Past Events

Common Grounds has been co-sponsoring events with the Roxbury Public Library since 2020! Please look at all of our past events to see what we’ve done so far!

Presented in partnership with the Gay Activist Alliance of Morris County, speakers highlight historical events from 1967 to 2021 as it has applied to their own lives. Panelists will relate personal histories, including Manny’s Den Case in the Supreme Court of New Jersey (1967), Same Gender Adoption (1993-94), Marriage Equality (2015), Protection of Transgendered Students (2016), LGBTQ Senior Bill of Rights (2021), and LGBTIQ+ Veterans “Dishonorably Discharged” under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell granted legal benefits, and more.

Honoring Juneteenth, two community leaders model how to be allies & advocates, supporting anyone oppressed for race or ethnicity. Rev. Alison Miller from Morristown Unitarian Fellowship & Oliver Starnes explores what allyship implies.

Link to panel: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=254802936411950&ref=watch_permalink

The Common Grounds Ad Hoc Book Club invited anyone to join in a discussion of Love, Simon/Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, creating awareness and engagement on cultural elements outside the mainstream.
The Common Grounds Ad Hoc Book Club invited anyone to join in a discussion of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, creating awareness and engagement on cultural elements outside the mainstream.

Common Grounds held multiple virtual panel discussions revolving around the topic of race.

Roxbury is celebrated for many things, but not necessarily for its diversity.  Locals explore how Roxbury has shaped them, and offer some good notes for our future.  Moderated by Ollie Starnes; panelists include Radwa Ali, Library Director of Roxbury Public Library; Jakki Cobb,  recent Executive Secretary of the Morris County NAACP, Treasurer for Carette’s Inc., and an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Morristown Area League of Women Voters; Juan Morales, technical training manager for Samsung Electronics; Gehad Moustafa student at Roxbury High School and officer of Equal Rights Advocacy; Kristen Simon activist and board member of the Morristown Chapter of Black Lives Matter; Jade Turner, 2012 alum of Roxbury High School and musical artist.
Link to panel: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2818353695153247

This lecture connects the dehumanization of Africans during the period of the slave trade/slavery to the processes of dehumanization in the 20th and 21st centuries; presented by Dr. Lillie Edwards, Ph.D., and the post-lecture discussion moderated by Ollie Starnes.

Link to panel: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1454160294953988&ref=watch_permalink

Watch the film “Brian Banks’ then join neighbors and TCNJ Associate Professor Leigh-Anne Francis for a film review and deeper conversation on race and prisons in the US.
Link to panel: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=3234922113401864&ref=watch_permalink

A panel of local women share stories of their challenges and achievements, and the support and/or the opposition resistance they encountered along their journeys.  Moderated by Library Director Radwa Ali.  Panelists include Jakki Cobb,  recent Executive Secretary of the Morris County NAACP, Treasurer for Carette’s Inc., and an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Morristown Area League of Women Voters; Kathy DeFillippo, County Commissioner and county liaison to Human Services; Neha Mehta, works with the Department of Defense as a Primary Explosives and Detonator Team Lead for the Explosives Development Branch, Picatinny Arsenal; Laura Oliynik, stay at home mom of three who is certified in instructional supervision and as an elementary school teacher; Rachel Smith, recent graduate from TCNJ whose activism led her to co-found Roxbury Coalition for Social Change; Diane Williams, Roxbury resident and President/CEO of Jersey Battered Women’s Services.

Link to panel: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=573229213433724&ref=watch_permalink

As part of our Common Grounds series, a panel of local women share their stories and experiences to help us understand and appreciate their journeys. Some lead from the board room, some from behind the scenes, and the ones with kids are often master jugglers.  Women’s roles in society continue to evolve. Local professionals share challenges, achievements, and support or resistance they encountered. Panelists included were Jessica Harrison Calderon, Marcia Tatiana Cordeiro, Alyssa Greenberg, Nihal Hussein, Mia Lardiere, Tracey Reed, and Radwa Ali.
Link to panel: https://fb.watch/k6EPlusD1z/

Presented by Braver Angels, this workshop helped participants learn and practice skills for having respectful conversations that clarify differences, search for common ground, and affirm the importance of the relationship.

If you would like to join our team or be in the know for future events, please fill out the form below!