This past Saturday, for the second consecutive year, a township-sanctioned Black Lives Matter banner was raised in Livingston. It will hang at the corner of South Livingston Avenue and Northfield Road for the duration of Black History Month. Its unveiling was one of several events scheduled by the Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion to commemorate the month.Additionally, LCDI member Simone Anthony-Brown is hosting an “African American Artist” series on the group’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/LCDINJ). The final two parts of this series will be held on the last two Mondays of the month, February 21 and 28, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Artists Sam Gilliam and Varnette Honeywood will be featured, while Synthia St. James was highlighted earlier this month.Finally, a “fireside chat” will be shown on the LCDI Facebook page at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 17. Lucien Holness, a history professor at Virginia Tech University will discuss Black history, specifically the “first emancipation” and how African Americans in 1780s Pennsylvania pressed for freedom.We encourage residents who pass by the Black Lives Matter banner this month to take a moment and reflect about what it stands for, and the significance of it hanging in our township, with permission of town officials. A few years ago, official support of that banner may have been hard to come by. Just last year, hanging the banner was met with blowback by a small but vocal minority, and some individuals even contacted the Tribune to express their displeasure of us covering the event. So, while we may be able to point to progress being made, there is undoubtedly much work left to be done.Livingston prides itself on being a fair and welcoming community for all of its residents, and in many ways it is exactly that. But there is still room for improvement. That can start during Black History Month, by attending these events, participating, listening, and learning.
