Practicing Unity Isn't Philosophy - It's Action

Full Remarks To Village Council

RE: Winter Holiday Representation and True Inclusion

Submitted by: Sarah Woodard, Downers Grove Resident

My name is Sarah Woodard, and I'm submitting these remarks electronically rather than speaking in person due to safety concerns. As a queer Jewish woman, speaking publicly on inclusion issues can feel like painting a target on my back - even in a community I love.

I moved to Downers Grove earlier this year because my research showed it to be an exceptionally welcoming area, a place where it would finally be safe for me to be fully myself. For the most part, it has been... until the winter holiday season arrived.

Downers Grove is home to Jewish residents, Muslim residents, Hindu residents, Buddhist residents, and people of many other faith traditions, as well as those who celebrate secular winter holidays. Our village's actual diversity is not reflected in our public holiday celebrations and decorations.

When I see posts about the Main Street Tree asking for handmade ornaments, when I drive past exclusively Christmas decorations on public property, when village events center only one religious tradition, I don't feel welcomed. I feel erased.

I've coined a term for what I'm experiencing: inclusion varnishing. It's when organizations make surface-level gestures toward inclusion - like saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" - while changing nothing about actual representation.

It's the difference between looking inclusive and being inclusive.

Inclusion varnishing hurts everyone. It alienates those who aren't represented, while giving the false impression that inclusion has been achieved. It's a veneer that protects the status quo while appearing progressive.

Imagine for a moment that the situation was reversed:

You're living your life in the place you call home. Every year around this time, menorahs start going up. The town has special events to light the first candle, and after all eight are lit, they stay glowing in almost obnoxious brightness for months.

Every time you leave your house, go into a store, turn on the TV or radio, you're hit with sounds, sights, and smells of Hanukkah - a holiday that isn't yours. A bit of you dies inside each time. It's been like this your whole life.

A few places try to be more inclusive by saying "Happy Holidays," but none of your holiday's imagery or meaning is actually represented. No Christmas trees. No Santa. No nativity scenes. This feels like an even bigger insult than completely ignoring your tradition.

You'd give anything to just see one Christmas decoration. One acknowledgment that you exist.

And when you've been brave enough to mention it publicly, you get hurtful, bullying responses at worst and dismissive shoulder shrugs at best.

This is what it's like to be anything other than Christian during the winter holiday season.

Anne Frank's story didn't begin in an attic. It began with exclusion. With being made to feel like she didn't belong. With a society that decided some lives mattered more than others.

I'm not being dramatic when I say that exclusion has consequences. Research shows that feeling chronically excluded and marginalized contributes to depression, suicide, and acts of violence - particularly among young people.

Public inclusion isn't just about being nice. It can literally save lives.

President Biden was the first - and so far only - U.S. president to formally acknowledge Chanukah by lighting a menorah at the White House. As a Jewish person in America, I've never felt more empowered than in that moment.

And now? I've never felt more scared to be myself in America.

Downers Grove can't fix everything happening at the national level. But we can - and must - do our best to continue being the welcoming, safe place I thought I'd found when I moved here. We can become even more so.

I'm not asking for Christmas to disappear. I'm asking for equal representation.

If there is even one person in this town whose faith tradition isn't represented in our public holiday displays, that's not okay.

The response "Well, you're not the majority and we have budget constraints" isn't acceptable. Scale back slightly on Christmas decorations and use those resources to acknowledge Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, winter solstice, yule, and other celebrations that reflect who actually lives here.

Equal representation within existing budgets is possible. It requires the will to do it.

We learn this truth from the beautiful Nature in the forest preserves and parks around us: monoculture leads to ecosystem failure. Diversity leads to all life thriving.

It's as simple and as complicated as that.

A community that celebrates only one tradition - no matter how lovely that tradition is - is a monoculture. And monocultures are fragile. They cannot adapt. They cannot truly thrive.

A community that reflects its actual diversity? That honors multiple traditions? That makes room for everyone?

That community is resilient. Strong. Truly welcoming.

I'm asking this council to:

1. Recognize all winter holidays in our public spaces and village communications - not with token "Happy Holidays" language, with actual representation and imagery.

2. Allocate resources equitably so that decorations, events, and celebrations reflect the religious and cultural diversity of Downers Grove residents.

3. Lead by example in creating a community where every resident - regardless of faith tradition, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, immigration status, or background - feels genuinely seen, valued, and safe.

This isn't about political correctness. This is about human dignity.

This is about ensuring that when families research where to live - like I did - they find a Downers Grove that doesn't just claim to be welcoming, it's actually demonstrated it through action.

We can do better. We must do better. And I believe we will.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

Sarah Woodard