Mission: To actively strengthen and sustain intentional integration, advance racial equity, and create an anti-racist community that fosters belonging. 

Vision: We envision a model community that strives to be racially and culturally integrated and equitable; a community that fosters meaningful relationships, shared power, and a deep sense of belonging for all; and a community where people of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds actively participate and thrive across economic, residential, political, civic, educational, and cultural life.

Adopted 2026

Statement of Beliefs and Mission

We Believe That:

•  Honest dialogue between racial groups without the constraints of fear is essential to building meaningful relationships within our organization and in our community and in our world.
• Racial integration, true inclusion, and racially sensitive communities of faith will ultimately benefit the entire community in all areas that contribute to quality of life, including schools, housing values, civic life, business, and government.
• Our efforts to achieve a racially integrated and truly inclusive community need to be both intentional and clear in language and actions.
• The benefits of a racially integrated and truly inclusive community cannot be attained without taking risks and positions that may challenge existing ideas.
• Therefore, our mission is to become a community that fully exemplifies thriving racial integration and true inclusion.

Our Goals

•  Our schools are racially integrated and have closed the achievement gap. Students of all races are achieving academic excellence in an equitable and representative fashion throughout our public school system.
•  All neighborhoods are racially integrated and truly inclusive in Maplewood and South Orange.
•  Government, civic, and business organizations in both towns are racially representative and have embraced racial integration and inclusion as a civic value.
•  It is common throughout the community to see people of all races socializing together in public and in private
• All of this is accomplished while property values in all neighborhoods continue at optimal levels for the current market conditions.
• The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race model is instrumental in building racially integrated and truly inclusive communities throughout the nation and other communities ask the Coalition for consultation and guidance.

Adopted June 26, 2008