WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) A student essay on the topic of white privilege is stirring controversy in a ritzy Connecticut shoreline town.

Contest organizers have been surprised by the reaction from some who say the question wrongly suggests race plays into the good life enjoyed in Westport.

One resident, 72-year-old Bari Reiner, says the question is offensive because the town welcomes anybody who can afford to live there.

The contest put on by the town's diversity council asks students to describe the impact white privilege has had on their lives.

The chairman of the diversity council is Harold Bailey Jr. He says that there has been more controversy than organizers expected in town and that people as far away as Singapore have weighed in online.