Coalition on Race Marches on Memorial Day
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Several members of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race gave up their holiday morning to honor members of the military who have fallen protecting our precious freedoms. Indicative of the broad range of interests on our board, many members marched with other community groups including the Adult School, First Night, and others. Our trustees are involved in many community groups making South Orange/Maplewood a better place to live, but we will never forget those who gave their lives allowing this free exchange of ideas. |
| Trustee Nancy Solomon's Mind the Gap Wins a Peabody! |
Coalition T rustee Nancy Solomon's documentary for PBS, Mind the Gap, has received a Peabody award, the most prestigious award in radio. Nancy is a Coalition Trustee and long time member of the Schools Committee. Learn more about the Peabody Awards here. The documentary is available on Nancy's website at nancycsolomon.com
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Gospel Opera Moves the Community
| On Sunday, May 16, 2010, the Coalition hosted another arts event that was both supportive of our Mission and entertaining. We presented the award-winning show about a family on the Underground Railroad, "Singin' wid a sword in ma hand." This piece uses Gospel music to tell the story of the Underground Railroad and how small African-American churches helped slaves escape to freedom. Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange is generously providing the venue for this event. Host Congregation Oheb Shalom graciously welcomed the community into their facility.Volunteers for the event included Chair Chip Madsen (rear). | |
| Coalition on Race Takes Position on Deleveling of Seventh Grade |
At the May 22, 2010 Trustees' meeting, after much discussion and on the recommendation of the Coalition's Schools Committee, the Trustees of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race voted to take the following position, which was then read to the Board of Education of South Orange and Maplewood by Coalition Chair Chip Madsen and Trustee Anthony Greene. That same evening, June
14, 2010, the Board voted 6 to 3 to support Superintendent Osborne's recommendation to reorganize the seventh grade by "leveling up" (see
news article here).
Chair Chip Madsen and Anthony Greene read this: "Be it resolved that the Tru stees of the South Orange/ Maplewood Community Coalition on Race concurs with the Schools Committee's position in support of the recommendation of the Equity and Excellence Task Force that seventh-grade classes in the SOMSD be de-leveled, that is, that they be grouped heterogeneously.
"Be it further resolved that the Coalition's Executive Director and co-chairs of the Schools Committee communicate the Coalition's support for this change to the Board of Education, the Superintendent, and to the broader community."
The position further states that "Heterogeneous or untracked classes in middle school are the norm in the state of New Jersey, and we see no reason why the South Orange/ Maplewood School District should continue to divide children into academic tracks at the age of eleven or twelve, which we believe contributes to the achievement gap and to racially segregated classrooms. We believe that if this concept is implemented in a manner that ensures excellence and equity for all students, it will have a long-term positive effect on integration in our school district.
We also believe this concept will have a pro-integrative effect within our schools and classrooms, thus furthering the goals of the Coalition. We further believe that implementing this concept can be one constructive step in narrowing the academic achievement gap. It is our sincere hope that if the district moves forward with this recommendation it will do so in a manner that supports staff development, smaller classes, and measurable outcomes."
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Mind the Gap II
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What is causing the Racial Academic Achievement Gap? What about the District Plans to eliminate it? As part of the Schools Committee's goal of raising the level of discussion of the Academic Achievement Gap in the community, it offered a follow up to the previous Mind the Gap Panel. This event featured Superintendent Brian Osborne and took place at South Orange Middle School on Wednesday, May 26, 2010. After several years of study and discussion, the Schools Committee took a position favoring the Superintendent's "Leveling Up" proposal, which in turn informed the Coalition Trustees' decision on the issue (see article above "Coalition...Takes Position"). For a full report on Mind the Gap II, see the article on Patch.
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Schools Committee Sponsors Board of Education Candidates Night & More
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Schools Committee Meeting Summer 2010
The Schools Committee has been very busy this spring. In addition to the two Mind the Gap panels, it also hosted a Board of Education Candidates Forum on
Wednesday, April 14th at Marshall School. All candidates participated, including Lynne
Crawford, Beth Daughtery, David Giles, and Wendy Sachs. The questions focused on the Coalition's mission and
challenged the candidates to consider the relationship between school
policies and integration in our community.
Questions ranged from leveling in
the middle schools to how candidates propose to fulfill the district's
goal of hiring more minority teachers. Candidates were asked to
respond to questions regarding the minority achievement gap and
changing institutional behavior to support and encourage students of
color to excel. See the report from Patch. |
South Orange Business Wins Honor
| As part of the Coalition's mission, we celebrate all the good news that makes our two towns communities of choice for all races. For example, New Jersey Monthly has named South Orange's Eden
Marketplace "Best Gourmet Shop in NJ" calling it a "genteel food circus with a cosmopolitan
European green-market aesthetic. Every aisle is a jaw-dropping tableau
of gorgeous produce, meat, cheese, fish, and gourmet products, many
imported from Europe. The store
is big, but the friendly staff makes it feel cozy and responsive." Runners-up included markets in Little
Silver, Point Pleasant Beach, and Franklin Lakes.
