EDISON, NJ (NCC NEWS) – Across the country, young people and youth organizations have led the charge for racial equality in the wake of George Floyd’s death. In Middlesex County, this is no exception, as the Middlesex County Young Democrats are proving by hosting a virtual town hall Aug. 5 with county and town officials about race in America as a whole, and in the community.
Among the speakers will be Middlesex County Freeholder Deputy Director Kenneth Armwood, along with various officials of the county’s municipalities and community leaders. One such leader is local NAACP chapter president Reginald Johnson, who credits the young people of the nation for driving the change that’s been taking place in America.
“It’s so exciting to see the youth and multiracial youth participating in this particular challenge, as I put it,” Johnson said. “This is well overdue. And I’m really hoping that this is a movement and not as they say a moment. And I think it is.”
Middlesex County contains the largest Asian American population in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the county boasts a nearly 25% Asian-American population to go along with a 22% Hispanic population and 12% African American population. Just under 42% of county residents are white. In Edison Township, the county’s largest municipality and the location of Johnson’s NAACP chapter, whites outnumbered Asian Americans by just one percentage point of the population (44% to 43%). Johnson said this raises issues of a lack of assimilation within the community, leading to division.
“You can go drive through Middlesex County, and you see certain neighborhoods being developed, and they’re self-contained enclaves,” Johnson said. “I hope that they can have the best of both worlds worlds, where they can retain their culture, but yet appreciate other cultures and work together for a common goal.”
These divisions are expected to be the main subject of discussion at the town hall, and how they have led to systemic racism. According to Johnson, systemic racism continues to plague the community in many facets.
“You see it in the hiring of police officers,” Johnson said. “You know, it’s only been recently that there’s been an effort to diversify the police departments. There’s also a stress on black businesses. And also, you see it with the school system, who’s disciplined in the school system. So we still have a lot of work to do, and I just don’t know how much of that will be addressed in the near future.”
The issue of racism in schools is expected to be discussed in greater detail at the town hall, as the issue has come to the forefront in the county as of late. The recent rise in prominence of the Instagram page “Racism in Edison Schools” has shone a light on many of the problems minority students still face.
In the end, Johnson said the purpose of events like the town hall is to keep the movement’s momentum going, even as more than two months have passed since George Floyd’s death.
“The marching is nice,” Johnson said. “Having a rally and marching is great. It has to be channeled to organization.”
