Twenty NJRC members attended Assemblyman Jerry Green's committee on Housing & Local Government to hear three NJRC clergy leaders testify. The committee is looking into the current COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) controversy.

NJRC President Rev. R. Lenton Buffalo Jr. of the Union Baptist Church of Elizabeth, Rev. Charles Stephens of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Washington Crossing in Titusville (Hopewell), and Rev. Eric Wallace of the New Life Cathedral in Burlington City all spoke out forcefully for affordable housing and against the abolished RCA (Regional Contribution Agreement) system that has perpetuated our state's extreme economic and racial segregation. Joining them in their testimony was Mayor Brian Levine of Franklin Township who also spoke to the diverse housing opportunities in his own township and against the RCA system.

You can read the complete testimony (pdf file) here.

Over 100 New Jersey Regional Coalition leaders gathered on Sunday, January 24, for a powerful annual statewide NJRC Leadership Assembly, hosted by Rev. Darrell Armstrong, at Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton.

Leading the meeting were NJRC President Rev. R. Lenton Buffalo, Jr., of Union Baptist Church in Elizabeth, and NJRC Vice President Marlene Lao-Collins of St. Joseph ’s Catholic Church in Trenton.

The picture shows attendees from a Local District Council in a caucus session to plan their Power Event for the spring of 2010 and to identify leaders to participate in the March 2010 Weeklong Leadership Training. Each Local District Council held a caucus session during the meeting.

Good news! The New Jersey Regional Coalition's "Building One New Jersey" action day in Trenton on Thursday, December 10, 2009, was a resounding success! Please mark your calendar for Monday, January 4, 2010, at 9 a.m., when we will be going back to the Statehouse to continue to push for our social justice issues (See "Action Day in Trenton" in the events list for details).

The picture shows our NJRC members in State Senator Raymond Lesniak's office. The Senator is sitting next to the computer screen.

All together, about 100 members from across the state gathered for 4 scheduled meetings to speak with targeted legislators and "Jingle for Justice" -- As we walked through the Statehouse and the Statehouse annex, we handed out green flyers listing our 3 current issues along with little holiday jingle bells. We were there to press for:

* Criminal Justice Reform
* In-State Tuition for children of immigrants
* Property tax reform and regional tax equity for all New Jerseyans

* You can view an informative NJN TV segment about us here.

* WHYY Radio coverage is here.

* Newspaper coverage is here.

On November 12, 2009, the New Jersey Regional Coalition (NJRC) held its Second Annual Awards Banquet at the Trenton Marriott. More than 300 guests attended the “Building One New Jersey” benefit banquet honoring seven individuals from all parts of the state for their success in advancing social justice reform.

Launched in 2003, the New Jersey Regional Coalition (NJRC) is a diverse, statewide non-profit organization of congregations and civic groups working to bring about regional solutions to such pressing and pervasive local problems as poverty, racial and economic segregation, and sprawl. Over its short life, NJRC has developed pragmatic solutions to New Jersey’s high level of economic and racial segregation, problems of municipal fragmentation and competition, and the severe regional disparities in housing, tax base, poverty, and educational opportunity.

The picture (above) shows awardees and presenters at the awards banquet. From left: Rev. R.L. Buffalo; Rohn Hein; Thomas Carver; Brian Levine; Martin Johnson; Bishop Roy Riley; Senator Nia H. Gill; Nicole Plett; Assemblyman Donald Norcross; and Marlene Lao-Collins. More pictures here.

A powerful weeklong leadership training opportunity will take place in Meriden Connecticut from Sunday, March 21, 2010 to Friday, March 26, 2010.

The non-partisan training will be attended by local elected officials, clergy and faith leaders, campaign staff and volunteers who want to experience the training that Barack Obama taught as a community organizer and the training that was used in the successful Camp Obama program of the Obama for America Campaign.

More than 600 participants, including over 150 members of the New Jersey Regional Coalition, attended the “Building One America” national conference in Washington, D.C., on September 17 and 18, 2009. The two-day “National Summit on Regional Opportunity” was designed to bring before the federal government successful, proven regional policies, programs, and strategies to combat concentrated poverty, residential and school segregation, and sprawl.

At left, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, with NJRC President Rev. R. Lenton Buffalo, Jr. seated behind her.

Watch video highlights of the event here.

One hundred clergy and community leaders attended the NJRC Lower Delaware Local District Council Prayer Breakfast in Willingboro on July 14, 2009. Attendees included Samantha Gordon (NJ State Director for Organizing for America (the official successor organization for Obama for America)), Mayor Joe Gural of Palmyra, Willingboro Councilmen James Ayrer and Eddie Campbell, Barry Seymour (Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission), Mary Campbell (District Director for Congressman John Adler) and Joseph V. Doria, Jr. (former Commissioner of the NJ Department of Community Affairs). The breakfast was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. Local NJRC leaders met with Congressman John Adler in advance of the breakfast and secured his support for federal NJRC initiatives."

Over 150 clergy and community leaders including Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, Senator Fred Madden, Assemblywoman Celeste Riley, Mayor Cindy Rau-Hatton (Gloucester Township), Mayor John Washington (Penns Grove), and Donald Norcross (Southern NJ AFL-CIO) attended the NJRC Southern Local District Council Prayer Breakfast on June 27, 2009 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Washington Township. Majority Leader Sweeney committed to work with NJRC on equitable policies for all of New Jersey and is scheduled to meet with key NJRC leaders in July, 2009.

Congressman Rush Holt and Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman pledge follow-up meetings

NJRC Capitol District Council hosted its annual Prayer Breakfast on June 8, 2009, at Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton. The meeting centered on NJRC’s three primary social justice issues: (1) Regional equity in housing and transportation, (2) in-state tuition for the children of immigrants, and (3) criminal justice reform, with a special focus on reentry programs and juvenile justice reform. Congressman Rush Holt and Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman addressed the group on these three issues and pledged to meet again with leaders of the New Jersey Regional Coalition this summer in advance of the “Building One America: A National Summit on Regional Opportunity” (which took place at Lincoln Park United Methodist Church in Washington D.C. on September 17 and 18, 2009.)

The picture, above, shows Rev. Charles Stephens of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Washington Crossing moderating the NJRC Prayer Breakfast. As he introduced four NJRC action issues, he was assisted by Rev. Bruce Davidson (standing, left), Imam Dr. Abdul-Malik Ali, Diane Brake of PlanSmart NJ, and Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Trenton. In front of the picture are honored guests NJ Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman and Congressman Rush Holt.

View more photos of NJRC leaders and honored guests here.

On January 25, 2009 over one hundred and seventy five leaders from around the state attended the NJRC State Leadership Assembly. Highlights included the election of Reverend R. Lenton Buffalo (pictured in photo at left), pastor of Union Baptist Church in Elizabeth, as the new President of the Board of Directors of NJRC, and a training by Mike Kruglik, Director of Metro Equity for the Gamaliel Foundation.