Conversations on Race, a community-wide conversation on integration using The New Metropolis as a catalyst for discussion

On May 18th, 2011, over ninety people, including residents and municipal leaders from surrounding communities, gathered at Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey, to watch The New Metropolis’ Episode 2: The New Neighbors. The towns of South Orange and Maplewood have been engaged in integration efforts for over 15 years, and the film screening offered them an opportunity to reexamine their goals and objectives, and plan for the next decade.

After the film, the audience participated in table discussions facilitated by members of the Board of Trustees of the Community Coalition on Race. The topics included considering what ways the Coalition has seen intentional integration at work over the last fifteen years, and where the community needs to strengthen its efforts. Participants also were asked to suggest ideas for new efforts. At the end, all the tables shared their ideas with the whole room.

Attending the screening and the table discussions were the award-winning director, Andrea Torrice, and The New Neighbors’ heroine, Lynn Cummings, a Pennsauken resident who took on the role of community advocate when she saw the need.

View the event flyer or read more about the event at the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race web site and the South Orange/Maplewood Patch web site.