Newark: The Next 50- A Community Forum Explores Critical Moment For The City Of Newark

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka joins a panel of community leaders, thinkers and activists for "Newark: The Next 50," a conversation about the challenges facing New Jersey's largest city as it experiences unprecedented economic and demographic change.

The free public dialogue - moderated by award-winning Newark journalist Sandra King of the public television series "Due Process" - will kick off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7, in NJPAC's Victoria Theater.

"For the last two years, we've been looking back at the city's last major pivotal moment: the 1967 Newark Rebellion," King explains. "Now it's time to look forward. Will Newark residents and neighborhoods be left behind by gentrification and the boom in downtown business, or is it an opportunity for all of our city?"

"Next 50" panelists:

• Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka has served his city as South Ward Councilman, as deputy mayor and as principal of Central High School, where he was credited with instituting meaningful change. The son of poet/playwright Amiri Baraka, Ras Baraka was sworn in as the city's 40th mayor in 2014, and re-elected earlier this year. Among his policy objectives: transformation of Newark's economy by combining employment, procurement, and residential strategies.
• Mary Bennett, former Newark teacher and principal, is a leader of the city's education reform movement. As Chair of the Newark Education Success Board (NESB), she helped prepare the district for return to local control. Active in the Alliance for Newark Public Schools, Bennett is also adjunct faculty with both Seton Hall and Montclair State universities.
• Paul Fishman is the former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Among the highlights of his eight-year tenure: creation of a groundbreaking re-entry court hailed by President Obama, and initiation of the federal effort to reform Newark Police. Now a partner at Arnold & Porter, he is bringing a branch of the international firm to downtown Newark.
• Andrea McChristian is Associate Counsel at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. A graduate of Yale and Columbia Law School, McChristian is the Institute's resident expert on Juvenile Justice Reform and Policing, and leader of the NJISJ fight to close the state's youth prisons. She lives in downtown Newark.
• Victor Monterossa, a self-described "people's lawyer," is now with Legal Services, after four years of representing homeless children at Covenant House. A member of the Newark Civilian Complaint Board, he is co-founder of Homes for All Newark and The Urban Cooperative Enterprise Legal Center. An Ironbound resident, he is a graduate of Vassar and Rutgers Law.
• Shana Russell came to Newark for graduate school, and, after earning a Ph.D. in American Studies from Rutgers, decided to call the city home. She's now Program Manager for "States of Incarceration," a national initiative exploring the roots of mass incarceration.
• David Troutt is Rutgers Law School's Distinguished Professor of Law and founding director of the Center on Law in Metropolitan Equity (CLiME). Among his areas of study and teaching is the impact of gentrification. He has authored a major report: "Making Newark Work for Newarkers: Housing and Equitable Growth in the Next Brick City."
• Junius Williams, Chair of Newark Celebration 350, is an attorney, educator and longtime Newark activist. Elected the youngest President of the National Bar Association and listed among Ebony's "100 Most Influential Blacks in America," he is the author of "Unfinished Agenda, Urban Politics in the Era of Black Power," and creator of the website "The North."
• Moderator Sandra King is the 25-time Emmy Award-winning Producer/Host of public television's critically acclaimed "Due Process." Her long career in journalism has focused on social, criminal and racial justice; public policy, and the City of Newark - her lifelong home. King was the first New Jersey journalist to win Harvard's coveted Nieman Fellowship.
• Ryan Haygood, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice President and CEO, who will introduce the panel and set the stage for discussion, is spearheading movements for economic, racial and social equity in Newark. The civil rights lawyer and Newark resident says it is clear "that realization of racial and social justice will come from the ground up in our cities. Newark is poised to lead the way in the next 50 years."

According to John Schreiber, NJPAC's President and CEO, "The City of Newark is at a thrilling tipping point in terms of its culture, economic development and residential construction - all are robust. The return of local control to our schools, the city's vibrancy as a nationally recognized cultural destination, and making the shortlist of cities for Amazon HQ2 have been catalysts for Newark's resurgence.
"'Newark: The Next 50,' hosted by go-getting journalist Sandy King, is a chance to prognosticate about the bright, complex and diverse future and to dream big about the prospects of this town we love so much."

Admission is free with limited seating. Reservations must be made in advance by clicking to njpac.org/next50

About the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
The Institute's mission is to empower urban residents to realize and achieve their full potential. Established in 1999 by Alan and Amy Lowenstein, the Institute's dynamic and independent advocacy is aimed at toppling load-bearing walls of structural inequality to create just, vibrant, and healthy urban communities. Using a holistic approach to addressing the unique and critical issues facing New Jersey's urban communities, the Institute advocates for systematic reform that is at once transformative, achievable in the state, and replicable in communities across the nation.

About "Due Process"
With more than two dozen Emmys and well over 100 nominations, "Due Process" may be the nation's only regularly scheduled regional program devoted exclusively to critical issues of law and justice. The program airs on NJTV and WNET/13.

About Newark Celebration 350 (NC350)
Newark Celebration 350 (NC350) was formed to celebrate Newark, New Jersey's 350th anniversary, the celebration of which took place over the entire year of 2016. NC350 is primarily a marketing, promotional and funding umbrella designed to celebrate the talents of Newark's citizenry and showcase the rich history of Newark as a way to engage people of all ages who live, work and play in the city in its continued rebirth and revitalization. Newark Celebration 350 commemorated the city's rich 350-year history with a series of events, partnerships, parties, panels and forums that took place under the Newark Celebration 350 banner to honor Newark's history in each ward and neighborhood, while instilling civic pride and identity for those who live and work in the city.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America's most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey - where Great Performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted nearly 10 million visitors (including over 1.7 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.