The 4th Ward Gazette: An Englewood, NJ Newsletter focusing on the events impacting the 4th ward, its residents and the family and friends who care about the traditions and welfare of Englewood residents. Members of our "Neighborhood Watch Program" do not carry guns. We carry telephones and cameras. The 4th Ward Gazette is dedicated to uplifting the hearts & minds of a people long overdue for some success & recognition. It is a warm friendly bear hug for a Community.
There will be 2 pep ralliesThere will be 2 homecoming kings and Queens
WILL THEY PLAY THE HOMECOMING GAME TWICE ALSO?
It is truly interesting to see that which The Record values with its endorsements. With Sen. Weinberg's endorsement, I can see that The Record appreciates the apartheid schooling she brought to Englewood with the introduction of the Englewood Academies. Please note that the Academies have actually hurt Dwight Morrow High School by starving it of necessary school funding and resources. It has created a two-tiered educational system like those that even the New York Times have decried.
With Gordon Johnson, I see that The Record values his letter in support of outsourcing nearly 100 jobs of teacher aides and school secretaries who predominantly reside in Englewood. While Gordon should be bringing jobs to Englewood, he seems intent on taking jobs from African American and Latino women who are heads of households (in many instances).... With Gordon's endorsement as well, I see that The Record values his push to locate one of the light rail's stations in between The Grieco and McCloud Schools...and in the process, exposing our children to stranger danger. Whose interests does Gordon actually serve? Those of the African American and Latino people who most need for him to "man up" or those who permit him to keep his good-paying job while selling his own people out?
And last but not least, I applaud the endorsement of Valerie Huttle by The Record for authoring the worst piece of legislation in the contemporary history of the New Jersey State Legislature. That which Valerie has done with her anti-bullying legislation has been to reinforce zero tolerance educational policies that most severely impact males of all races, but African American and Latino males in particular. For communities of color, legislation such as that of which Valerie feels proudest does little more than feed the school to prison pipeline for African American and Latino males. It makes it all but certain that their earning potential and professional viability are compromised. In the end, all they can do is "check the box" and pray that minimum wage ballot initiatives are approved, so they can get possibly a quarter more in paychecks at dead end jobs. One can't even buy an item from the $1 menu at McDonalds with this so-called Democratic gift of increasing the minimum wage. It is smoke and mirrors. While I mistakenly thought that The Record was progressive, these endorsements actually tell a different story. Although lacking in quality, Weinberg, Johnson and Huttle are "good enough" for the people of District 37. And to that, I'll say: "Let's see if that sentiment is reflective of the will of the people on Election Day." Dr. Dierdre Paul
Dr. Dierdre Paul is a 4th Ward Resident
