Community Coalition on Race sponsors 2021 Conversations on Race

Jesse Hagopian

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — On Thursday, April 29, the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race and Seton Hall University will co-host Conversations on Race, an annual community dialogue on race-related issues. This year’s event, titled “Racial Justice in Education,” will be virtual and is free and open to all.

The featured speaker is Jesse Hagopian, an award-winning educator and leading voice on educational equity, the school-to-prison-pipeline, standardized testing, the Black Lives Matter at School movement and social justice unionism. Hagopian’s education and social justice awards include the national Secondary School Teacher of the Year Award and the Courageous Leadership Award from the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences; the Abe Keller Foundation award for Excellence and Innovation in Peace Education; and the Seattle/King County NAACP Service to Community Award. He was named a Cultural Freedom Fellow by the Lannan Foundation for his nationally recognized work in promoting critical thinking and opposing high-stakes testing. Hagopian has been published widely and his commentaries have been featured in numerous national media outlets.

As the South Orange–Maplewood School District prepares to launch an intentional, districtwide elementary school integration plan, Hagopian’s insights for achieving long-lasting racial equity in the schools are timely. The virtual event will include a presentation by Hagopian, followed by small group discussions among community members, and it will end with a question-and-answer session.

Register in advance for this meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIocOiopz8sGNBYdaKKz5KcZ-XF2W4q5Ivk. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For more information about the coalition, visit www.communitycoalitiononrace.org or call 973-761-6116.