
It’s hard to imagine what Alan and Amy Lowenstein would have thought if they knew a sold-out crowd had poured into the N.J. Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, honoring the 25th anniversary of an organization that they helped create in 1999 with an aim of advancing social justice on all fronts and in every area of the state.
It’s easy to say that they would have been thrilled to see that the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, which they had committed six years of funding, had become the powerful force they dreamed of — one prepared to have impact for another 25 years.
But it’s also easy to say they might have been somewhat frustrated. For all the progress the NJISJ has made, so many of the issues that were prominent last century are still prominent today.
Not that anyone is giving up the fight.
That was the theme during the gala, one that honored the organization’s beginnings, recognized the immense challenges that still exist today — and offered a glimpse (thanks to the efforts of two incredible Newark teenagers) into a future that comes with hope and optimism.
Paulette Brown, the board chair, told the crowd that the Lowensteins would have been thrilled.
“As we celebrate 25 years, I sincerely hope that Amy and Alan Lowenstein are looking down and saying, ‘This is what we envisioned; this is why we created the Institute,’” she said. “And then they will say, ‘Well done.’”
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Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
Those who honor the past are destined to create a better future.
That’s one way to describe Lata Reddy, the chair of the Prudential Foundation and a senior vice president at Prudential Financial.
When she was honored with the Corporate Leadership Award for all the great things Prudential is doing in Newark, across the state and around the globe, she said her inspiration came from her father, who grew up in a poor rural community in India, where basic needs such as electricity and indoor plumbing were scarce and public education only went up to the fourth grade.
Her father was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship to study in the U.S., but he never forgot those who helped him along the way, a lesson he taught Reddy and her sister.
“My sister and I were the beneficiaries of the generational opportunities that he created, but he was always very clear with us, that were in not for the people who stood up for him in key moments in his life, he wouldn’t have gotten where he got,” she said.
It led her to law school and a career in the private sector, where she helps to lead the fight for others. And it made her appreciate that no one works alone.
“To be recognized for a job that I’m privileged to do by an organization of people who get up every day and fight for justice, holds special meaning for me,” she said.
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The fact that the presidential election is a week away was not lost on any of the speakers or those in the audience.
Ryan Haygood, the CEO who has helped take NJISJ to a new level of impact, detailed what that means.
“At this very minute, less than a week until the most consequential elections of our lifetime, you all know that there are fierce efforts across this country to suppress the ballot box,” he said. “But here in New Jersey, we’re not afraid of democracy.
“Our goal here is to build America’s most inclusive democracy from the ground up in our communities, strengthening and expanding our democracy, step by step, policy by policy.”
The fight goes well beyond the ballot box.
Michelle Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” spelled that out during a fireside chat after receiving the National Social Justice Award.
Her book, written more than a decade ago, is more relevant today than it was then, she told the crowd.
“There has been some real progress — thanks to organizations like the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice,” she said. “Incredible progress, particularly when it comes to drug law reform, reducing sentences for nonviolent drug offenses and legalizing marijuana.”
But … crime statistics are still going in the wrong direction, she said — a fact that’s true no matter which party is in power.
Alexander said mass incarceration has been a bipartisan project from its inception, something that strips people of basic rights, much like the old Jim Crow laws.
Which leads to a bigger problem, she said.
“The deeper thesis is that our nation keeps birthing these systems of racial and social control because of the politics of white supremacy and the racial backlash that surfaces again and again whenever there are real strides forward,” she said. “This is a pattern that has existed in this country since slavery.”
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Hope comes in many forms and in many messages.
On this night, it could be seen through Breanna Campbell and Nathaniel Esubonteng, students who helped convince the Newark City Council to allow students as young as 16 to vote in school board elections.
They argued school policies directly impacted them — and argued that citizens were not doing their part. Stunningly, school board elections routinely had voter turnout of less than 3%.
They made national news for their efforts — and learned valuable lessons along the way.
“It showed me how our voices can go a long way when we stand together,” Campbell said, speaking in a professional manner that few adults in the room would have been able to muster in front of such a big crowd.
The same can be said for Esubonteng.
“This award is a reminder that we are just getting started, and there’s so much more that we can do together,” he said.
So much more to do. That was the biggest talking point for Haygood throughout the night.
He gave praise to the Lowensteins, saying they created an independent organization that holds people in positions of power, accountable.
About the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
With an evidence-driven approach to policy, robust advocacy and solution-focused research, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice advocates for Black and other communities of color through three main areas of work:
Economic Justice: Working to close New Jersey’s gaping racial wealth gap through expanding access to housing, employment and other opportunities
Criminal Justice Reform: Working to close New Jersey’s staggering racial disparities in incarceration and transform our overly punitive system into one that is more humane and supportive of truly safe communities for youth and adults
Democracy and Justice: Working to protect voting rights and expand access to the ballot for all New Jerseyans
“I can’t think of a more necessary mandate in times like these,” he said.
The mission is clear.
“Together, we’re building the kind of multiracial democracy that connects Black people and other people of color, to the very best of society,” he said. “It’s rich racial diversity, it’s prosperity and access to opportunity, and justice for all.
“It’s the kind of democracy where we can all thrive, we can all succeed, we can all win.”
Want to help?
The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice gala Wednesday night helped raise more than $1 million toward operating costs. The NJISJ always is looking for more help.
Want to help? Donate here.
As for the next 25 years, Haygood suggested the vision of the Lowensteins not only could be a model for other communities – but that the current model also could be the leader in other communities.
“I couldn’t be more excited about what the future of this organization is — to think about how to deepen our work in the Garden State and to explore ways to advocate far beyond,” he said.
“Who knows, perhaps someday, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice will become the Institute for Social Justice.”