Who We Are
Who leads the Cranford Unity Project?
The initial organizers of the Cranford Unity Project (CUP) are Kristen Mosier, Patricia MacLean, Karen Bennett, Rebecca Trump, Jill Wohrle and Kate Rappa, all of whom are Cranford residents. The Project also benefited in its early stages from input from a broader group of residents and stakeholders, as well as feedback from groups with similar missions in neighboring towns.
As a group of White and Hispanic women, it’s important to recognize and address our own relative lack of diversity. For this effort to be successful, we are committed to making sure that diverse voices, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, the disabled and religious traditions, are elevated, amplified, leading and informing what the Cranford Unity Project does. We don’t see ourselves as the permanent, long-term leaders of this group. Our role in the initial phase is to coordinate and facilitate to get things off the ground. It’s critical that we pass the torch to a more diverse, grassroots-selected, leadership structure as the Project becomes more established.
In addition to a more diverse leadership structure, the Cranford Unity Project is guided by an Advisory Council. The Council is comprised of Cranford residents representative of the diverse voices we seek to elevate in our community. Through this council, the organizers commit to listening and learning in order to make sure that we are working on the issues that matter the most right now and for the future.
What We Do
What does the Cranford Unity Project do?
Our work is organized into four pillars:
Youth Education
Community Education
Public Services
Community Development
FAQs
How does the Cranford Unity Project relate to the Township Equity and Inclusivity Council?
We are a separate grassroots organization. We believe this offers us the opportunity to be more flexible, petition for more action, and advance change at the community level by being outside of official government structures. We are glad that the Township is formally working to make Cranford more diverse and inclusive and fully support the Council. We also believe there is more than enough work for both organizations to make progress. We regularly communicate our plans to the Council to ensure that we are not duplicating efforts. We are also inspired by the successful collaboration in neighboring towns between formal stakeholders and community organizations and hope to model the same.
Is the Cranford Unity Project aligned to a political party?
The Cranford Unity Project is a nonpartisan group dedicated to fostering inclusivity and equity within Cranford. All those who honor and support our mission through words and actions are welcome to join us.
A lot of recent issues focus on policing in communities. How does the Cranford Unity Project plan to work with law enforcement locally?
The Cranford Unity Project has a positive and collaborative relationship with the Cranford Police Department, who are committed to making Cranford a safer place for all residents and visitors to our town. Our goal is to work with them to offer feedback, suggestions and resources that will help to further the mission of both groups.
Can anyone be a member of the Cranford Unity Project?
Yes, we welcome all members of the community to join our events and participate in learning initiatives. In addition to this website, there is both a public Facebook and Instagram page where events and information are disseminated.
Cranford Unity Project’s private Facebook group is reserved for members who are active in our mission through their dialogue and action. There are a couple of reasons why individuals requesting to join will not be accepted:
- They have demonstrated a lack of desire to engage in difficult conversations in a thoughtful, self reflective way.
- They have taken actions that go against the group’s mission.
- They have not answered the three questions posed on the request page.
We ask that those accepted agree to articulate openly and honestly with difficult dialogue. To that end, we have posted clear guidelines for both acceptance and removal.