    
Lewis Dorf
Citizen
Username: Sodisenchanted
Post Number: 1
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, April 16, 2006 - 5:10 pm: | 
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I wish that I had taken the initiative to submit this letter to last week's News Record, but hopefully this will reach enough local residents to still make a difference in the upcoming Board of Ed elections.
As a friend and colleague of Marlon Brownlee, I would like to add my hearty endorsement to his candidacy.
Let me first say that I am a 50-something white male parent of a five year old, who is entering his second year in the SOM Elementary School system. One of the unspoken issues that has underscored the recent conflagrations at South Mountain School (where we are districted) has been "racially influenced." Certainly there were other factors at work, as well. But to deny that race is an ongoing issue in the community, at large, and especially in our schools is to pretend that South Orange's Downtown is every bit as esthetically appealing...as Maplewood Village.
When an African American school principal is, essentially forced to resign under pressure from a group of predominantly white parents and teachers, how could anyone deny that race was not a contributing factor? I'm not in any way defending the principal, who I have never met. But in 2006-7, with yet another new principal in place, The South Mountain School will be under a microscope. As will our entire school district, since we will be welcoming a new School Superintendant; and yet another new principal, as well.
As the only African American candidate who is running for the Board of Education this year, I cannot think of anyone who is better suited to make a significant contribution to the racial harmony of the SOM School System...than Marlon Brownlee.
Marlon is one of the most even tempered, open-minded and self-disciplined human beings that I know, black or white. He is genial and personable, and he has a knack for making other people feel comfortable around him. He is also very capable of articulating and defending his opinions, without putting people who may disagree with him, on the defensive. Yet, he definitely has "the courage of his convictions."
On a personal level, to say that he is self-disciplined is an understatement. He's a competitive athlete, who ran track in high school and college. In his mid-40's, he still plays competitive full court basketball against players half his age, which is no mean feat by itself. He neither drinks nor smokes. He follows a strict dietary regimen. And he is a strong, nurturing parent and role model to his two school age children, and all of the kids who have played on the local sports teams that he has coached.
Why is this all relevant? Because South Orange and Maplewood (along with Montclair) are two of the most heterogenous upper middle class communities in the New York Metropolitan area -- perhaps even in the entire US of A. Hopefully, that is a key factor why so many of us have chosen to live here, as opposed to living in one of the similarly affluent "lily white" suburban communities nearby. I for one refuse to believe it's because of Midtown Direct!
The Board of Ed desperately needs a strong, intelligent and calming presence like Marlon Brownlee, to help this organization to sort out the many issues and needs that pervade, and too often divide, a wonderful, creative, artistic and racially diverse community, such as ours. And whether we care to admit it, or not, a lot of these issues stem from our feelings, fears, mistrust and/or lack of understanding in dealing with our African American brothers and sisters -- and vice versa.
Let's face it, South Orange and Maplewood are a hell of a lot more representative of the real world...than Short Hills or Livingston, NJ will ever be. But we can all work better together, to help make this community an even more appealing place to live.
It all starts with how we educate our children.
In a large nutshell, these are just a few of the reasons why I urge anyone who is reading this posting to please tell your friends and neighbors...to cast their vote for Marlon Brownlee for South Orange Maplewood Board of Education. |
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