Fragile Freedoms Town Hall: Disparities in Our Community

Adult (age 16+), Museum Events, Online, Talks & Forums

Fragile Freedoms Town Hall: Disparities in Our Community

March 18, 2021

7:00 pm

8:00 pm

Between the pandemic, racial injustice, the socio-economic divide, and other disparities, the sense of freedom and security in our community has become fragile and uncertain. Fragile Freedoms: Maggie Meiners Revisits Rockwell explores modern reinterpretations of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms.

We invite you participate in a Town Hall conversation moderated by Montclair community activist James Johnson, with issue-based break out groups to further examine the extent of these disparities and explore what we can do as a community to take action. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Artist Maggie Meiners will offer remarks.

Panelists and breakout group leaders include:

James E. Johnson, 79th Corporation Counsel of the City of New York
Renee Folzenlogen, Arts in Mental Health Coordinator, Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, Inc
Anne Mernin, Executive Director, Toni’s Kitchen
Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, Executive Director, Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence

Breakout Room Topics

Measure twice. Cut once. Understanding the dimensions of a problem and the system that produced it can help improve the results of your efforts to bring about social change. James E. Johnson is the 79th Corporation Counsel of the City of New York. Prior to leading the Law Department, Jim served dual roles as special counsel to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for the Atlantic City transition and as a senior fellow at the Brennan Center.

Through their work with Latinx students and families, the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE), is developing a nuanced understanding of the multiple needs they face and crafting holistic interventions to support them. The notion of Fragile Freedoms is deeply felt in the growing Latinx community of Montclair, particularly by those who are facing economic insecurity, language barriers, and extreme social isolation, especially for those who have joined the Montclair community during a pandemic. Join MFEE Executive Director, Masiel Rodriquez-Vars to learn more about the needs of our Latinx neighbors and how you can join our emerging, creative initiatives to ensure that their freedoms are a little less fragile.

For 70 years the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, Inc. (MHAEM) has served the mental health needs of residents in Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex Counties. They provide a diverse range of services to society’s most vulnerable citizens whose lives have been impacted by mental illness. The collective trauma of a global pandemic has impacted everyone's mental health, revealing disparities as well as our common vulnerabilities. Join a breakout session to explore how together, we can make a difference, led by Renee Folzenlogen, MA, LPC, ATR-BC, Family Support Specialist, Intensive Family Support Services, Arts in Mental Health Coordinator, Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris

The pandemic has highlighted the fragility and inequity in some of our most fundamental structures and systems, which disproportionately affects the daily lives of low-income and low-wealth populations. Low-income and low-wealth populations experience the fragility of these structures daily. Food support systems can be reimagined to look beyond immediate food needs and provide reliable access to healthy food while also using the power of food to build more resilience into low-income communities and families. Join Anne Mernin, Executive Director of Toni’s Kitchen, to explore opportunities to use food as a way to provide meaningful, long term supports to low-income populations. Toni's Kitchen is a food ministry of St. Luke's Church.

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