Winfield Seeks Out Next Gen Senators

When Gary Winfield asked a room full of sixth graders Thursday morning who’s interested in being a state senator one day, Jakhai Penn immediately shook his head no.

“Who’s going to do it, then, if not you?” Winfield asked. ​“You can probably do a heck of a lot more than you think you can do.”

That was the scene Thursday morning as Winfield, a five-term state senator representing New Haven and West Haven’s 10th district, was invited to the summer learning camp at Edgewood Avenue’s Troup middle school. He showed up to give and receive some tips about kindness from first through fifth graders to later pass on to his legislative colleagues in Hartford.

Thursday’s visit was arranged by New Haven Public Schools district support staff educator Sean Hardy, Troup educator and curriculum lead Da’Jhon Jett, and Troup educator and summer building leader Keshia Hogan for a schoolwide celebration of kindness, in the form of a read-aloud to elementary students and conversations with middle schoolers.

“What day is it? Is it happiness day? Sadness day? Joyful day? Kindness day?” Winfield asked a group of first graders.

“Kindness day,” one called out.

After Winfield read a book about apologizing and conflict resolution to first graders at Troup, one student told him about how when her younger brother was crying she shared her toy ball with him and he stopped. A few other students then shared about their own recent acts of kindness. ​“I bet you felt good and he stopped crying because you did that,” Winfield responded.

The students talked about the book’s explanations of ways to resolve problems like getting help from an adult or apologizing. Winfield added that apologizing is ​“not always what we want to do, but it is a kind thing to do.”

“I have to remember sometimes you have to say sorry or need someone else to step in because it usually isn’t that big of a deal,” Winfield said.

As Winfield visited several other classrooms around Troup’s second floor on Thursday, he asked students if they know what a senator does. Their answers ranged from helping people to representing your state to helping residents to deal with ​“crazy people” in their neighborhoods.

Winfield agreed that ​“we should be helping people, yes” and further explained that he and his 35 ​“friends” in the senate are elected by the people to help the people through way of voting on legislation.

“Are the people you work with always kind?” asked educator Ms. Tonge.

“They have not read this book,” Winfield responded. ​“This book is about a way that we can do something other than being in conflict and fighting and angry. But I think the people doing the choosing should understand kindness.”

After chatting with a fifth-grade class in the middle of a math lesson, Winfield stuck around for an extra few minutes to watch middle schooler Shukry complete 9,423 multiplied by 3.

Hardy said the Thursday visit was one of many arranged this summer at Troup to bring local leaders into the classroom to expose children to social skill building and careers. ​“This is a lot better than just seeing these people in the news or on TV, right?” Each classroom agreed.

Jett added, the visits help youth to gain insight into leadership positions that run local and state governments. ​“It’s good for them to see the people their families are electing returning to our communities,” he said. ​“It’s seeing those dollars at work.”

His goal for the upcoming school year is to get the mayor to visit Troup. ​“It’d be good for him to see the money that he allocates to schools on this side of town, or lack of. And the importance of funding neighborhood schools for these kids.”

In a sixth-grade classroom, the students told Winfield that kindness is about helping and respecting each other.

“What do you do if you have a conflict? Fight about it?” Winfield asked the middle schools.

“Nope, talk about it,” one student responded.

As Winfield discussed his daily work as a senator he also emphasized to the students that ​“you don’t look like my friends at the state Capitol” and encouraged them to each consider a career like his to offer their perspectives based on growing up in a city like New Haven and with diverse backgrounds.

“Think about you one day standing here as a state senator,” Winfield said. ​“Be somebody who represents people and does the kind work. Real acts of kindness are not just for them but for you.”

When sixth grader Jakhai Penn told Winfield he wouldn’t want to be a senator, Winfield reminded him that he can be the voice for his community.

Which was Winfield’s dream since he was 18 years old, despite growing up in the Bronx with a learning disability, his father battling drug and alcohol addiction, and dealing with abuse.

“My story isn’t supposed to be the story that it is,” he told Penn.

Winfield said Thursday’s visit and the many he does during the school year with his ​“You Matter” school tours have proven to ​“mean more than I even think it means.”

He added that it’s important to not only tell kids they can be anything when they grow up, just as he did as a kid, but to also provide them with examples of what they can be directly in-person. ​“I’m here as an example,” he concluded.

At the conclusion of his visit this reporter asked Winfield about his thoughts about Vice President Kamala Harris’s sudden ascent to the role of de facto Democratic nominee for president. Winfield reiterated his endorsement of Harris’s candidacy. He said he’s supporting Harris in part because of his young daughter, who he hopes can see that ​“we live in a country where she sees there’s leaders with the same skin color as her and gender.”

He said in addition to visits like Thursday’s with leaders around the city and state, Harris’s run will ​“help people to be able to dream.”

He added that he didn’t love the way President Biden announced he was dropping his reelection bid. The conversation about his age and his ability to run for a second term could have taken place a year ago. But, Winfield said, ​“it doesn’t matter how we got to this moment of opportunity. We just have to recognize it’s a moment of opportunity.”