| New Leadership for the Coalition |
The Coalition has elected eight new trustees from our two towns as well as a new executive committee. The new trustees, are, from left to right: Ken Bellamy, Suni King, Tracy Carroll, Nancy Solomon, Anthony Green, Keisha Harris, Kathryn Timpson, and Ulysses Dietz.
The newly elected executive committee includes Chair William Chip Madsen (see article and photo below) along with Alice Baldwin-Jones, Carol Barry-Austin, Barbara Heisler Williams, Bruno Lee, and Meredith Sue Willis.
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Statement from William "Chip" Madsen,
New Chair |
When my wife and I first looked at Maplewood over 20 years ago, our realtor told us not to buy in certain sections of the town because "...the resale value wasn't strong." We were too naïve to recognize these as code words for sections of town that were primarily minority populated. When we did buy in Maplewood, a former freeholder told me that Maplewood was "...changing." Another code word.
Years later when I served on the school board we noticed that our schools were becoming self-segregated with some schools predominately minority and others predominately white. Property values were also coming down and there was talk of "white flight."
This wasn't lost on the leadership in both towns, and several visionary people formed a group that eventually came to be known as the "South Orange Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. " I believe in my heart that this group of leaders including Carol Barry Austin, Bill Calabrese, Ellen Davenport, Barbara Heisler Williams, Celia King, Robert Marchman, Ken Pettis, Fred Profeta, Meredith Sue Willis, and many others literally saved our two towns.
I am deeply honored to have been elected to follow such remarkable people as Chairperson and look forward to working with Executive Director Nancy Gagnier, Program Director Audrey Rowe and the board of trustees to take our mission of continuing to build an integrated and truly inclusive community in South Orange and Maplewood to the next level.
There is still a lot of work to do including addressing the persistent academic achievement gap in our school system, working with our realtors, banks and businesses to encourage integration and ensuring that our towns' leaderships look like the community they represent and that the small business community throughout South Orange and Maplewood continues to thrive.
The South Orange Maplewood Community Coalition on Race is a national model that other communities throughout the United States should learn about and emulate. We're certainly not perfect, but I believe we're better than most and, according to Rich Benjamin in his new book Searching for Whitopia, we are two communities that are getting it right.
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| Community Conversation on "Mind the Gap!" |
What is causing the Academic Achievement Gap in our schools?
Participants at a Past Academic Achievement Gap Discussion Group
Join the Community Coalition on on Race for a community discussion and audience response featuring award-winning NPR reporter Nancy Solomon.
On March 2, 2010 at 7:00 - 9:00 PM in the library of South Orange Middle School, the Schools Committee of the Coalition and co-sponsor Seth Boyden PTA will host a discussion of aspects of the Academic Achievement Gap as highlighted in the National Public Radio program "Mind the Gap!" Participants will include Nancy Solomon, producer of the program and Coalition Trustee, as well as students, district staff, and members of the community. Professional Development Hours are available for teachers. For more information, call the Coalition Office at 973-761-6116.
The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race has taken a position supporting the Sixth Grade reorganization plan, but it does not have a position on leveling.
To listen to the radio program, click on Mind the Gap.
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| Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration was an Opportunity for Reaffirmationicle Headline |
As we enter a new year and a new decade, what better way to celebrate than to acknowledge the man who so eloquently and vividly  articulated "the Dream" for this county and this community - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Coalition celebrated and reaffirmed our commitment at our 9th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance, an interfaith service that took place Monday, January 18, 2010 at the South Orange Vailsburg United Methodist Church and featured speaker Marc H. Morial, a resident of Maplewood and American political and civic leader, President and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans. Also participating were  Coalition trustee and musician Bruno Lee (see photo at left), the Voices in Harmony singers, and readers representiing many faith traditions.
