Black Parents Workshop Creates Board of Advisors In Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - The Black Parents Workshop, Inc. has created a Board of Advisors that will serve in a strictly advisory role to the organization. The Board of Advisors represents a cross-section of individuals with expertise in elementary and secondary education, higher education, private industry, law and criminal justice.

“We are excited by this new addition to the organization. All of these individuals, in their own unique way, add value to our work. In creating this Board, we sought to create a conduit for the Black Parents Workshop to connect to experts and practitioners who share our commitment to education equity," Black Parents Workshop Chairman Walter Fields said. "We look forward to forging ahead with our work and serving as an effective voice for Black children in the South Orange-Maplewood School District and other jurisdictions that call on us for assistance.”

The Black Parents Workshop is engaged in litigation against the South Orange-Maplewood School District over the treatment of Black students and the lack of support these students receive in the district’s public schools. The Black Parents Workshop has also been involved in efforts to represent Black youth who have been wrongfully treated in the student disciplinary process and by local law enforcement. The organization facilitated the legal representation of a Maplewood youth who was assaulted by local police on July 5, 2016 and helped secure a legal settlement for the youth from the Township of Maplewood and the city of Irvington, the latter included due to its police force being on the scene of the incident.

“We are going to aggressively pursue our litigation strategy, and with the assistance of the NAACP bring to resolution the decades-long denial by the South Orange-Maplewood School District of its mistreatment of Black students," Fields said. "As we explore other issues in the district, our new Board of Advisors will play an important role in providing guidance as we seek to increase opportunities for college entry and employment for Black students in the school district.”

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