“What Can We Do?”

After the heartbreaking 2016 election, residents of Maplewood, South Orange, and neighboring communities were searching for answers to that question.

 

A few dozen people came together to create SOMA Action, with the goal of channeling our communities’ concern into effective action.

Since then, we’ve become a force for progressive change in SOMA and across New Jersey.

 

Explore the links below to learn more about SOMA Action’s approach, leadership, and accomplishments.

About Our Work

Learn about how we drive progressive change

Board of Trustees

Meet our Executive Committee and Trustees

What We’ve Done

Read about a few of our key accomplishments

2020 Year in Review

A look back at highlights of this historic year

 About Our Work

SOMA Action’s mission is to drive progressive change. We believe change will happen through:

  • Changing structures to open democracy for all

  • Creating a just and equitable society and government at all levels

  • Motivating climate justice

  • Building a more educated, informed and politically active community

Our work is focused in three areas:

  • We educate and inform within these audiences:

    • SOMA Action Trustees, Committee Chairs and members

    • Residents of South Orange, Maplewood and surrounding communities

    • Elected and appointed officials and candidates for office

  • We activate and mobilize progressive community members by providing multiple points of entry to increase their engagement in the political process through:

    • Organizing and attending protests

    • Calling and writing elected officials

    • Attending public meetings

    • Writing op-eds

    • Registering voters

    • Amplifying actions of ally groups

  • We exert policy and electoral influence to gain more progressive representation at every level of government through:

    • Making the voting process more fair and accessible

    • Canvassing

    • Phone banking

    • GOTV efforts

    • Endorsements of candidates

    • Holding elected officials accountable

Board of Trustees

 

SOMA Action Trustee Meeting, January 2021

Executive Committee

Jessica James  President

Geneva Paul   Treasurer

Allison Posner   Secretary

Sean Bailey At Large

Ritu Pancholy At Large

Trustees

Teddy Ames

Natalie Cox Crandall

Lisa Davis

Jeremy Dobrish

Laura Farmer

Brent Garren

Joann Gaughran

Holly Gauthier

Amy Higer

Karen Kanan Corrêa

Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad

Erika Malinoski

Tara Mallon

Becky Morrison

Stanley Varon

Barbara Velazquez

Kyle Younger

What We’ve Done

Some examples of SOMA Action’s key activities and accomplishments:

  • Issued candidates’ questionnaires for municipal, state legislature, congressional and Board of Education elections, enabling candidates to address key issues

  • Sponsored roundtable discussions for municipal elections in which candidates meet in small groups with residents

  • Briefed Essex County Freeholders on voting machine technology, leading to the county’s purchase of hand-written paper ballots with optical scanners

  • Organized official sister march of the DC March for Racial Justice, inviting speakers from a range of progressive causes and attracting 150-200 participants

  • Helped defeat multiple fossil fuel projects, including proposed pipelines through the Pinelands and Raritan Bay, as part of the EmpowerNJ coalition

  • Led the effort to help South Orange become a Sanctuary Town and worked with Maplewood police on shaping similar immigrant-friendly policies

  • Sent hundreds of volunteers to canvass in nearby 2018 Congressional races (NJ-3, NJ-7, NJ-11) and 2019 State Legislature races (LD26)

  • Organized a “Stop the Bans” rally and march in Maplewood, drawing well over 100 people to protest the new wave of abortion bans

  • Stood up against violent acts of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, organizing vigils in solidarity with victims of the Pittsburgh and New Zealand shootings

  • Marched against the Essex County’s contract with ICE, and sent dozens of members to speak against the contract at Freeholders meetings