The Community Coalition on Race Celebrates 15 years!
Join us to celebrate 15 years of building an integrated and inclusive community!
Why Integration? It’s the question we pose on our website with this response: “Many communities are diverse; few are integrated. Diversity may find people of different races and ethnicities living near each other, but integration finds them living with each other—interacting, forming friendships, participating fully in the community’s economic, political, civic, and cultural life.”
What are we doing, in ways large and small, to move from yesterday's diversity to today's integration? Visit www.twotowns.org to look at the programs, events, and committee work sponsored by the Coalition in 2011 alone—everything from Talking to Children about Race to Through the Lens of Integration to Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, to Realtor Focus Groups, to theater for children—to see how we make those changes for our community. Also, check out our 15 Highlights in 15 years—South Orange and Maplewood have a lot to be proud of!
Both townships recognize the month of October as a special time to celebrate our progress toward building an integrated and inclusive community, to host pro-integrative events, and to inform residents about our on-going work. To honor the 15th anniversary, the Coalition is hosting two special events:
- Celebrating Integration: Living Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion is the title of this year’s annual benefit which brings together residents and civic leaders for an evening of celebration in support of the Coalition's vision of an integrated community. We are honoring Maplewood resident Robert A. Marchman who is the Executive Vice President at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). One of the founders of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race and a former chair, Robert is an award-winning leader in his field and a Diversity Champion. Special guest speaker will be Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League.
- The annual Report to the Community will begin with a talk on the history of integration in SOMA followed by brief presentations by our volunteers on plans for the upcoming year. Join us on Wednesday, October 19th, 7:30 pm, at the Maplewood Memorial Library.
For more information on these and other events, go to www.twotowns.org.
