A'Dorian Murray-Thomas Running For Newark School Board In 2022

NEWARK, NJ — A trailblazing Newark school board member is running for re-election in 2022.

Last week, A'Dorian Murray-Thomas announced that she’ll be running in the April 19 board of education election along with the other members of the “Moving Newark Schools Forward Team,” Daniel Gonzalez and Crystal Williams. Learn more about her qualifications and platform here.

At 23-years-old, Murray-Thomas became the youngest woman ever elected to the Newark school board. But her community service doesn't stop there.

According to the Newark Public School District website:

“A’Dorian Murray-Thomas is the Founder and CEO of SHE Wins Inc., a leadership and social action organization for middle and high school girls in Newark. Born and raised in Newark, A’Dorian founded SHE Wins to create a pipeline of college, career, and community-ready young women leaders. Founded with a focus on serving girls affected by violence, SHE Wins programs, workshops, and conferences have grown to reach more than 500 girls, representing over 21 schools in Newark. SHE Wins Scholars' community service projects have touched more than 1,300 members of the Newark community. Before founding SHE Wins, A’Dorian developed and co-facilitated a free SAT prep program in Newark that served students from over 15 local schools. As a Board Member on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, A’Dorian helped managed a $ 5 million budget that allocated service-learning grants to schools and organizations across the U.S. and Canada. She was instrumental in advocating for Newark’s own Youth Media Symposium to receive a $100,000 grant. At State Farm, A’Dorian served as the Chair of the Education Committee and as a Member of the Budget Committee.”

The district website continues:

“At only 23 years old, A’Dorian was recognized as a President Obama White House Champion of Change, a Glamour Magazine “College Woman of the Year,” a Youth Service America “Everyday Young Hero,” ESSENCE Magazine, one of The Root Magazine’s "25 Young Futurists," and a recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Award for her work in education and youth development. A’Dorian previously served at the Newark Opportunity Youth Network where she connected over-aged and under-credited Newark high school students to alternative educational options, while also serving as a translator for Spanish-speaking families. In this role, A'Dorian also helped implement Newark Board of Education and restorative justice program for students on long-term suspension. A’Dorian is a 2016 graduate of Swarthmore College and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Educational Studies.”

Patch recently got a chance to ask Murray-Thomas the following question: “What you have you learned from your first term on the board, and what will your priorities be if re-elected?”

Here’s her reply:

"It has been an honor to serve the students in the largest district in the State of New Jersey in the Newark Board of Education. This term on the board has reminded me of the importance of listening to and creating synergy between multiple voices to achieve educational excellence in Newark Public Schools.

"Real change takes time. As a Board Member, one must balance day-to-day governance, policymaking, and listening and responding to community voice. While the three of these priorities are equally important and interlinked, they each require their own level of time, partnership, and intentionality.

"As the Chair of the Program and Instruction Committee, I implemented Program and Instruction community roundtables, a platform to ensure parents, students, and community members had more ways to directly engage with district staff and leadership, learn about curriculum initiatives and strategies, and exchange of questions and ideas.

"When I entered the Board in 2019, I heard the community’s cries for Amistad implementation. As the Chair of the Program and Instruction Committee, I placed Amistad implementation on the agenda every month until it was implemented across our schools. The Amistad Act is a piece of legislation that has been on the books in New Jersey for more than 20 years, and one that community members have been advocating to see fully implemented in Newark Public Schools long before I joined the Board.

"In that same spirit, I wrote the resolution recognizing Juneteenth and Affirming Black Lives in the wake of the George Floyd uprisings because it was important that Newark Public Schools publicly and proudly recognized the people and histories that make our city what it is today and honor the promise and potential of what it can be in the future.

"As the author of the Equity Committee policy, I worked to create a board-level mechanism responsible for overseeing, researching, and responding to issues of equity within the district. When authoring the language around the data dashboard policy, and working to make sure the district had clear and transparent communication of COVID-19 data to students, parents, and educators, I was able to not just talk about ideas, but work with fellow Board Members and the district to implement that ideas in real-time.

"I hope that Newarkers have not only heard my words, but saw my work, and trust that when given another opportunity to serve on behalf of Newark students and families, I would do what I continue to do as a Board Member, which is open, accountable, responsive, and build bridges, all while holding Newark Public Schools to doing the same."

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