CRANFORD, NJ — The Cranford Equity and Inclusivity Initiative, comprising the Cranford Township Committee, the Cranford Police Department, the Cranford Board of Education, the local branch of the NAACP, the Cranford Clergy Council and additional citizens, recently sought feedback from the community regarding its mission, values, vision and goal statements.
As the majority of community members who responded supported the mission, values, vision and goal statements, the CEII has set up action planning meetings for the final step in the building of the CEII strategic plan, which is to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bounded, or S.M.A.R.T., objectives for each goal.
At CEII’s meeting, which took place on Monday, Nov. 1, and was aired on Thursday, Nov. 4, on Cranford’s TV35, CEII member Sherri Williams, along with fellow members Cranford Superintendent Scott Rubin, Cranford Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty, Cranford Police Chief Ryan Greco, business owner Arthur Hearns, NAACP representative Chris Chapman and the Rev. Alfred Brown, provided an update and discussed their progress to date.
“We, with the usage of social media, broadcast ‘The Talk’ — the sharing of vulnerable, personable experiences — afforded a glimpse into the implicit bias felt by some Afro-Americans/black members within the community,” Williams said during the meeting.
She said the positive and negative feedback was an indication of where Cranford was, with regard to accepting others. She also thanked everyone who completed the survey and participated in the Zoom sessions during this COVID-19 lockdown period.
Rubin said that the strategic plan provides the structure for interested participants from the community to work together in planning for the future. Through various collaborative activities, the group assesses where it is now, where it would like to be and how to bridge the two. More specifically, he said, the strategic planning allows CEII to create a mission, identify community values and beliefs, determine how to bring those values to life, and then define a vision.
“How we accomplish this vision once we have these foundational elements is by goal setting,” Rubin said. “Over the past year or so, we have worked in partnership with community members to create these draft products — mission, vision, values and goals — and the individuals here have served as the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which helps with the logistics and helps to move the initiative forward.
“We then worked with the Strategic Planning Core Team — all of those individuals who volunteered to assist in proposing the aforementioned components of the strategic plan,” he continued. “These results have been shared with the community, and we sent them out around June, along with a survey for feedback, and the results indicated that the majority of the community support the draft statement. The Action Planning Committee is the final stage of the creation of the strategic plan, where interested participants will then help us create S.M.A.R.T. objectives. Then, we as a community can work together to achieve them.”
The group’s mission statement — to create a community that nurtures diversity, empathy, respect and equitable opportunities for all — is outlined in its values statements, vision statements and goal statements.
According to the results of the feedback:
• 75.4 percent of those who responded agreed that the draft CEII mission statement was clearly stated, specific and easy to understand.
• 67.6 percent agreed that the draft mission statement was well aligned to the core values of the community.
• 64.2 percent agreed that the draft mission statement is timely and relevant to the needs of all community members.
• 62.9 percent agreed that the draft mission statement is realistic and feasible to achieve.
• 52.7 percent disagreed that the draft mission statement requires revision.
• 74 percent agreed that the initiative’s vision indicators are clearly stated, specific and easy to understand.
• 61.8 percent agreed that the vision indicators are timely and relevant to the needs of all community members.
• 70 percent agreed that the vision indicators are well aligned to the draft core values and mission.
• 74.3 percent agreed that the initiative goals are clearly slated, specific and well-defined.
• 58.8 percent agreed that the goals are timely and relevant to the needs of all community members.
• 66.6 percent agreed that the goals are well aligned to the draft mission and vision.
Hearns discussed the foundational elements, which include a set of norms — starting and ending on time, speaking your truth, voicing and responding to concerns only, actively listening and participating, being courteous and respectful to community members, emphasizing a no-judgement zone and for everyone to assume good intentions.
While Chapman discussed the mission statement of the CEII, Greco detailed the group’s values statements and ways to make Cranford a more accepting and inclusive community as part of the strategic planning process.
“Residents and visitors alike need to feel safe and secure in Cranford. Equity increases opportunity. People benefit from differences that will ultimately bring us together,” Greco said during the recording. “There should be increased mindfulness and empathy for cultural differences. Implicit bias exists in Cranford. This fact must be recognized. Each of us has opinions, perspectives and differences that should be respected, understood and considered. Communication is key to include all members of the community. The need to recruit diverse candidates in municipal government and public schools is key to fostering equity and inclusion. Respect begins in the home and will eventually spread to the community. … We, the police, should do more than just enforce laws. We must ensure protection and service to all in Cranford.”
Miller Prunty discussed the group’s vision statements, which acknowledge and value diversity; recognize that Cranford is a community where all people feel safe and welcomed; and establish opportunities for all members to communicate, collaborate and learn from one another. She said participating in community programs and training activities that proactively encourage inclusivity and acceptance helps reduce acts of violence, bias and intolerance in the local and extended community, leading to a reduction in the number of unsubstantiated calls for service to the police department, which appear to be motivated solely on race/ethnicity or appearance. “Regularly held collaborative and educational community events promote respect for other religions, languages and cultures,” said Miller Prunty. “Communication methods in order to reach all segments of the community have improved. The staffing of all publicly funded positions should represent diversity. Business ownership and employees are more diverse. Public perception indicates that the police do more than just enforce the law; they fairly and respectfully protect and serve individuals as well as the entire community. There are opportunities to resolve police calls for service that result in referrals to community programs rather than placement into the criminal justice system.
Regarding the group’s goal statements, which includes improving communication methods in order to reach all segments of the community, Miller Prunty urged the creation of programs and activities that encourage inclusivity, acceptance and interaction, and reduce acts of bias and intolerance in the local and extended community.
Brown spoke about the group moving forward with those goals, mentioning their upcoming sessions for this month and next month.
“The CEII is in the process of engaging our community in an exciting journey of reflection and growth. It has been my distinct honor and privilege to participate in this initiative,” he said. “The CEII has worked tirelessly over the past few years with members of the community to identify and develop the statements on missions, values, vision and goals, which were just presented. It has been an awarding and inspiring experience to be a part of this initiative. To experience the openness and energy of those involved, you now have an opportunity to share in this process of introspection and growth as we move forward.”
A series of action planning sessions have been scheduled, for Nov. 15, Nov. 29, Nov. 30, Dec. 8 and Dec. 9. These sessions are open to everyone who wishes to participate. Residents are encouraged to register for any of the goal setting meetings they would like to attend through https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TJZ7383 or by email at [email protected].