Is Maplewood really inclusive ... or just marketing?

It sounds like a great idea, but there are so many special events in that good-weather sweet spot between Easter and the end of school, in addition to the normal responsibilities, that it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. The XRootsFest is described well on the CCR website, but to maximize public participation, a more descriptive name might work better.

Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

In reality, though, it was one event of many on a day where we were supposed to get a crap ton of rain and instead it was about 90 degrees and super-humid. Soma Studio Tour lost out too. I’m pretty sure everyone lost out that day.

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 I think questioning Maplewood's level of tolerance due to the presence of anti-bigotry signs is, at best, a stretch. 

If you see a sign that says "hate has no home here" as an attack on a particular political ideology you should probably question that political ideology. 

ridski said:
In reality, though, it was one event of many on a day where we were supposed to get a crap ton of rain and instead it was about 90 degrees and super-humid. Soma Studio Tour lost out too. I’m pretty sure everyone lost out that day.

 I'll add that it was the weekend between two other major events ... Memorial Day the weekend before and North Jersey Pride the following weekend. Stoughton said it pretty well before. There is a lot going on in the Mid to late spring timeframe, and the events end up competing for people's free time. 

ridski said:
In reality, though, it was one event of many on a day where we were supposed to get a crap ton of rain and instead it was about 90 degrees and super-humid. Soma Studio Tour lost out too. I’m pretty sure everyone lost out that day.

 True. I have been going to the SOMA Studio Tour for years and I had intentions of going to the XRoots Festival, but it was too hot and humid (which made me feel lousy) and so I skipped both. If it were a day like Tuesday, I'd have walked down to the park visiting studios along the way.

mrincredible said:

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 I think questioning Maplewood's level of tolerance due to the presence of anti-bigotry signs is, at best, a stretch. 
If you see a sign that says "hate has no home here" as an attack on a particular political ideology you should probably question that political ideology. 

 I think you're probably right about an assumption regarding those signs.  Still though, Maplewood is not a politically diverse town. 

sprout said:

Runner_Guy said:
I do not find people in SOMA, or the Northeast as a whole, to be as friendly as people who live in the South and the Great Plains.  People aren't necessarily mean to others, but I think there's less friendliness towards individuals.

When I was a Rutgers student, a 20-something in fatigues with a thick southern accent was saying 'hello' to students who were walking by him. He was being ignored, and as I walked by I heard him say "Why doesn't anyone say 'hello' around here?"  
So, I stopped and explained to him that the Northeast/NYC area has too high a density of people to continuously greet everyone, and that those who say 'hello' along the walkways are usually either sales people or proselytizers trying to convert students to some sect of Christianity. So, we are accustomed to ignoring rather than greeting in return.

I spend most of my work life outside of the Northeast/NYC area and have found folks are friendly and generally nicer.

I think our kids have had an integrated experience in the schools, sports teams and scout troops.  I think people are generally friendly and welcoming and it is a good community for biracial and gay families.  There is also a fair amount of hypocrisy, especially among the people who congratulate themselves the most about their progressiveness, as could be seen from the recent spotlight on BOE member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammed.  School politics are my least favorite thing about living here.  A number of people  who proclaim their love of diversity are extremely intolerant of other points of view.  One local camp stopped kids from playing with water guns due to a parent's objection to the use of guns, which is too P.C. for me.

terp said:

mrincredible said:

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 I think questioning Maplewood's level of tolerance due to the presence of anti-bigotry signs is, at best, a stretch. 
If you see a sign that says "hate has no home here" as an attack on a particular political ideology you should probably question that political ideology. 

 I think you're probably right about an assumption regarding those signs.  Still though, Maplewood is not a politically diverse town. 

 Pinkie Pie approves as do I.

I've lived here for 25 years, at the Irvington edge of town.  We used race as a proxy for comfort about our same-sex, mixed-race family.  We feel we were right, that a town that could pretty easily welcome mixed race families could welcome us as well.  Our neighborhood is wonderfully diverse but not especially close knit.  Friendly enough, though.  We chose Seth Boyden for our child in part because of the diversity, a more dilute experience than her hospital-based preschool in Newark.

