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Woodbridge holds Black History Month flag-raising as Human Rights Commission highlights essay contest
Summary
Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick and the Human Rights Commission marked Black History Month with a flag-raising and presentation recognizing a fifth-grade essay contest; commissioners and council members emphasized diversity and outreach while a resident later complained about a scheduling miscommunication.
Mayor John McCormick opened a Black History Month flag-raising ceremony in the Woodbridge Township Council chambers and presented a proclamation to members of the Human Rights Commission before the group led a brief program and raised the flag outside.
The event, organized by the Human Rights Commission and the mayor’s office, highlighted the commission’s work on local issues including affordable housing, domestic violence and homelessness, and recognized the commission’s sponsorship of a fifth-grade Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest that drew entries from 15 elementary schools.
The Human Rights Commission chairman, Glenn Morgan, said the commission seeks "to create an environment that allows all of our citizens of every ethnicity to have an outlet to voice their concerns related to their human rights." Morgan noted the essays focused on themes of diversity, equity and inclusion and said choosing a single winner from 15 submissions was difficult because of the submissions’ quality and detail.
Councilman Kyle Anderson, the first Black council member elected in recent Woodbridge history, praised the renewed commission and said "black history is American history," urging continued community conversation and inclusion. Council President Corey Spiller and other council members also commended the commission and the township’s communications team for producing daily vignettes about local Black leaders on the township website and social media.
During the public comment period later in the meeting, resident Michelle Burwell said people had arrived expecting a 5:30 p.m. start time for the flag raising and that a miscommunication left some attendees outside while the ceremony began at 5:00 p.m. Burwell asked the administration to be more mindful and accurate in its public notices. Municipal officials responded that the ceremony time was advertised on the township website and that a separate special budget meeting scheduled at 5:30 p.m. accounted for the council’s internal timing that evening.
The mayor and council encouraged residents to view the Human Rights Commission’s materials and the township’s vignettes online and invited the public to participate in commission meetings, which Morgan said are posted on the township website.
Morgan and several council members reiterated that the commission organizes community events including the Martin Luther King essay contest and works with local clubs and schools to expand civic engagement.
The ceremony concluded with the commission receiving a plaque and a group photo, then moving outside for the flag raising.