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Conversations on Race with Dreamcatcher Theater: "Some of My Best Friends Are..."
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On May 5, 2010, the Coalition once again sponsored a stimulating evening of discussion based on improvisations by professional actions and based on local real life stories. For a news report on the event, click here.
Dreamcatchers Actors Gary Glor, Jenelle Sosa,
Daaimah Talley, and Jonathan Dewberry. |
The theme for
this year's annual event was Some of My Best Friends Are... This event was part
of the Coalition's Integration Through the Arts Program which utilizes the transcending power of
the arts to create
and strengthen bonds among people of different races and
backgrounds.
Our Integration through the Arts
program, thanks to the
vision and grant-writing skills of Program Director Audrey Rowe,
received increased funding for 2010 from the NJ State Council on
the Arts/Department of State, a Partner of the National Endowment for the Arts
and administered
by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.
The program will continue in the fall with the return of Two
Towns Sing-ins
and a new dance-in event. Check our web site at wwwtwotowns.org for
 updates or call 973-761-6116, ext. 4. |
| Save the Date! Celebration of Integration will be October 2nd!dline
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Once again, October will be Coalition month, and the Coalition's Celebrating Integration event will take place on Saturday, October 2nd, 2010, at the Woman's Club in Maplewood. Plan to join us for this wonderful eveniong of socializing and celebrating integration in South Orange and Maplewood. 2008 Celebrants included South Orange Village President Doug Newman; Coalition trustee Meredith Sue Willis; then-Coalition chair Carol Barry-Austin; then-Maplewood mayor Ken Pettis; Maplewood township committee member Kathy Leventhal, present Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca; and Assemblyman John McKeon. |
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Executive Director Nancy Gagnier on Brian Lehrer Show-- and More News!!
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More good news from the world of radio: The WNYC Radio daily program The Brian Lehrer Show ran a segment called "Your Anecdotal Census" over the last few months. The show's producer called the Coalition to represent our community for the Essex County segment. Executive Director Nancy Gagnier answered qu estions about what kind of demographic change our towns have experienced since the 1990's and what the community has done to respond to that change.
Using information provided over time by the Coalition Trustee George Robinson, chair of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Testing committee, Nancy explained how we monitor changes even before official census information is available in order to keep an eye on our goal of stable integration.
Nancy also used the opportunity to talk about how we have been responsive in intentional and positive ways to demographic change and to describe a few of the wonderful aspects of our towns.
And, Mr. Lehrer really got it right when he noted that what we're after is not just a diverse community, but one that's truly integrated.
Listen to the program here.
Coalition and Our Towns Make More News:
Article on Seth-Boyden School in the Wall Street Journal
Article on Deleveling inStar-Ledger
Executive Director Nancy Gagnier on the Brian Lehrer Show!
"Singin' Wid a Sword in My Hand" Gospel Theater
Our May event, Conversations on Race, made the news.
Continuing publicity about Trustee Nancy Solomon Winning a Peabody Award! See NJ.Com , Patch, and Columbia University School of Jounralism.. Listen
online to NPR Producer (and Coalition Trustee) Nancy Solomon's
Peabody winning radio piece "Mind the Gap."
Patch reported on our Board of Education Candidates' Forum.
The New York Times Local Blog reports on our Community Conversation Mind the Gap!
South Orange Patchreport on Community Conversation on Mind the Gap! with Pictures.
There is an article about our community in Newsweek Magazine, and in hard copy, New Jersey Monthly Magazine featured our community in the November 2009 issue, p. 84, "Dateline: Maplewood How One Small Suburban Town Became A Big Testing Ground for Online News Reporting"
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Former Trustees in the news: Gadsby, Marchman, Silver!
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 Linda Gadsby, former executive committee member and co-chair of the Neighborhood and Civic Life committee, has been named by Diversity MBA magazine as one of the top
100 under 50 emerging leaders. The magazine will be out in August. Another Coalition leader achieving well-deserved recognition!
On Thursday,  June 3, 2010, Daymond
John, the business savvy entrepreneur of ABC's "Shark Tank,"
hosted the New Vision Awards 2010 salute to
urban professionals and entrepreneurs. Among the 2010 NV Awardees was former chair of the Coalition, Robert Marchman, executive V.P. of the New
York Stock Exchange's
Regulations Enforcement Division and head of the Regulatory Risk Group.
