Cranford To Host Live Forum About Racism

CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford’s newly established Equity and Inclusivity Initiative will host "The Talk: An Open Conversation about Racism" on Thursday at 7 p.m. The conversation will be live on TV35 and on the TV35 Facebook page. Members of the community can participate by sending comments or questions via TV35's Facebook page or sending e-mails to TheTalk07016@gmail.com. Questions/comments will be addressed by members of the initiative.

The Town Committee said, in a letter:

"While we have made progress, we must confront the sad truth that we have fallen short in our efforts to obliterate racism and intolerance in our own community. Together, we must do more to address the systems, organizations and acts that perpetuate such, and ensure that every member of the Cranford community is genuinely respected, accepted, and treated with the equality and dignity that they deserve as human beings. Together, we must remain steadfast in our stance that Cranford is intolerant of racism and hate, and, therefore, take every action necessary to abolish it.

"To this end, Cranford Township is embarking upon an Equity and Inclusivity Initiative. In short, the purpose of this initiative is to come together as a community to 1) examine and identify current strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that will advance our efforts; 2) determine a shared vision of inclusivity for our community; and 3) formulate a strategic plan, inclusive of goals, objectives, and actionable steps that will, ultimately, realize our vision for an equitable and inclusive community.

"For more information about the Initiative and the online survey please click here. A message from the Cranford Township Committee, Cranford Board of Education, NAACP, the Cranford Clergy Council, and additional concerned citizens."

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