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The event, Sunday, June 10 in Ridgefield from 2 to 7 p.m., at Ballard Park, 485 Main St., will feature everyone from Glenda Armstrong, president of the Danbury chapter of the NAACP, to a rabbi, to a Jewish youth leader and educator of the group Stand With Us, to a teacher and student speaker from Ridgefield High School.
Orangzied by students from Ridgefield High School, the "Stand Up Against Hate Rally," came to fruition after the students were exposed to hate graffiti at their school and in the community.
The Stand Up Against Hate committee wanted to create an event that would bring our community together to bond, and to hear speakers talk about their experiences, said 17-year-old Becca Cohen.
Becca and the group's head coordinator, Sarah de Lange, 16, both found swastika graffiti at their school earlier this year, and others on the school's tennis courts.
“We just want to spread positivity throughout our community," said Sarah. "We believe that spreading happiness will cause people to act with kindness.”
More recently, there have been more symbols graffitied in Ballard Park (ironically, the location of the event)," Becca said.
"Sarah found hers while in art class and was told by her teacher to scratch it out," she added.
"With such blatant examples of prejudice rearing its head, Sarah decided that something needed to be done, and that action needed to be taken," Becca said."We hope that from the event, people will realize the harm inflicted by their actions, and to promote positivity in our community."
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