North Jersey

Anti-Racist Alliance Northern NJ formed as a chapter of Anti-Racist Alliance in ____ and have been holding meetings to discuss local issues and organize Undoing Racism trainings in our area. Please join us for our next meeting as we continue to review and process our analysis, strategize and cooperate in each other’s professional and personal efforts, and strengthen an anti-racist, net-that-works in your area based on the principles of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. We meet the first Thursday  of every month at 7:00pm in the Friend’s Meetinghouse in Montclair. Our next meetings are August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1, and December 6.

For more information or to RSVP to a meeting, contact bonniecushing@aol.com

Personal testimony from our members:

Mary Pugh Clark

The principles of Undoing Racism Training have helped me shape the lessons I do with Quaker children in my local Meeting and at the yearly New York regional meeting at Lake George in July. The principles also compliment the work I do with the working group in NY Yearly Meeting, European American Quakers Working to End Racism. By drawing on what I have learned through URT and our ARA meetings, I also more deeply appreciate the intransigency of some European Americans to question their attitudes on racial matters and to change their behavior.

PAST PROJECTS:

Organizing about Disproportionality/Disparity in Child Welfare

The Essex County Model Court is a body of stakeholders connected to the child welfare
system, including judges, attorneys, social workers, and other service providers. It is one
of 32 Model Courts throughout the country, and is affiliated with the National Council
of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). Model Courts are adaptable to the
issues affecting each represented vicinage, and the one based in Newark is particularly
suited to address issues impacting children in Essex County. Its purpose is focused on
improvement of the provision of services to children and their families in abuse and
neglect cases. The Disproportionality Subcommittee of the Essex County Model Court
is specifically focused on reduction of the disproportionate representation of black
children in the child welfare system. Members of the AntiRacist Allilance of Northern
NJ have been successful in working with Essex County CASA to obtain a grant from
the Schumann Fund to have all members of the Essex County Model Court receive
the Undoing Racism training. This will happen this summer. We are hopeful that this
training will provide the participants with a common language and understanding so that
we can begin to implement changes to address the disproportionality and disparity that
exists in the child welfare system.

CELEBRATION OF THE DRUM