This year, the Interfaith Outreach Committee began a new project for making the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday a "day on, not a day off" this year with the introduction of service projects, donation opportunities, and events that reflected Dr. King's call to serve throughout South Orange and Maplewood. Through our local service organizations and houses of worship, we had over 150 people making meals for homeless shelters, donating blood, working on local clean-up projects, teaching kids about Dr. King, and collecting winter clothing. We look forward to expanding this effort in 2011.
After the observance, there was a collection taken for Haitian relief, to be distributed through the South Orange Vailsburg's United Methodist Church.
Executive Director Nancy Gagnier and Marc Haydel Morial
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Beloved Community Award Goes to Former Coalition Trustee
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The 2010 honorees at the annual Beloved Community Award of the South Orange Civic Organization, co-sponsored by the Community Coalition, were Karen Weiland, third from left, and former Coalition trustee Reverend Sandye Wilson, fourth from left. Others in the photo above include former trustee and SOCO officer Phylis Peterman, far left; Nancy Gagnier, Coalition Executive Director, second from right; and Coalition executive committee member Carol Barry-Austin, far right. Also pictured is Schools Superintendent Brian Osborne.
Participating in the program as one of the panelists was Coalition Trustee Barbara Heisler Williams, who gave an important address on Intentional Integration Today.
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| Coming Soon: Top Ten Tips for Supporting Your Middle School Child's Academic Achievement!eadline |
The Schools Committee of the Coalition, as part of its Aim High! Focus on the Minority Academic Achievement Gap program, has distributed thousands of brochures to the elementary school community with concrete ideas for getting the most out of our schools for your child. Watch for the upcoming "Top Ten Tips for Middle School Students." 
As Superintendent of Schools Brian Osborne says in the brochure, "Your Involvement will have a profound effect on your child's success in school."
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| Coalition Makes Presentations to the Two Towns-- We Need Your Support! |
The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race made presentations in January to the governing bodies of the two towns as they begin work on their budgets. We spoke first to the governing body of Maplewood as it continued its Budget Priority Setting discussions at a a resident of Maplewood and American political and civic leader, President and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans.town hall meet ing on Janaury 23, and then to the Village Trustees of South Orange on January 25, when we gave our quarterly presentation to the trustees.
Our presentations covered many programs and events including our community forums; our MLK day celebrations (see above), our November Pre-School Open House; Integration through the Arts inititiative (Sing-ins, "How Race is Lived in South Orange/Maplewood" improvisations); our work on the Academic Achievement Gap and more.
Municipal budgets are strained and the townships are looking for ways to cut money. We are asking you to show your commitment to a truly integrated and inclusive community by supporting us and writing and calling your municipal leaders. Remind them of some forum or event that you attended. Ask them to support the work of the Coalition with continued funding.
For more information on our community programming, visit our website at www.twotowns.org.
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Coalition Receives Fifth Arts Grant
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For the fifth year in a row, the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race's Integration Through the Arts Initiative has been awarded a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts that is administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. The Coalition is proud to be a recipient of this award again. Learn more about Arts in New Jersey at www.jerseyarts.com.
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Watch for Community Discussion on Teacher Racial Diversity in our Schools!
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Planned for spring: a community discussion about Teacher Racial Diversity in our schools. The letter below on this issue was prepared by the Schools Committee and read to the Board of Education and the public at the Board of Education Meeting in November, 2009:
The Schools Committee of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race has had the pleasure of participating in the School District of South Orange & Maplewood's New Teacher Orientation for five years. Our purpose in going to the orientation has been both to speak about the unique qualities of our intentionally integrated and inclusive community and to introduce the work of the Coalition on Race to new teachers. We also speak about our Schools Committee's particular commitment to narrowing the academic achievement gap as one of the ways to improve true integration in our schools and thus in our community.
One extremely important element for ameliorating the academic achievement gap is to provide students with role models among their teachers and other leaders in the schools and in the community. After five years of participation in the new teacher orientation, we continue to be dismayed by the lack of diversity among newly hired teachers. This year, in 2009, we saw the fewest non-white new teachers in all the years we have been coming. The teachers were young and enthusiastic, but they were not reflective of the student body of our community.
