GlobalSOMA Launches at Words

Locals often talk about the diversity of the population in Maplewood and South Orange, but GlobalSOMA wants to take that conversation to a whole new — international — level.

As founding trustee Andrew Lee tells us, "GlobalSOMA’s distinctive mission is to focus on the increasingly international, multi-ethnic fabric of our towns, New Jersey, the New York metropolitan area, and the nation."

The organization states the following mission on its website:

Arts and Culture: To work with arts and cultural organizations and other groups to sponsor arts events, educational forums, and other activities that build awareness of the vision of South Orange and Maplewood as global suburbs and support for that vision.

Real Estate: To work with real estate brokers, the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race, the governing bodies of the towns, and others to support the global suburbs vision by developing effective, ethical, and legally appropriate strategies to market South Orange and Maplewood real estate to in-movers from New York City and other locations.

Education: To work with the school district and with other groups to publicize existing areas of excellence and to support the development of programs that support the global suburbs vision; such programs could include globally-based social studies classes and science classes that equip students to succeed in the Intel competition.

Outreach: To foster the creation of a sister organization, GlobalSuburbs, that would network with groups in neighboring communities and elsewhere in the New York metropolitan area to promote global suburbs and global cities.

The ultimate vision is "To support the rise of South Orange and Maplewood as the leading global suburbs of New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area." The group aims to help the community "have a high level of appeal to homebuyers from all over the world, including people of Asian origin, people of Latin American origin, people of African origin, and people of European origin" — by 2020.

Lee says that GlobalSOMA is committed to supporting integration in Maplewood and South Orange. However, it's different from the Community Coalition on Race and other local organizations in that its reach is beyond black and white. Lee says that GlobalSOMA "hopes and expects to network and partner with those organizations."

Lee tells us more: "Americans work, play, eat, travel and purchase globally; awareness of the intellectual underpinnings of rising Asian nations and cultures is essential to understanding new global realities."

On Thursday at 8 p.m., GlobalSOMA is launching its first Arts & Culture event with a talk at Words bookstore by Board of Education member Wayne Eastman. Eastman will discuss "Asia in Three Texts," understanding various cultures through the Tao Te Ching (East Asia); Bhagavad Gita (South Asia); and The Garden of Eden Story (“West” Asia). Eastman is a professor teaching business ethics at Rutgers Business School and has traveled and/or studied work cultures in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

To find out more, follow GlobalSOMA on Twitter @globalsomanet and Facebook GlobalSOMA, and visit the website at www.globalsoma.net.

"In the future, we hope to bring a number of other Arts & Culture events to town — a bunraku puppetry exhibition, a talk about Murdoch in the UK, etc.," said Lee. The GlobalSOMA website also mentions a children's international film festival and an international food festival. 

Besides Lee, the other founding trustees are:

Janine Bauer, J.D.; Partner, Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, P.C.; South Orange trustee; South Orange resident;

Marina Budhos, M.A.; Author; Associate Professor, William Paterson University; Maplewood resident;

Wayne Eastman, J.D.; President; Associate Professor, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick; South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education member; South Orange resident;

Nancy Gould, M.A., urban planning; Real estate broker, Keller Williams; South Orange trustee; South Orange resident;

Andree Laney, J.D.; Counsel, Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C.; South Orange resident;

Shirley Matthews, Ph.D.; Psychologist; twenty-four year Maplewood resident;

James Nathenson, CPA, MBA; Treasurer; Retired; formerly Risk Management [xxx], J.P. Morgan Chase; Maplewood resident;

Sangeeta Rao, Ph.D. candidate; Associate Director, The Center for Community Action and Research, Pace University; Maplewood resident.