Pascack Valley, Hills High Schools Remove Racist Mascots Pascack Valley, Hills High Schools Remove Racist Mascots
Pascack Valley, Hills High Schools Remove Racist Mascots Two Bergen County sports teams are no longer named the Cowboys and Indians. The Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education voted unanimously to remove the nicknames and logos during Monday's virtual meeting. The teams will be assigned new names in a “thoughtful and expeditious manner," according to the PHHS student newspaper. "This decision was in response to ongoing presentations and discussions with students, faculty, staff, and administration regarding how such mascots are not inline with the district goal of equity and inclusivity," the BOE said.  "The P…
Bergen County Students Launch BLM Website For Tri-State Area Activists Bergen County Students Launch BLM Website For Tri-State Area Activists
Bergen County Students Launch BLM Website For Tri-State Area Activists A pair of Bergen County high school students whose parents feared for their safety at rallies took activism into their own hands with the launch of a website dedicated raising awareness toward the Black Lives Matter movement. Upon recognizing need for a localized BLM resource, Rayyan Ahmed, 15, of Waldwick and Divyash Shah, 14, of Tenafly jumped to action -- bringing BLM NJ online last week. Ahmed and Shah, both rising sophomores at Bergen County Academies, initially wanted to dive headfirst into the movement through active participation in protests and riots. That idea didn’t sit well wit…
Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester
Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester A string of racist insults on Facebook against a young Asian-American protester has cost a volunteer of nearly 45 years his ranking positions with the Leonia Fire Department. It began with a post by a fellow firefighter of a photo taken during a protest in Leonia against the death of George Floyd. A young woman in the photo holds a sign that says “F(***) THE POLICE”. "To my Leonia people, who is this and how do you think this is peaceful?" a comment attached to the photo asked. A thread of nearly 300 comments followed -- many sharing the poster’s anger -- before the June 8 post was remove…
Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface
Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface Amid growing public discussions of race and racism, a theater company in North Jersey has apologized publicly for its use of blackface in a production that has relied on the makeup as a plot point. “Even though no harm was meant, we sincerely apologize for any offense,” the owners of the Rhino Theatre in Pompton Lakes wrote in a social media post. In question is Rhino’s 2018 production of the 1986 Ken Ludwig comedy “Lend Me a Tenor,” about an opera company that stages Verdi’s “Otello.” In the play, a white opera company assistant must assume the role of the lead character, who is Moroccan.…
Photographer Captures Precious Moment During Jersey City Rally Photographer Captures Precious Moment During Jersey City Rally
Photographer Captures Precious Moment During Jersey City Rally Wendy Setzer was wandering through Pedestrian Plaza during Jersey City's peaceful protest last Tuesday when her eyes were drawn to two toddlers. One girl is black. The other is white. Both appear blissfully unaware of the reason their parents brought them to the rally that day. It was the first time the girls and their moms had ever met. But they were all fast friends. The best part? Setzer got it all on camera. "What made it a great shot is there are people looming in the background, adults with masks on, and  these kids oblivious to what's going on and enjoying each other's company," s…
HelloFresh Cuts Ties With Bergen County Native Lea Michele Amid Racism Allegation HelloFresh Cuts Ties With Bergen County Native Lea Michele Amid Racism Allegation
HelloFresh Cuts Ties With Bergen County Native Lea Michele Amid Racism Allegation HelloFresh ended its partnership with Tenafly native Lea Michele amid a racism accusation made by her former "Glee" costar. Michele on Monday tweeted her support for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement when Samantha Ware accused her of making her life a "living hell" while working together on the sixth season of the show.  “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET,” Ware, 28, said in the tweet. “I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD ‘S–T IN MY WIG!’ AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGR…
Racial, Prejudiced Text Messages Between Paramus Students Prompt Investigation Racial, Prejudiced Text Messages Between Paramus Students Prompt Investigation
