Tinasbeen

Hello from Newark!

Hi everyone - hopefully this will be an easy way for people to keep up with what I'm up to in Newark (and beyond!) I'll try to write a bit each day, starting today with an update on how things are going with my new job. Basically, it's great. I just started a post-doc with the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience at Rutgers-Newark - check out our website here: http://ethnicity.rutgers.edu. The people here are wonderful, and I already feel very at home - it's just as ideal a job for me as I hoped it would be.

Currently, I'm in the process of designing my own project, which I'll be running over the next couple of years with funding from the Dodge Foundation. It's still a work in progress, but I'm planning on coordinating a series of community discussions around education reform in Newark, all of which will include some background on the history of the issue we're discussing. Right now I'm busy writing up a proposal, putting together a list of people to contact, and compiling a bibliography - it's actually pretty amazing how many resources I was able to find on the history of education in Newark!

I'll also be helping out with the Institute's many other great activities - the big one is the Marion Thompson Wright Lecture, which is the finale to their annual series of events for Black History Month in February. But the Institute also coordinates the Heninburg Civic Fellows program - which brings Newark community leaders together to share ideas and experiences - the Saturday Academy program to bring high school students in for weekend history workshops, and lots of cultural events - the next one is an Indian dance performance on October 11.

Anyway, I'll fill in more details about how things are going in my next post - feel free to respond in the meantime!

posted by Tina @ 9:37 AM