Policy Makers & Candidates Civil Rights Town Hall

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You are invited to a Policy Makers and Candidates Civil Rights Town Hall on the critical issue of School Segregation in New Jersey on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 353 S New Rd, Pleasantville, NJ 08232, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. You can participate in person or virtually.

Invited to participate are:

Mr. Don Guardian, Candidate for NJ Assembly LD2
Mr. Vincent Polistina, Candidate for NJ Senate LD2
Commissioner Caren Fitzpatrick, Candidate for NJ Assembly LD2
Assemblyman John Armato, Assemblyman LD2
Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo, Candidate for NJ Senate LD2
Dr. Julia Hankerson, Candidate for NJ Assembly LD1
Assemblyman Antwan McClelland, Assemblyman LD1
Mr. John P. Capizola Jr., Candidate for NJ Assembly LD1
Assemblyman Erik Simonsen, Assemblyman LD2
Ms. Claire Swift, Candidate for NJ Assembly LD2
Senator Michael Testa, Senator LD1
Ms. Yolanda E. Garcia Balicki, Candidate for NJ Senate LD1
Governor Phil Murphy

At our recent Statewide Conference  with state, local and national education experts, we presented a Framework for a Legislative & Policy Response to a terrible problem that drives divisions by race and class, widens gaps in education and opportunity, undermines our schools and teachers, poisons our politics, and destabilizes our diverse middle-class communities.

We will call on our governor and legislators to begin a process of ending educational apartheid in our state by acting immediately to 1. stop further segregation through secession by denying any more separation petitions and 2. stop segregation in the name of regionalization by amending S3488 and 3. agree to hold hearings on the problem of segregation and the legislative remedies we are proposing.

Linked here is a summary of the specific actions we are calling for from our governor and legislators that we will be discussing at the forum.

These reforms are entirely doable and would immediately begin to close the immoral and needless gaps in both achievement and opportunity across the state. They are not as complicated or difficult to achieve, nor as unpopular, as some of our political leaders have suggested. The good news is that a significant and growing number of school districts across the state would benefit from such a policy agenda and together constitute a powerful coalition. [1]

New Jersey families of all races and backgrounds have been integrating our public and private schools for decades simply by the choices they make for enrollment and residence. Unfortunately, those choices remain cruelly constricted by both economic and racial barriers. Those barriers were created and are sustained by state policies, and they can and must be removed by state policy makers if we are to ever move forward as a state.

Please respond to this email to confirm your attendance October 22, or if you have any questions. 

Sincerely,
Olivia Caldwell
President, Mainland / Pleasantville NAACP
Willie D. Francois
Pastor, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Pleasantville
 
When
October 28th, 2021 from  7:00 PM to  8:30 PM
Location
Mount Zion Baptist Church
353 S New Rd
Pleasantville, NJ 08232-08232
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