History of CRG
Oakwood Avenue School was a segregated
school in 1957. Ernest and Margaret
Thompson became aware of a map showing
how city schools were gerrymandered. That
gave ammunition for a successful fight for
school desegregation.
The celebration on May 6th
started with a church service at
the First UU Church of Essex.
Joyful music was played.
Dr. Mindy Fullilove and
Reverend Yielbonzie
Johnson gave the sermon.
Some members of Thompson family at the
May 6th party. Far left, Maggie Thompson
who got things started by going to the Orange
Board of Education to get a copy of the
gerrymander map.
Happy Anniversary,
CRG, 2007
First Unitarian
Universalist Church
of Essex and Orange

May 6, 2007

In May, 2007, a day
of celebration was
held in honor of the
50th Anniversary of
the start of the effort
to desegregate
schools in Orange,
NJ. This party
celebrated the work
of Citizens for
Representative
Government and its
leaders, including
Ernest Thompson,
Dr. John Alexander,
Councilman Ben
Jones, Rebecca
Doggett, Charles
Millis and others
Ernest Thompson was a union organizer. He became
a community organizer and led the struggles for black
representation and for good government in Orange,
NJ, from 1957 until his death in 1971. His book,
Homeboy Came to Orange: A Story of People's Power,
continues to provide inspiration for the struggle in
Orange.
Commemorative
Stone
Mr. Ben Jones
CRG