The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s (NNJCF) ArtsBergen announces the launch of the painting of “The Black Women’s Mural: Celebrating Black Suffragists and Black Women in Englewood” on the Women’s Rights Information Center’s building, located at 108 W. Palisade Avenue in downtown Englewood, New Jersey. The mural uses the design input from Black women in the city and the larger community.

From October 28 through November 11, the public may watch artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh paint the mural during general hours Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m. Filming of a video, sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Englewood and the Teaneck Englewood And Vicinity Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc., will document the project and mural process, as a memorable event in women’s history in Englewood. The design will be painted and revealed on the east-facing wall of The Women’s Rights Information Center building.

Fazlalizadeh, a Black-Iranian visual artist and Oklahoma City native, is a painter, whose work ranges from the gallery to the streets, using visual art to address the daily oppressive experiences of marginalized people through beautifully drawn and painted portraits. Her street art series, “Stop Telling Women to Smile”, addressing sexual harassment in public spaces, appears on walls across the globe. In 2019, she was the inaugural Public Artist in Residence for the New York City Commission on Human Rights. The New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, the New Yorker, and Time Magazine profiled her work.

Black Women’s Mural Reveal

The mural will celebrate Black women’s voices, raise awareness about Black suffragists, and encourage civil discourse within the community. The official reveal of the Black Women’s Mural takes place on November 14, 2022 at 3 p.m. in an outdoor ceremony. The Northern NJ Community Foundation and its partners invite the public to celebrate the completion of this special project driven by Englewood Black women and the Black suffragists, who inspired them.

The NNJCF’s ArtsBergen initiative is implementing the project in collaboration with these community partners: The Women’s Rights Information Center, Metro Community Center, and the Woman’s Club of Englewood. The major supporters for the project are the NNJCF, AARP New Jersey, Valley Bank, Sozosei Foundation, Visions Federal Credit Union, Age-Friendly Englewood, and PNC Bank. Learn more about the project on the Foundation’s website at https://bit.ly/AARPCommunityGrant and bit.ly/3qpZvTG.

Black Girls Empowerment Workshop

In celebration of the Black Women’s Mural Project, Arts Horizons (AH), a non-profit arts in education organization committed to enhancing the lives of people of all ages and abilities by creating equitable opportunities to engage in the arts, will host the Black Girls Empowerment workshop on Thursday, November 10, 2022. The workshop will take place at Ebenezer Baptist Church, located at 216 4th Street in Englewood, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The visual arts workshop for sixth to ninth graders will be facilitated by AH Teaching Artist Michele Baldwin, a multi-talented creative artist, storyteller, and award-winning producer/filmmaker, and explore empowerment through the lens of Black suffragists and raise awareness of their importance. In addition, participants will walk away with a mini mural keepsake they create. Parents are welcome to attend. Arts Horizons, a recipient of a Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County grant, is hosting this workshop in partnership with the NNJCF and In the Meantime.

Registration is limited. To register, complete the online Google form at https://bit.ly/3FplIJd no later than Monday, November 7, 2022 at 11:00 p.m. For more information, contact stephanie@artshorizons.org

Voter Education

The League of Women Voters will be available on Monday, October 31 and Tuesday, November 1 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 each day to Get Out the Vote. The League will answer questions and provide information to passersby about the three ways registered voters in the General Election may vote: by mail, in-person early voting, or at an assigned polling place on Election Day on November 8, 2022.

About Northern New Jersey Community Foundation

Founded in 1998, the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, focuses primarily on civic engagement, education, public health, the environment, philanthropy, and the arts. The NNJCF works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups in Northern New Jersey to improve community life. The Foundation’s partners identify and resolve regional problems and opportunities by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources.

About ArtsBergen

ArtsBergen, an initiative of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, is an arts alliance in Bergen County, New Jersey that supports and encourages creative placemaking, the practice of integrating arts and culture into a neighborhood, town, or region to build community and livability and boost local economy. The initiative’s mission is to energize and unify Bergen County artists and arts organizations and connect the communities in the region to the arts.