The importance of a racially and ethnically integrated teaching staff cannot be over-stated. Children need to see adults who look like them in their classrooms. White children as well as children of color need the experience of seeing teachers of color in their schools. Is it possible that there were so few teachers of color available to our District this year? What are our hiring practices and who actually does the hiring?
The importance of these issues is not something new or foreign to our District. Take a look at the admirable District goals on the website, particularly Professional Staff-Objective C: Recruitment and hiring of qualified and diverse professional staff (http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/somsd/cwp/view.asp?A=3&Q=280962 ). Clearly, it is a goal of our District to have a diverse teaching staff. But is it a high priority?
We are aware that Mr. Memoli presented a report to the Superintendent and Board of Education at the October 19, 2009 BOE meeting, and we know that the District has begun to do outreach to some historically black colleges. This is a beginning, but it is not enough to ensure that the District meets its own goal.
The Schools Committee of the Coalition and the Coalition itself, as always, stand ready to support inclusion and true integration with suggestions and dialogue.
Sincerely,
Carol Barry-Austin, Co-chair Schools Committee
Meredith Sue Willis, Co-chair Schools Committee
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How Much Do You Know About Maplewood and South Orange?
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 A lot? Would you like to share what you know? A little? Would you like to know more? Either way, consider joining the Coalition Tour Committee! We give lively, informative, welcoming tours to prospective home buyers and others that show what's great about our Two Towns. Right now, we are gearing up for the coming tour season. Most tours take an hour or so and are conducted on a first second Sunday afternoon of the month or during the week if we receive special requests. Tours alternate starting from either Maplewood or South Orange train station and most often use the towns' jitney buses. They're fun, and you will definitely learn something new about our towns. An informational meeting will be held on Wednesday evening, February 17, 7:30 PM at the Coalition office, 150 Prospect St., Maplewood NJ 07040. If you think you'd like to join us, or for more information, call Audrey Rowe at 973-716-6116, X4 or e-mail info@twotowns.org. For more information about the Coalition, check www.twotowns.org.
The Touring Committee |
We're In The News!!
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See an article about our 2010 Martin Luther King observance here.
Listen online to NPR Producer (and Coalition Trustee) Nancy Solomon's radio piece "Mind the Gap."
There is an article about our community in Newsweek Magazine, and here's one online about our 2009 Report to the Community with lots of good pictures!
Also take a look at articles on Patch about our Sing-Ins and about our Celebrating Integration event on Saturday, October 3, 2009.
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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| A Coalition Wish List ....c...le Headline |
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 laser printer
-- special gift of funds for special software to increase our efficiency in running community programs and managing our volunteer lists (for more information, please call the office 973-761-6116)
We are so grateful to be part of a community 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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| 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.
For more information about the Community Coalition and its programs, please visit our website, www.twotowns.org
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From the Executive Director
Nancy Gagnier, Executive Director
"I never intend to adjust myself to the evils of segregation and discrimination," Martin Luther King said in a recently discovered speech. It's an ambition that touches the heart of our mission. We describe what we do through all of community programs, forums, debates, and celebrations as intentional integration. We are one of the few communities in the nation that sees integration and true inclusion as a core part of our civic mission.
It takes a dedicated Board of Trustees, volunteering their time and talents, to build a racially integrated and truly inclusive community. I am excited to welcome 8 new trustees this year (see picture in article at left) who bring new skills and lots of enthusiasm for the Coalition. I look forward to working with our newly formed Executive Committee with Chip Madsen as Chair. Look for some exciting ways to join us in achieving our mission in 2010!
Feel free to email a response to us at info@twotowns.org
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| Coming Events |
March 2, 2010
Community Discussion on "Minding the Gap"
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
South Orange Middle School Library
Watch for Date: Racial Diversity in our School District's Teaching Staff
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 thirteenth 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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