Racial, Prejudiced Text Messages Between Paramus Students Prompt Investigation Paramus police and school officials are investigating a series of racial remarks shared by students on social media in light of the recent events following the death of George Floyd. The screenshots of a group text messages were widely circulated on social media. At least two people sent racist and prejudiced messages against members of the gay community, women and black people. “The Paramus Board of Education, the administration, staff, student body, community, and many others outside of Paramus are justifiably outraged by these messages,” Superintendent Michele Robinson said. Paramu…
Report: Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Resigns After Racist Facebook Remark Report: Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Resigns After Racist Facebook Remark
Report: Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Resigns After Racist Facebook Remark A dispatcher with the Woodbridge Township Police Department resigned after he was suspended for posting a racist comment on Facebook, according to media reports. Marc Repace was immediately suspended once the department confirmed the incident had occurred, NJ.com reports. Repace submitted his resignation Monday after his Facebook remarks came to light, the article says. The dispatcher commented on a photo of an 8-year-old boy at a Boston protest in messages with a Woodbridge resident.  The boy is pictured holding a sign saying: “At what age do I go from handsome to a threat?" Rep…
Bergen Sheriff Boosts Patrols At Temples, Surrounding Areas Bergen Sheriff Boosts Patrols At Temples, Surrounding Areas
Bergen Sheriff Boosts Patrols At Temples, Surrounding Areas Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton boosted patrols at synagogues and surrounding areas Wednesday in response to the Jersey City gun battle a day earlier that took the lives of a hero police officer and three innocent civilians. "While there is no specific or credible threat at this time," Cureton said, his staff is "operating on heightened alert and is working cooperatively with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of Bergen County residents. "The men and women of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office express our deepest condolences to the Jersey City Police Department on the loss of …
In Lawsuit, Black Linden Firefighters Say Ex-Chief Regularly Used 'N-Word' In Lawsuit, Black Linden Firefighters Say Ex-Chief Regularly Used 'N-Word'
In Lawsuit, Black Linden Firefighters Say Ex-Chief Regularly Used 'N-Word' A lawsuit was filed in Union County Superior Court this week alleging that Linden allowed its fire department to become a "racist environment."  The suit, announced at a press conference hosted by the New Jersey Clergy Coalition for Justice, was filed by two former firefighters, both African-American, who say they were regularly exposed to racist treatment, including use of the N-word by the former chief, Joseph Dooley.  The firefighters, Joseph Braxton and Mark Bullock, say that they were exposed to racist jokes and comments on a near-daily basis and were then threatened when the…
After Racist Comments Surface, Calls For Renaming Elizabeth's Reagan Academy After Racist Comments Surface, Calls For Renaming Elizabeth's Reagan Academy
After Racist Comments Surface, Calls For Renaming Elizabeth's Reagan Academy A college student and Democratic Party activist has started a petition calling for the Ronald Reagan Academy in Elizabeth to be renamed after a recording of the 40th president referring to Africans as "monkeys" emerged a few weeks ago.  Ricky Castaneda, 21, launched the petition on Change.org and hopes to have it signed by 1,000 people in time for the next Elizabeth Board of Education meeting Aug 22.  "In [the] wake of the damaging October 1971 racist phone conversation between Governor Ronald Reagan and President Richard Nixon that recently surfaced, outraged human/civil rights a…
'Racist, Islamophobic' Tweets Spark Review Of Sussex County College, Republican Party Trustee 'Racist, Islamophobic' Tweets Spark Review Of Sussex County College, Republican Party Trustee
'Racist, Islamophobic' Tweets Spark Review Of Sussex County College, Republican Party Trustee Sussex County officials are investigating a series of racist and offensive tweets and memes shared on the county's Republican party's Twitter account. The county's Republican committee chairman Jerry Scanlan is "under scrutiny" for the tweets that targeted Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, whom President Trump recently suggested they should be deported, NJ.com reports. GOP trustees vowed to review the tweets after audience members spoke out at a Tuesday meeting, which Scanlan of Hopatcong did not attend. One of the t…