Comments on: Megaphone: Stephanie Greenwood, Newark/Essex Foreclosure Taskforce http://jewishcurrents.org/megaphone-stephanie-greenwood-newarkessex-foreclosure-taskforce-8283 A Progressive, Secular Voice Thu, 17 May 2012 01:41:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Jonathan White http://jewishcurrents.org/megaphone-stephanie-greenwood-newarkessex-foreclosure-taskforce-8283/comment-page-1#comment-2006 Jonathan White Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:49:09 +0000 http://jewishcurrents.org/?p=8283#comment-2006 Stephanie: Thank you for your thoughts! I was raised in Hoboken in the 60's, one of only about 20 Jewish families in a city of 40,000. I remember the grandness of Newark in the early 60's, and the swiftness of its fall at the end of the decade. In the 70's, I rediscovered Newark as a young community organizer in the city for Cesar Chavez' United Farm Workers. We worked with the progressive clergy and other grassroots community groups, and with organized labor--remember organized labor?. Our staff housing in East Orange was in one of the only houses on the block that had all of its windows. As poor and broken as the community was, there were still people full of hope and enthusiasm, even willing to help us with our cause, despite the fact that our constituents were an unseen, unknown ethnic group 3,000 miles away. No matter, the good people of Newark, heavily burdened with their own troubles, still were able to rise to the cause of defending the civil rights of strangers. Over the past few years, when my travels take me into Newark, I am so, so happy to see a city on the mend. Thank you for bringing the city's history back into focus, and thank you for the work you are doing on her behalf. Stephanie:
Thank you for your thoughts! I was raised in Hoboken in the 60′s, one of only about 20 Jewish families in a city of 40,000. I remember the grandness of Newark in the early 60′s, and the swiftness of its fall at the end of the decade.

In the 70′s, I rediscovered Newark as a young community organizer in the city for Cesar Chavez’ United Farm Workers. We worked with the progressive clergy and other grassroots community groups, and with organized labor–remember organized labor?.

Our staff housing in East Orange was in one of the only houses on the block that had all of its windows. As poor and broken as the community was, there were still people full of hope and enthusiasm, even willing to help us with our cause, despite the fact that our constituents were an unseen, unknown ethnic group 3,000 miles away. No matter, the good people of Newark, heavily burdened with their own troubles, still were able to rise to the cause of defending the civil rights of strangers.

Over the past few years, when my travels take me into Newark, I am so, so happy to see a city on the mend. Thank you for bringing the city’s history back into focus, and thank you for the work you are doing on her behalf.

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