Mayoral Proclamation - "A National Day of Racial Healing" 1-18-2022
Mayor Josh Losardo, with the support of the Township Council, issued a proclamation this week announcing the Township of Scotch Plains, in conjunction with so many other communities throughout the United States of America, will observe a "National Day of Racial Healing" on Tuesday, January 18.
The proclamation “urges all citizens to promote racial healing and transformation in the ways that are best suited to them individually, as a means of working together to ensure the best quality of life for every child.”
To mark the day, a racial healing circle has been scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 18, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., through Social Justice Matters, in cooperation with the Scotch Plains/Fanwood’s Joint Committee for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT). Learn more here: https://rutgers.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kdeGopzopHdE2VtjrVrTTHY5KKedt4z4f
https://www.socialjusticematters.org/blog/2022/1/1/national-day-of-racial-healing
WHEREAS, we have all witnessed racial divisiveness rising in America's urban, rural, suburban, and tribal communities today that threatens the very core of this great country's unified front; and
WHEREAS, just like those who came before us, it is our duty to protect the children of this country and maintain communities in which they may all be given the opportunity to succeed; and
WHEREAS, we understand and recognize that there is a racial divide in our country and we must all work earnestly to heal the wounds created by racial, ethnic and religious bias and build an equitable and just society so that all children can thrive; and
WHEREAS, children have the right to be provided every opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in nurturing environments that don't violate their safety, dignity and humanity; and
WHEREAS, every single person has the capability to make a simple change within him or herself that can have a profound effect on an entire society; and
WHEREAS, if we all dedicate ourselves to the principles of truth, racial healing and transformation, we can all bring about the necessary changes in thinking and behavior that will propel this great country forward as a unified force where racial biases will become a thing of the past; and
WHEREAS, racial healing is a vital and crucial commitment to the education, social, mental and overall well-being of all our children; and
WHEREAS, the Township of Scotch Plains, in conjunction with others throughout the United States of America, acknowledges the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr Day as the "National Day of Racial Healing," and urges all citizens to promote racial healing and transformation in the ways that are best suited for them individually, as a means to working together to ensure the best quality of life for every child.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Joshua G. Losardo do hereby proclaim that this city honors and recognizes the Tuesday following the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as the "National Day of Racial Healing."