My experience is that our inclusivity is aspirational.  We are generally and genuinely working to make our community comfortable for a wide range of individuals and families.  We are not perfect because perfection is an illusion.  We are generally good enough and we are striving to be better. I'm happy to welcome folks who aspire to be part of a community that is willing to talk about difficulties and differences while also celebrating the wealth of ideas, efforts,compassion and sense of community that I see manifested routinely.

apple44 said:
Comparison to Maplewoodstock isn't a bad point, but folks should remember that Maplewoodstock started as a very small event - it took time and a lot of people's efforts for it to grow.

absolutely.

My band played the first several years, and there were times we were playing to fewer than 100 people.  In year six, Maplewoodstock performers were still playing on this tiny stage.

if the XRoots festival is ever going to approach the popularity of events like Maplewoodstock, it's going to take several years of tenacious work to make it happen.  The fact that it's so far been a small event isn't a necessarily a reflection on how popular the idea is or could be.

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

This is a common, and imho specious complaint.

Most people in town are aware that a generation ago, Maplewood was majority Republican.  The lack of partisan diversity since is a result of the GOP abandoning the issues and values that are important to the type of people who live in Maplewood.  To blame the people who live here for what has become of the Republican Party is to get it backwards.  The party itself has purged itself of candidates who are fiscally conservative and socially liberal.  And there are a pretty fair number of those kinds of people in Maplewood.  And many of them are Democrats now by default.

mrincredible said:

If you see a sign that says "hate has no home here" as an attack on a particular political ideology you should probably question that political ideology. 

 LOL!  I literally snorted my coffee reading this. Soooooo so true!  

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 What is your definition of "politically diverse" or "politically openminded"?

Is there a Town of similar size to Maplewood anywhere in the US that would meet that definition? 

This life-long Maplewood resident has said that Maplewood is one of the few places where she has always felt comfortable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibtihaj_Muhammad

LOST said:

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 What is your definition of "politically diverse" or "politically openminded"?
Is there a Town of similar size to Maplewood anywhere in the US that would meet that definition? 

I would tend to doubt it.

I'm not sure how much diversity we should even expect in a town with our demographics.  We don't have a lot of the following attitudes/ideologies or orientations for sure:

• evangelical Christians
• global-warming deniers
• anti-immigration
• anti-choice
• anti LGBTQ rights

But we do have diversity on other issues, with plenty of people taking "conservative" positions:

• war/use of the military
• foreign policy
• tax policy/spending
• government regulation

We can see diversity on issues surrounding economic and security issues.  We just don't tend to see diversity of thought around issues of LGBTQ rights, women's rights, racial equality, immigration, importance of science, separation of church/state, etc.

And I'm not too upset that we don't have much diversity on those issues.  I don't know that our community would be better off if people felt more comfortable being openly bigoted or openly distrustful of science.

LOST said:
This life-long Maplewood resident has said that Maplewood is one of the few places where she has always felt comfortable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibtihaj_Muhammad

 40 years and holding

alexj said:

annielou said:
What’s the cause? I’m confused

 The XRoots Fest was sponsored by the Community Coalition on Race and their stated cause (on their website) was to "celebrate the diverse roots of our community". As they promoted it: "Mark your calendars and let your friends know now! The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race will present XRootsFest (pronounced CROSS-Roots-Fest). Musicians, dancers, story-tellers, merchants and food vendors rooted in the cultures of four continents will weave together a fabulous afternoon for you, your friends and family. Enjoy and celebrate the diverse roots of our community".
I guess I was hoping that since it was such an overt attempt to advertise/celebrate our diversity and "getting-along-ness" that there would be more people there, especially given Maplewood's often self-professed pride in their diversity (this diversity was certainly a major factor in terms of why our own family decided to move here).
Having said that, I DO think, again, that a suitable "draw" that was sorely missing at the XRoots Fest was international food that was reflective of the community that lives here, etc. and I encourage them to do this next time and to even advertise it more as an "international food fair" (which I'm sure would help draw more people - my two cents).
- Alex

