City Council approved a $44,000 contract for consulting services for the recently-established Social Justice Commission (SJC).
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The governing body on Monday night approved a resolution (AR-123-21) to award a 12-month contract through March 2022 to Johnson PR and Events, LLC. There were no comments or questions from council members or the public.
The consultant will help the Social Justice Commission develop free and accessible programming to increase access and social and economic equity for Rahway residents, according to Commission Co-chairs Brittany Hale and Jeff Brooks.
Much of the initial programming will be lectures and informational sessions and such. “We’re excited to partner with the city to identify employment opportunities and advancement for underrepresented groups within the community,” Hale said via email.
In February, City Council approved a $25,000 contract (AR-52-21) for consulting services but the commission has since opted to expand the scope of services to include “event execution and policy development,” Hale said, which was discussed in a presentation to the SJC at its meeting last month.
Last summer, City Council passed legislation establishing a Social Justice Commission and appointed nine unpaid commissioners to staggered terms starting Sept. 1, 2020.
The commission’s primary focus, according to its page on the city website, is “to make real and vibrant commitments to the social justice dialogue within the City of Rahway and it may review policies, structures and institutions to assure they work on behalf of the common good and deepen the awareness of social justice values.
“The commission will foster and enhance social equality based on actions utilizing four pillars:
- Rights – Equal effective legal, industrial, and political rights;
- Equity – Overcoming unfairness caused by unequal access to economic resources and power;
- Access – Greater equality to access goods and services; and,
- Participation – Expanded opportunities for real participation in the decisions which govern lives.”
The commission is comprised of nine members with two alternates, nominated by the mayor and confirmed by City Council. Three members . Three commissioners will serve terms through 2023, another three through 2022, and another trio through 2021.
In addition to Hale and Brooks, members of the commission include Armani Saahd-Tann, James Robinson, James Shedrick, Courtney Anderson, Jessie Wilson, Najah Allen, Kiana Amaya, and the Rev. Dr. Marti Robinson, with alternates Jonathan Jeffrey and Paola Aquino. Shedrick, Aquino and Jeffrey stepped down from the commission, according to Brooks, with two alternates to be appointed by council resolution.
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