Montclair 846
Donation protected
The Montclair Education Association's Philanthropic Fund is supported by an inclusive union representing more than 1,100 educators employed by the Montclair Public School District. Last week, the MEA challenged everyone to make greater strides towards the establishment of racial justice and equity. We pledge to do the same. The MEA has established “8:46” a project designed to support social justice. The Philanthropic Fund will hold the money raised until it is donated to Project Nia.
The project's goal is to get 846 people to donate (at least) $8.46 to the MEA's first GoFundMe campaign. (GoFundMe takes donations in increments of $10.) The donations will be given to Project Nia ( http://project-nia.org), a grassroots organization that works to end the arrest, detention, and incarceration of children and young adults by promoting restorative and transformative justice practices. You can read about Project Nia below.
In the words of our MEA President, Petal Robertson:
"The past few nights I struggled to sleep, because I, like many of you, have been drowning in images of black death and pain; drowning in the fears for my brothers, nieces, nephews, and the very students we teach. Each time I sat to write this letter to the membership, I cried because that pain overwhelms me. What I do know is that Montclair is a town that prides itself on equity and social justice and it is in times like these that this advocacy is put to the test.
"'I can't breathe' is a metaphor for the chokehold that racism, be it individual, institutional, or systemic, has on this country and our town. We are suffocating. Each and every one of us that believe ourselves to be advocates have a responsibility to use our platforms to give air to those that are gasping for it. We have a responsibility to breath life, into our children, our institutions, our policies, and our practices.
"The tragic murder of George Floyd and too many others, including those whose names never make the news, force us to look within ourselves.
"How do we resuscitate those black lives that are begging you to breathe?"
From Project Nia's website:
"Project Nia—“nia” meaning “with purpose” in Swahili—is a grassroots organization that works to end the arrest, detention, and incarceration of children and young adults by promoting restorative and transformative justice practices.
"We support youth in trouble with the law as well as those victimized by violence and crime through community-based alternatives to the criminal legal process. We partner with local activists and organizations to create such alternatives.
"We believe we can transform harm into healing by building connections and opportunities in our communities. Through education, research, and advocacy, we create avenues to address harm productively, rather than relying on the police and criminal legal system. For the past 10 years, we have offered over 200 community workshops about juvenile justice and the prison industrial complex and published dozens of educational curricula on how to better address harm in our communities. Because young people should never end up behind bars."
The project's goal is to get 846 people to donate (at least) $8.46 to the MEA's first GoFundMe campaign. (GoFundMe takes donations in increments of $10.) The donations will be given to Project Nia ( http://project-nia.org), a grassroots organization that works to end the arrest, detention, and incarceration of children and young adults by promoting restorative and transformative justice practices. You can read about Project Nia below.
In the words of our MEA President, Petal Robertson:
"The past few nights I struggled to sleep, because I, like many of you, have been drowning in images of black death and pain; drowning in the fears for my brothers, nieces, nephews, and the very students we teach. Each time I sat to write this letter to the membership, I cried because that pain overwhelms me. What I do know is that Montclair is a town that prides itself on equity and social justice and it is in times like these that this advocacy is put to the test.
"'I can't breathe' is a metaphor for the chokehold that racism, be it individual, institutional, or systemic, has on this country and our town. We are suffocating. Each and every one of us that believe ourselves to be advocates have a responsibility to use our platforms to give air to those that are gasping for it. We have a responsibility to breath life, into our children, our institutions, our policies, and our practices.
"The tragic murder of George Floyd and too many others, including those whose names never make the news, force us to look within ourselves.
"How do we resuscitate those black lives that are begging you to breathe?"
From Project Nia's website:
"Project Nia—“nia” meaning “with purpose” in Swahili—is a grassroots organization that works to end the arrest, detention, and incarceration of children and young adults by promoting restorative and transformative justice practices.
"We support youth in trouble with the law as well as those victimized by violence and crime through community-based alternatives to the criminal legal process. We partner with local activists and organizations to create such alternatives.
"We believe we can transform harm into healing by building connections and opportunities in our communities. Through education, research, and advocacy, we create avenues to address harm productively, rather than relying on the police and criminal legal system. For the past 10 years, we have offered over 200 community workshops about juvenile justice and the prison industrial complex and published dozens of educational curricula on how to better address harm in our communities. Because young people should never end up behind bars."
Organizer
Montclair Education Association
Organizer
Montclair, NJ
