| You are Invited to Our Annual Holiday Party |
 The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race cordially invites all volunteers and contributors to join us for our ninth annual Coalition Holiday Party....
December 18, 2008
7:00 pm
Cryan's Restaurant
24 First Street
South Orange, NJ
Good Cheer!
Dinner/Coffee & Dessert/Soda, Wine & Beer
$25/ per person (at the door)
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Reverend Raquel St. Clair to Speak at Annual Martin Luther King Program
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 On January 19, 2009, the Interfaith Outreach Committee will once again sponsor a Martin Luther King Day program and volunteer fair, "Making It More Than A Dream," taking place this year at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 767 Prospect St., Maplewood at 3:00 P.M. For more information, please call our events line at 973-761-6116, ext.6.
This year's speaker will be the Reverend Raquel A. St. Clair, Ph.D., the first woman to serve as an Executive Minister to the 5600 members of the historic St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Newark, NJ.
Dr. St. Clair received her Ph.D. in New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary where she was the first African American to receive the degree. In 2000, Rev. St. Clair had the distinction of being one of nine African American Ph.D. students in the nation to receive a Dissertation Fellowship from the Fund for Theological Education. Rev. St. Clair has served as a Teaching Fellow in both introductory and advanced level graduate courses and as a Teaching Assistant for New Testament Greek. She is also proficient in the Biblical languages of Hebrew and Aramaic.
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| Understanding the Minority Achievement Gap: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going? |
Participants in a previous Academic Achievement Gap Study group
The Schools Committee of the Coalition is hosting an exciting series of facilitated reading groups and short presentations on the latest research on the Minority Achievement Gap nationally and in our district. The four session series will take place on Thursdays: January 22, January 29, February 5, and February 12, 2009. Join in the discussion and development of practical solutions for this major issue facing many school districts-- including our own. The series is offered free of charge, but registration and a commitment to the four sessions will be required. Participants will receive a reading list upon registration. In-Service Credits for educators will be issued at the end of the series. For information about the schedule and to register,
call 973-761-6116, ext. 6.
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| From the Executive Director |
 It has been a busy time for the Coalition on Race. After we celebrated at our 4th Annual Gala on October 4th and gave our Report to the Community which highlighted the work our committees do on behalf of our two towns, we were back doing what we do best: bringing residents together for discussion, reflection, and learning. Throughout October and November, we hosted two events. The first was a Martin Luther King Speech study series that culminated in a reenactment of the Drum Major speech by the talented Kenny Vaughan. Community members had the chance to reflect on the speech and voice their ideas about what it means to act on Dr. King's words. The Two Towns Sing-In, a part of our Integration through the Arts initiative, gathered residents of different ages, faiths, and races, to sing music ranging from African chants to spirituals to traditional and contemporary Jewish and more. Over 200 people came to the performance. The singers and the audience had the opportunity to reflect on the experience and many times we heard words like 'community', 'harmony', and 'together.' We could not have been more pleased!
We are looking forward to an exciting winter and spring full of new opportunities to convene residents for more opportunities to learn. Beginning in January, we are sponsoring a learning series on Understanding the Minority Achievement Gap. There will be an exciting set of readings, facilitated discussion groups, and panel presentations. In April, we continue our Integration through the Arts initiative, this time using the dramatic arts to engage people in conversation about how race is lived in South Orange and Maplewood. And in May, our Schools Committee will host a parent advocacy forum. We hope you will join us!
-- Nancy Gagnier
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Coalition Sponsors Pre-School
Open House-- for the 7th Year!r-eicle Headline |
On November 11, 2008 representatives from 20 local pre-schools and day-care centers set up tables around the cafeteria at Columbia High School. After an informative presentation by Renee Joyce on making sure your child is ready for kinder garten--and what you should expect from your pre-school in the way of preparation-- more than a hundred people gathered information from the local institutions in order to make informed choices about pre-schools. This event, sponsored by the Neighborhood and Civic Life Committee and the Schools Committee, has now been presented for seven years.
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| 2008 Gala Was a Great Success! |
The Coalition had its annual gala on October 4, 2008 at the Maplewood Club with food, festivities, and fellowship. We honored long time Integrationist and Coalition Consultant Don DeMarco. Pictured above, left to right, are South Orange Village President Doug Newman, Executive Committee member Meredith Sue Willis, Coalition Chair Carol Barry-Austin, Maplewood Mayor Ken Pettis, Maplewood Township committee member Kathey Leventhal, Maplewood Vice-Mayor Vic Deluca, and Assemblyman John McKeon. Image below is of Chair Carol Barry-Austin, Coalition Exectutive Director Nancy Gagnier, and Executive Director of OPEN Barbara Heisler Williams, who accepted the award for Don DeMarco.
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| Program Director to Receive Award |
I thought it started on the 22nd. Also, do we  have a date for the MLK \ Coalition Program Director Audrey W. Rowe will receive the Beloved Community Award from the South Orange Civic Organization at its 39th annual Martin Luther King program on Sunday, January 11, 2009.
As Program Director for the Coalition, Audrey specializes in developing creative programs, mobilizing and supporting volunteers to execute those programs and advocating for the organization through public appearances and presentations. Most of her career was spent developing her skills through the Executive Development Program of one of the major international telecommunication firms. As a National Account Manager in the Business Communications Group at AT&T, she demonstrated relationships building skills in working with senior executives from corporate clients such as Exxon, Marriott, and Beneficial Finance to uncover their business needs and then recommend products and services to meet their needs.
In addition to her corporate work, Ms. Rowe has extensive experience in community-based projects through her previous position as Assistant Director of the Sickle Cell and Health Education Project. Ms. Rowe has also run her own business as an Independent Mary Kay Consultant for 16 years.
