On Tuesday April 29, the Newton-based non-profit Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) held a virtual event open to the public (via registration), which Mayor Fuller had included in her weekly e-newsletter on April 18. The event was titled Community Dialogue: Parenting in Polarizing Times and was described as a forum “to hear feelings, beliefs, and experiences of fellow parents.”
FORJ is registered as a 501(c) charitable organization, and its most recent publicly available financial statements for tax year 2022 show annual donation in the tens of thousands of dollars. The FORJ website states that its mission is “to build an anti-racist city,” and that its origin was conceived of by “three Newton moms” during a local Black Lives Matters meeting in 2016.
The 90-minute webinar was joined by approximately 15 participants, many of whom were current or former officers in the FORJ organization. The event began with participants introducing themselves and how they identify, which all responded in terms of race, nation of origin, and/or ancestry. Some participants also shared their religious identity. The discussion started with participants being asked to share thoughts they have about being a “parent, worker, or citizen” today, with the majority of attendees stating they felt meaningful discomfort and agitation due to President Trump’s actions and statements. Treatment of immigrants, cost of living, targeting of DEI initiatives, and healthcare expenses were all cited as specific examples.
The larger group then separated into virtual breakout rooms of 4-5 participants before reconvening to conclude the call. While the majority of participants stated they have children who presently attend or did attend Newton Public Schools, and one person shared an incident she had heard about regarding an immigrant NPS high school student being bullied with a rumor that “ICE was coming,” the substance of the session did not focus on NPS issues. The recurring theme of participants’ comments was anger and mental health concerns due to the frequency and perceived ubiquity of negative news media regarding current government actions. Multiple people shared that they struggled with if, how much, and what type of news media to expose their children to.
One notable participant was Victor Yee, a School Committee candidate (Ward 8) in this upcoming November’s election. During the concluding discussion, following someone else’s comment about the stress of constant news alerts on their phone, Mr. Yee noted some nostalgia for a “simpler time” when news consumption was more controlled, and he added that the current NPS cell phone restrictions may protect students from the stress of the constant news updates “in these more dynamic times.” (Mr. Yee gave Fig City News permission to attribute his statements.)
Prior to the call, Fig City News spoke with Dr. David Stamps, Chair of the FORJ Board of Directors since 2024. Dr. Stamps, a Newton Centre resident and Bentley professor, told Fig City News that FORJ recruits “School Leaders” — typically parents but occasionally educators — who facilitate programming and events primarily aimed at families who “don’t always feel included or comfortable regarding conversations on race.” He clarified that such programming exists outside of the NPS curriculum, and that FORJ’s goal is to make “parents feeling isolated or who have questions to know they’re part of a community.” Prior to becoming Chair, Dr. Stamps was previously a FORJ School Leader at Bowen Elementary, where his children currently and have previously attended.
This April 29 Community Dialogue was coordinated by FORJ Newton North High School.