 That (or something like it) is a great idea! Not a "Food Fair" exclusively, but increase the multicultural food offerings and emphasize that in the promotion of the event.  And maybe try for a different time of year?  Fall is a great time for festivals also, although I'm not sure if the fall calendar is any less crowded.

ml1 said:

LOST said:

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 What is your definition of "politically diverse" or "politically openminded"?
Is there a Town of similar size to Maplewood anywhere in the US that would meet that definition? 

I would tend to doubt it.
I'm not sure how much diversity we should even expect in a town with our demographics.  We don't have a lot of the following attitudes/ideologies or orientations for sure:

• evangelical Christians
• global-warming deniers
• anti-immigration
• anti-choice
• anti LGBTQ rights

But we do have diversity on other issues, with plenty of people taking "conservative" positions:

• war/use of the military
• foreign policy
• tax policy/spending
• government regulation

We can see diversity on issues surrounding economic and security issues.  We just don't tend to see diversity of thought around issues of LGBTQ rights, women's rights, racial equality, immigration, importance of science, separation of church/state, etc.
And I'm not too upset that we don't have much diversity on those issues.  I don't know that our community would be better off if people felt more comfortable being openly bigoted or openly distrustful of science.

 I'm gonna start up the SOMa Flat Earth Society to make the area more idealistically diverse.

Maplewood is inclusive. It includes people who just don't find it exciting to go to an event on a hot humid day, that they have no interest in. 

I have been to Maplewoodstock since the beginning and I was never expecting to see jerk chicken being sold in the early years. I find Maplewood to be very inclusive, generally speaking, but not everyone is. But that's okay too...

ml1 said:

LOST said:

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 What is your definition of "politically diverse" or "politically openminded"?
Is there a Town of similar size to Maplewood anywhere in the US that would meet that definition? 

I would tend to doubt it.
I'm not sure how much diversity we should even expect in a town with our demographics.  We don't have a lot of the following attitudes/ideologies or orientations for sure:

• evangelical Christians
• global-warming deniers
• anti-immigration
• anti-choice
• anti LGBTQ rights

We have two Orthodox Jewish Congregations, observant Muslims, a Mormon Church, an Episcopal Church with a substantial Gay membership,  a couple of Catholic Churches including one catering to Spanish speakers and what seems to be an Evangelical Church.

https://www.maplewoodbible.org/about_us

I have no idea how many, if any, global-warming deniers we have and I doubt someone openly hostile to immigrants would be comfortable here but I would guess that there are many who are morally opposed to abortion. 

I am not sure that those who think of Maplewood as the area running roughly from Bill and Harry's to Able Baker are aware of how diverse the Town really is.

LOST said:

ml1 said:

LOST said:

Starsong said:
Maplewood is not politically diverse or politically openminded.  In fact, the signs "hate has no home here" etc, sort of draw negative attention as unfortunately they hate "the other side"

 What is your definition of "politically diverse" or "politically openminded"?
Is there a Town of similar size to Maplewood anywhere in the US that would meet that definition? 

I would tend to doubt it.
I'm not sure how much diversity we should even expect in a town with our demographics.  We don't have a lot of the following attitudes/ideologies or orientations for sure:

• evangelical Christians
• global-warming deniers
• anti-immigration
• anti-choice
• anti LGBTQ rights

We have two Orthodox Jewish Congregations, observant Muslims, a Mormon Church, an Episcopal Church with a substantial Gay membership,  a couple of Catholic Churches including one catering to Spanish speakers and what seems to be an Evangelical Church.
https://www.maplewoodbible.org/about_us
I have no idea how many, if any, global-warming deniers we have and I doubt someone openly hostile to immigrants would be comfortable here but I would guess that there are many who are morally opposed to abortion. 
I am not sure that those who think of Maplewood as the area running roughly from Bill and Harry's to Able Baker are aware of how diverse the Town really is.