Congratulations to our Audrey!
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| We're in the News!ews!ticle Headline |
Check out the November 19, 2008 Star-Ledger article on our Dr. King re-enactment and Community Night! Kenny Vaughan spoke in the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Community Night, hosted by the South Orange/Maplewood Coalition on Race at Maplewood Middle School. As is our custom, there was a stimulating discussion of Dr. King's speeches after the enactment--as well as singing!
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| Report to Community Inspires for the Coming Yearrticle Headline |
On October 14, 2008 the Coalition gave its Annual Report to the Community at the Cafeteria at Columbia High School. Chairs and members of the Coalition Committees reported on their activities: there were reports from Interfaith Outreach, from Schools, from Neighborhood Associations and Civic Life, from Touring, Publicity, and Financial Incentives as well as from the internal comittees, Financial development and Monitoring and Evaluation. This yearly report is the opportunity for the public to challenge and question the Coalition. Attendees included, above, Schools Superintendent Brian Osborne and former Board of Education member Mark Miller as well as Schools Committee member Nadaline Dworkin and others, and below Coalition Executive Director Nancy Gagnier and trustee Leonard Santucci.
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| Executive Committee Statement on Presidential Electionxeicle Headline |
(This article first appeared in the November 13, 2008 issue of the Maplewood South Orange News Record.)
The election of Barack Obama fits beautifully into the American narrative of progress and freedom. It's a powerful narrative that drives us to believe in opportunity for all. How Obama's presidency will be transformational for the country's economy and place in the world remains to be seen. The election itself, however, has been transformative for an electorate that has not been open to putting a Black man in the highest office.
What may be most amazing about this election is that we keep hearing about people who voted for Obama in spite of admitted racial prejudice. Over the course of a campaign, people rose above their fears as they came to know a man and his goals for the country. This election begins a new chapter in the American narrative of hope that is primed to embrace true inclusion and interracial cooperation.
The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race has been at work on the local level for years encouraging full participation in community and civic life by people of all races. And while we now have a shining example of transformation at the federal level, we know that the work continues here at home. As we continue to work on issues like stable integration, the achievement gap, and full participation in all aspects of community life, we can take pride in our two towns as a model community where intentional integration is a valued practice. There truly is no time like the present to ask other communities to take notice and to show the nation what it's like to live in and nurture a community that strives to be racially integrated and truly inclusive.
The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race
Nancy Gagnier, Executive Director
Carol Barry-Austin, Chair
Marlon K. Brownlee, Vice Chair
Linda M. Gadsby, Vice Chair
Burt Liebman, Vice Chair
Meredith Sue Willis, Vice Chair |
| October and November 2008-- a time to Celebrate! |
October was Coalition Month, declared by both Maplewood and South Orange.
OCT. 4: We had our Annual Gala at the Maplewood Club
OCT. 14: The Report to the Community took place at the CHS Cafeteria (see article above).
Oct. 15, 22, 29 and November 5, 12, and 19: Two Towns Sing-Ins Rehearsals with a performance on November 23 at SOMS Little Theater.
We had a series of discussions of Martin Luther King Jr. Speeches at the Ethical Culture Society 516 Prospect St., Maplewood followed by Community Night on
November 19th at the Columbia High School Cafeteria with a re-enactment by South Orange resident Kenny Vaughan (see link to newspaper article above!)
November 11 was our Seventh Annual Preschool Open House.
For information about what's coming up next, check our Events Line
at 973-761-6116, X6
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Join Us--We Need You!
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The Coalition needs your help. If you're a grant writer, a fund raiser, a web consultant or a photographer (especially one whose digital camera is always handy!), please let us hear from you. If you support the Coalition's efforts to create true integration in our Two Towns, please call the office at 973-761-6116 and VOLUNTEER!
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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.
For more information about the Community Coalition and its programs, please visit our website, www.twotowns.org |
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From the Chair
What a moment in time! I can't help thinking of my father, born in Shreveport, Louisiana in the early 1900's. He would have been 100 last month had he lived beyond his 87th birthday. He would have been so proud. A man who married a German white woman in the late 1940's who experienced tremendous bigotry in the US army and across this great country of ours. A man who was almost lynched in the south in the 1930's.
It was almost surreal watching Obama and Biden stand together last night and realize that the black man on the left and not the white man on the right was just elected president of the United States.
"Change has come to America" is the chant of the moment. President elect Barack Obama ran a campaign built on a foundation of hope and change. Yes, change has come but experience tells us that change does not come without strife. I believe that it was hope that propelled him to victory. Hope for the future of our children, our nation, and, yes, our community.
I urge you all to continue to be agents of change. The work is challenging, painfully slow, and at times certainly thankless, but the rewards are so great. My hope is that our country, and yes, our community, is ready to embrace change and not feel threatened by it.
When I look at Obama's young children, I see the future of our nation. I thank you all for your continuing support and commitment to the mission of our organization.
I leave you with this question:
How do you think this historic election will impact a country that has been divided by bigotry for so long?
Feel free to email a response to us at info@twotowns.org
Carol Barry-Austin
Chair, South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race
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About Us |
The South Orange/ Maplewood Community Coalition on Race has entered its twelfth 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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| Calendar |
Coalition HolidayParty
December 18, 2008
Cryan's Restaurant
$25 at the door, please RSVP 973-761-6116
Martin Luther King Holiday Event January 19, 2009 3:00 PM at St. Joseph's Church in Maplewood
Achievement Gap Study Series
Four Thursdays: January 22, 2009
January 29, 2009
February 5, 2009 February 12, 2009
For more information and to register please call 973-761-6116, X6
Please visit
or call 973-761-6116 x6
for details on
all of our events!
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