A group of concerned West Orange residents began organizing immediately following the election- via text and email- through Elizabeth Redwine, PhD and English professor at Seton Hall University and mother of 4 in the West Orange school system. The first event, the Gregory Unity March, illustrated the interest in such a grassroots effort and several subsequent meetings were scheduled to determine the group’s focus and communication plan.
This past weekend, Redwine held a community meeting of approximately 40 neighbors and friends (and friends of friends) at her house In West Orange to organize politically active groups, along the lines of MoveOn community meetings and the Indivisible Guide.
The group organized into special interests including (1) Civil Rights/West Orange as a sanctuary city/Immigration and (2) NJ Political Action, which includes focus on elections for congress and the governorship, voter registration, local political monitoring and issue amplification, etc. They also settled on a name for the group Essex Rising which they plan to promote when organizing events and attending to events as a group.
Each group scheduled meetings within 2-6 weeks to follow up and report on particular tasks that were identified. A new Facebook page has been created to facilitate communication. It is a closed group and closely moderated. Click here to request access.
