled All about Apple Trees.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:
6:30 pm social
7 pm speaker
8 pm business meeting for DRGC members.

All parts of the evening will be on Zoom, non-members who want to participate, contact Karen Geisler, DRGC President, at karengr007@gmail.com, for log-in password and instructions. These DRGC virtual programs can be counted toward the required two meetings for prospective club members.

Sax manages the Arboretum’s 750-acre landscape, which encompasses natural areas, greenhouses, specialty gardens and plant collections. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Garden Leadership and a doctorate in Horticultural Biology from Cornell University. His academic focus and research has revolved around issues of urban and environmental horticulture, tree selection and evaluation, stress physiology and rare plant conservation.

Sax found his calling in the field of public horticulture while managing and researching the species apple (Malus) collection at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. He will speak about apples and their development from wild species to the cultivated plant we know today.