 We also have St Andrew Kim - a Korean Roman Catholic church (that used to be a Haitian Roman Catholic church).

I think people use the terms Evangelical Christian and Conservative Christian interchangeably, which is inaccurate. One can be a non Evangelical Conservative Christian, or one can be an Evangelical liberal or Progressive Christian. 

Two more fairly substantial churches that haven't been listed yet are Prospect Presbyterian, and Morrow Methodist. There are also a couple of other non denominational churches as well. That's just in Maplewood.

In my experience the Christian Community in Maplewood and South Orange is in and of itself pretty diverse as far as spectrum of beliefs, and progressivism.

I'd second @kthny on backing up @Runner_Guy's point on housing. I also think @nakaille makes a good point on the aspirational nature of inclusion in these towns.

The current Atlantic has a cover that I think gets to a lot of the issues raised in this thread:

The Birth of a New American Aristocracy

It's a long read (it's a cover, after all), but I thought really gets into the kind of tension this thread raises, between the virtues communities like those we live in aspire to and the economic segregation (and implicit undermining of those virtues) they embody.

The economic divide is widening. It is depressing and terrifying to live under a Trump administration. It is energizing to live in a town that went 86% for HRC. We should aspire to 100%.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/how_your_town_voted_in_the_2016_presidential_election.html

Here is the irony: the tax increases required to pay for additional demand in our schools creates a feedback loop driving out lower-income residents. School funding policy has to be changed in Trenton.

Don't hold your breath waiting for change.   The fist conversations on MOL (20 yrs ago) sounded a lot like this.

des said:
The economic divide is widening. It is depressing and terrifying to live under a Trump administration. It is energizing to live in a town that went 86% for HRC. We should aspire to 100%.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/how_your_town_voted_in_the_2016_presidential_election.html

Here is the irony: the tax increases required to pay for additional demand in our schools creates a feedback loop driving out lower-income residents. School funding policy has to be changed in Trenton.

 This.  We're lower income by Maplewood standards.  We love living here, but are squeezed into a house too small for the five of us, and since it was built in 1922 (long before the tiny house movement) it isn't one of those well designed small houses, but rather one with impractical floor plans and inadequate closet space.  We had temporarily toyed with the idea of building a second floor for a master bedroom and a second bathroom, but quickly realized that turning a two bed/one bath into a three bed/two bath would also come with a hefty tax increase, so we were either stuck with a house that we could afford but weren't comfortable in, or a house that was comfortable for a family of five that we couldn't afford.  

We closed on a new place in April, we're moving next week after school lets out and the plumber gets the new water heater connected.  We love the Maplewood/South Orange area, we love the diversity, and we're sad to move.  But putting three boys into an 8x10 bedroom, while doable now, would have become unbearable once they hit their teens.  

What do people suggest? Some of the new apartment buildings have a number of "affordable housing" units set aside for low-income people. Should we have more of those?

There would certainly be strong opposition.

What are the average and median income of families in MSO?

Higher than I thought.

https://www.bestplaces.net/economy/zip-code/new_jersey/maplewood/07040

The increasing average income in Maplewood (and South Orange) drives up some other costs of living too. Contractors for home repair can charge more, for instance, which is great for them but hard on people who are on the lower end of the income spectrum. Trying to find a plumber or electrician to do smaller repair jobs when they are busy working on $200,000 additions is hard.

I also think we're seeing costs increase in the newer restaurants that are opening. South Mountain Tavern and the Cassidy are examples. Fine for the people with higher incomes but it makes it harder for lower income folks to have the occasional night out. As excited as I am for the new beer garden in South Orange I won't be surprised if they have $12 wings and $14 soft pretzels in their appetizer menu.