Moorestown's Diversity Task Force Promoting Inclusion, Awareness

MOORESTOWN, NJ — When Moorestown Council began discussing the creation of a diversity task force, there was at least one resident who questioned the need for it.

However, after talking to her kids and reading about the experiences of some students in the public school district online, she said she has completely changed her mind.

“I talked to my kids and asked them, is this what it’s really like?,” she said during Monday night’s meeting. “They just looked at me and said, ‘yeah, that’s absolutely what it’s like.’”

The Moorestown BIPOC Instagram group helps make public some of the things that go on in school.

“In the MLK assembly in my senior year, there was absolutely no mention of race,” one testimonial read. “No mention of the civil rights movement. Or racism. The student government did not bring up the Black Lives Matter movement or police brutality or the need for equitable resources for historically disadvantaged communities, especially Black and Indigenous people. Instead, they showcased white alumnae, and how with their privilege, they were able to get into the universities of their dreams. They took MLK’s dream speech completely out of context and used it to narrate White, largely upper middle class success. How can you educate people like this?”

That testimonial was from a student in the Class of 2017, but there are also recent examples from the classes of 2021 and 2024.

“When they say, ‘oh you’re pretty for a (insert race), it’s not smooth, and it certainly doesn’t make me feel special,” one read. “Rather, I feel like I’m not as pretty as other races, and that whoever says this is calling others from my race ugly.”

The group focuses on the school district, which has already engaged in a series of virtual town halls to discuss the issue. Read more here: Forum Tackles Racial Disparities In Moorestown Schools

Raising awareness about racial issues throughout a township where more than 86 percent of the population is white is one of the things the new Moorestown Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (MEID) task force will focus on.

“Members will engage with each other, and ensure that all viewpoints are heard,” said Deputy Mayor Sue Mammarella, who is putting the task force together with Councilman Quinton Law.

“We are looking forward to including as many members as possible, no matter their race, sexual orientation or gender identity,” Law said. “It’s a great step forward.”

The committee is an unofficial committee to begin with, but Mammarella said it may become a permanent part of Moorestown. It will be making recommendations for official action.

“I reached out to Quinton over the summer, and I talked to Sue about it all of last year,” Mayor Nicole Gillespie said. “We’re taking all kinds of perspectives on how to make Moorestown welcoming and inclusive.”

Gillespie is a member of Burlington County’s Minority and Equality Rights Task Force, which was formally created last summer in the wake of national protests following the death of George Floyd. Read more here: Moorestown Mayor Named To County Civil Rights Task Force

“This is an excellent vehicle to get residents involved, and I love that we’re doing it in an open and transparent way,” Moorestown Councilman Jake Van Dyken said of MEID.

“I love to see progress,” Moorestown Councilman Dave Zipin said. “We’re moving forward. It’s a way to get the community to come together. It’s the first step in a plan, and I’m excited.”

The discussion took place the same night Gillespie read a declaration for Kindness Week. The purpose of Kindness Week is to reinforce how it feels for people to engage in acts of kindness, as discussed in this 2013 Patch submission from Holly Myers.

Anyone who would like to become involved in MEID can apply by emailing towncouncil@moorestown.nj.us.