January 2011
South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race 
 

Your Guide to Activities

In This Issue
Join Us Next Monday
Talking to Kids About Race
Integration through the Arts
Coalition's New Trustees
Look Back: Our Holiday Party
SOCO Honored Two Last Sunday
Volunteer with Us Today
Quick Links
NancyGagnierHeadShotMessage from the Executive Director,
Nancy Gagnier


 

Happy New Year South Orange and Maplewood!  The Community Coalition on Race has some exciting events happening in the first quarter of 2011.  We begin the new year with our Annual MLK Observance.  If you haven't been to this celebration in the past, join us this year-it's a moving event and sure to make you thankful for a community like ours and make you wonder what you can do in 2011 to contribute to Dr. King's idea of the Beloved Community right here at home.  For parents facing the tough questions kids ask about race, the Schools Committee is sponsoring a workshop, "How to Talk to Children about Race."  For families with young children, we have an Integration through the Arts program coming up in March-a musical based on Dr. Suess stories that help kids deal with prejudice.

 

10th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance

Monday, January 17 at 3pm


MLK in Wash

"The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of allracial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."

-- Coretta Scott King


The Annual MLK Observance is on Monday, January 17th at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, 432 Scotland Rd., South Orange NJ at 3 PM followed by a Volunteer Fair at 4 PM.  On this year's program is Dr. Patrick Swift, nationally known speaker on diversity issues and Maplewood resident as our keynote speaker, performances by CHS Special Dance and Voices in Harmony, and much more!  Join us for this moving observance and celebration of vision of Dr. King's Beloved Community. For more details, click here.
 


Talking to Children about Race

Thursday, February 10 @ 7pm

TalkingtoKidsAboutRaceWhat happened when a few parents from our diverse community got together to discuss talking about race with our children?  Join us Thursday, February 10th, 7:00pm, to face this tough issue with other parents and Professor Diane Hughes, Professor of Applied Psychology at NYU who has written about the nature and consequences of messages parents transmit to children about race.  This workshop is sponsored by the Schools Committee of the Community Coalition on Race and the Parenting Center. For more details, click here.
 


Integration Through the Arts
On Stage and Display


 
Intregration through arts

In 2011, we have two new, exciting Integration Through the Arts programs planned for March and April. The first will reach an audience of parents and children with our message of racial inclusion with a theater event for families that combines Dr. Seuss stories and music.  The second is a Visual Arts project; using photography workshops ending in a community show, we hope to have residents reflect on the subject of integration and how it manifests in their personal lives, their homes and their community. For more information on Integration Through the Arts, click here

The Coalition Welcomes
New Trustees for 2011  
 

NewTrustees2011At its Annual Meeting in early December, the Board of Trustees of the Community Coalition on Race voted in six new members to its Board.  The newest members include men and women from both South Orange and Maplewood who span a variety of professions and interests while bringing a variety of community service experience and knowledge as well.
 

The newly elected CCR Trustees pictured above are: (from left to right) Tammy Haynie (Maplewood), Len Grossman (Maplewood), Alan Noel (South Orange),David Frazer (Maplewood) and Adunni Anderson (South Orange). Not pictured is Gerald Fitzhugh from South Orange. For more details, click here. 


 

Our Annual Holiday Party

was a Roaring Success
 

 Holiday Party 2010

New Trustees were welcomed and retiring trustees were thanked at our well-attended, fun Annual Holiday Party held at Coda Kitchen & Bar.  Every December, trustees, volunteers, and community supporters join together for an evening of conversation and fun to celebrate a year of work on integration, to introduce new trustees to the board, and to thank retiring trustees for their service. For more details, click here.


 
SOCO Honored Two at Last Sunday's
41st Annual MLK, Jr. Celebration


 
soco 2011 3

The South Orange Civic Organization (SOCO) held its 41st Annual Birthday Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 9th.  The Coalition co-sponsors this event at which SOCO awards select community members with its Beloved Community Award.This year's recipients were Alfred Bundy and Margaret Prentice (a former Coalition Trustee), both of whom have long histories of community service in our towns and beyond, and truly exemplify the ideals of Dr. King's Beloved Community. They are pictured above with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Edythe M. Abdullah in the middle.
 

Congratulations to both Al Bundy and Margaret Prentice for all their service and good work!

For more details, click here.

 

The Community Coalition on Race
Needs Volunteers Now 

 
 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
   
--Margaret Mead


We have all types of volunteer opportunities, from single, short projects, to occasional office help, to regular committee participation.  Are you a professional or talented amateur graphics designer? Do you like to plan events or work on fundraisers?  Do you like to write? We could really use your help this year.

Click to visit the Committees page on our website to find out what each of our committees is working on.  If you support the Coalition's efforts to create true integration in our Two Towns, please call the office at 973-761-6116 or email us at [email protected] and VOLUNTEER!