And last but certainly not least, the American Planning
Association has chosen Mitchell Silver, former Trustee of the South
Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race and present director of
Raleigh, NC's
Department of City Planning, as
their next national president for a
two-year term beginning in 2011. Silver took office as
president-elect on May 25 and will serve
one year
in that role before assuming the presidency of the national
organization. The
election was held during the association's annual National Planning
Conference
in New Orleans in April. Silver has been planning director in
Raleigh since 2005. He lectures
around
the country on planning topics, and he is a contributing author and
editor of
the International City/County Management Association's latest edition of
"Local
Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice," a resource for local
government groups. |
| Coalition To Receive Regional Equity Achievement Award |
Plansmart NJ, a land use organization working on environmental and sprawl issues in NJ for 40 years, is awarding the South Orange/Maplewood New Jersey Community Coalition on Race its Regional Equity Achievement Award this October. This honor goes to organizations that demonstrate outstanding leade rship in achieving social justice and regional equity by promoting policies that promote racial and economic integration, successful schools, safe neighborhoods, and access to recreation and natural areas. Plansmart NJ has highlighted the work of individuals and organizations with awards since 1983. In 2007 they added four special awards to draw attention to particular areas of achievement, including reducing disparities among communities. We're honored that we will be recognized for our pro-integrative work!
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| An Updated Coalition Wish List ....c. |
In these times of tightened belts and slashed budgets, the South Orange/ Maplewood Community Coalition on Race is turning to you, our supporters to ask for the donation of:
-- A new or very gently used high speed printer (or funds to help us get one!)
-- A new computer (or funds to help us get one!)
We are so grateful to be part of a commu nity that supports Inclusion and Stable Integration in so many ways-- including computer hardware and time and energy as well as financial contributions.
Please call the office as soon as possible-- 973-761-6116!
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Calling All Graphic Designers and Photograhers
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A Request from the Marketing Co mmittee
Your skills
are needed to help get our message
across visually. Only
have an hour or two? That's
fine. We can use
your help and we will work with
your schedule. Contact us as soon
as possible!
Send an email
to info@twotowns.org
or call the office at 973-761-6116,
ext.4 and ask for Audrey.
The Marketing Committee
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| If this is your first issue of the Coalition's E-Newsletter.... |
...Welcome! This newsletter is one way we let people know what we are doing, and what we are planning. These  e-newsletters come out three or four times a year, and we also publish a yearly annual report/hard copy newsletter that goes to every home in the community via Matters Magazine. Please let us know what you think-- call us at 973-761-6116 or email us at info@twotowns.org. We are thrilled to have you with us. |
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We hope you enjoy our newsletter. And if you'd like to share our good news with a friend, just click the "Forward email" link below. . . .
Have you a question for us or a comment about the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race? If so, send us an email at info@twotowns.org, or call our office, 973-761-6116 ext. 6 or through the Q. and A. section on our website.
For more information about the Community Coalition and its programs, please visit our website, www.twotowns.org |
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Guest Columnist Kathryn Timpson:
Why I Became a Coalition Trustee
As a nation founded on the right to be different, it seems improbable that we continually struggle with our differences; those of gender, religion, sexual preference and perhaps, most arduously, of skin color. Those struggles are not ideological. They manifest in an inequitable share in such basic societal rights as education, housing and legal and political representation.
For me, that is not OK. Maybe my disdain for social injustice comes from being raised in Greenwich Village by a single mom and learning community morals at a progressive school that celebrated diversity and cherished inclusion of all peoples. But where my feelings on the subject come from matter less now than how I act on them.
To that end, when I was asked to submit an application to the Board of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race, I did so in knowing I would join a group of people who dedicate time and energy to the intrinsic belief that an integrated community is better than a segregated one. And that being part of such a well respected, successful and dynamic organization would allow me to participate in creative and meaningful social change, rather than just join a program designed to craft rhetoric and marketing slogans.
Activities that fortify the community and nurture relationships are the foundation of this organization. Those are not passive tactics. They are the kinds that foster long-term appreciation and acceptance of all community members. And while it may be currently reflective of only our own two towns, the efforts and messages of this group are a model for the country as well as the world: the benefits of people of different ethnicities working together, sharing common interests, bonds, and marketplaces in equal ways make citizens more vested and a nation stronger.
That we can achieve true integration and inclusion is not improbable. That I could just standby and hope that someone else would help bring that to fruition is.
Feel free to email a response to us at info@twotowns.org
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| Coming Events | Save the Date!
Saturday, October 2, 2010: Celebration of Integration at the Maplewood Woman's Club
Report to the Community
October 13, 2010
Join a Commttee! The Coalition Committee are open to new members: call the office for meeting times for these opportunities! 973-761-6116
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About Us | |
The South Orange/ Maplewood Community Coalition on Race is in its fourteenth year of service. The Coalition is a nationally recognized non-profit organization with hundreds of volunteers who work together to build an inclusive community free from racial segregation in housing patterns and community participation. The pro-integrative work of our South
Orange/Maplewood
Community Coalition on Race serves as a successful model for other communities nation wide.
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