SOMA Coalition director is retiring

Photo Courtesy of Joy Yagid
Audrey Rowe, program director of the SOMA Community Coalition on Race, is retiring after 23 years.

Audrey Rowe, program director of the SOMA Community Coalition on Race, will be retiring at the end of the year after 23 years with the organization.

Rowe began as a volunteer, moved into the position of program coordinator, and eventually became director.

Rowe said every day has been a unique experience for her.

“The general highlights would be the diversity,” said Rowe. “There are always new situations. Always new people. New opportunities to make a difference.”

Rowe, a resident of Maplewood since 1982, had no idea that the possibility of working for SOMA Community Coalition on Race even existed.

“When I moved into Maplewood, I was working corporate America,” she said. “I happened to stumble into the coalition. I was invited to check it out. I went to a meeting and the rest is history. I became a volunteer. As the fondness grew stronger, I was invited to come on staff on a part-time basis. It’s almost like being an entrepreneur, work never stops. It’s a mission for me. If I was not doing this, I’d do something to help oneness in humanity and overcome the impacts of race.”

One of the highlights of Rowe’s career at SOMA Community Coalition on Race is the integration of the arts.

“That’s something I’ve been working on since I began,” said Rowe. “The whole concept of bringing people together with arts as the glue.”

Two Towns in Harmony was one of the earliest Integration Through the Arts programs. It was a celebration that took place on July 3, 2005. A diverse group of musicians from South Orange and Maplewood came together around a common musical goal—to develop an original piece of music representing the two-town community.

Then there’s the Wealth Gap Equalizer Loan, a Special Purpose Credit program that offers qualifying first-time homebuyers a loan up to $7,500.

“Offering for first time homebuyers, Black or Brown, looking to move into Maplewood and South Orange helps sustain our racial integration,” said Rowe. “The trend in the last 10 or 12 years is a decrease. We don’t know the specifics as to why. Rather than try to figure it out, we thought it was better for possible solutions. I’m so proud and excited for the concept to do something tangible for our racial integration. We came up with this idea and took that idea and made it a reality. We’ve given out seven loans since we began with this in 2022.”

During Rowe’s time with SOMA Community Coalition on Race she worked very closely with Nancy Gagnier, executive director, since 2008.

“I’ve learned so much from Audrey,” Gagnier said. “She was amazing from the beginning, getting me up to speed. We’ve been great partners all the years we’ve been working together. We know each other so well that we’re able to build on each other’s strengths. We’ve worked so closely together for so long as the two main staff people, we can often finish each other’s sentences. She’s a dynamic person. She’s warm. She’s the model of building an inclusive community.”

In turn, Rowe said it’s been a wonderful relationship working with Gagnier.

“I don’t think I could have picked a better partner,” said Rowe. “We have the same level of commitment. She’s also a woman of faith. We’re both very people oriented. When we do have differences of opinion, we come to a common ground. I consider her a friend. I would do whatever I could to support her and her family. And the same thing in my case. Her intellect, her writing ability, her grace…these are the things I truly treasure. We listen to each other. We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried together. It has been a wonderful relationship.”

While Rowe will miss many of the people whom she’s built relationships with, she is looking forward to having more flexibility with her schedule.

Rowe is the mother of Grammy Award winning singer SZA. She and her husband have been traveling with their daughter. This led Rowe to consider retirement. During their travels, Rowe said she’d be up in the middle of the night on a ZOOM call, or racing back to a meeting when everyone else was on the beach.

“I figured out I’m not immortal,” said Rowe. “I need to look at my life with a longer perspective in terms of my family. While I’m in great health and I still have lots of energy, I want to spend this time with my family.”