b'Matters heart of thematter Thingsthat Matter Since 1990 Featuring Local People, Places and PUBLISHER Honoring& EDITOR IN CHIEFEllen DonkerASSOCIATEEDITOR ourCheryl SilverADVERTISING CONSULTANTSRene Conlon CommunityH. Leslie GilmanMARKETING ASSOCIATERachael KingCOPY EDITORS Finding our way forwardNick HumezTia Swanson BY ELLEN DONKERCONTRIBUTORSLinda Beck, Adrianna Donat,David Doobinin, Donny Levit A Matters Magazine, weve al- predominating. We have suffered these past months t ways adhered to the purposewith the scourge of COVID-19. And just as we were of sharing content that is up- seeing a positive trend, we were laid flat by the mur-beatandpositive,runningder of members of our Black community. A disease articlesaboutourinterestingof the body and now a disease of the heart.neighborsandhappenings.We all have our ways of dealing with tragedy and Theyre the kind of stories thatinjustice. We protest, we pray, we cry, we speak out. reinforce the wonderful community that we live inWe confront our own beliefs, we uncover our prej-and give our readers a welcome diversion. When youudices, we write, think and read across a variety of publish seven issues a year, you dont cover breakingvoices. I think this helps us determine paths for us-news and thats fine with us. We each have our niche.ing our own sphere of influence to promote change Typically, this column is a heartfelt reflection onwhere everyone in our community is treated equally an aspect of my life that I hope readers can connectand with dignity, especially our Black members.Please address all correspondence to: withnothing too heavyyet something mean- For Matters Magazine, we strive to represent the Visual Impact Advertising, Inc. ingful, I hope. For this issue, I tried to write thatbeautifuldiversityofMaplewoodandSouthOr-P.O Box 198 column several times but it wouldnt come together.ange in our pages. The magazine should look like Maplewood, NJ 07040 Reallifethesepastfewmonthshasweighedmethe people we see at school, in our Villages and in 973-763-4900 down. I say that even as I sit in a fortunate posi- ourneighborhoods,butwedontalwayssucceed. mattersmagazine.comtion. I have lost no loved ones. My livelihood hasWe need your help to do better and move beyond info@mattersmagazine.com not been threatened. Im sheltering with a full houseour comfortable networks to engage with new ones. Matters Magazine is owned and publishedof healthy people. And I have never faced judgmentPlease: Introduce yourselves with an email, phone by Visual Impact Advertising, Inc., P.O. Box 198 Maplewood, NJ 07040. Mattersbecause of my skin color.call or direct message on Facebook and Instagram. Magazine is free, with editions direct mailedYet that is not the case for so many of our broth- Acquaint us with your local friends and colleagues. seven times a year to the residents of Maple- ers and sisters. Our world is suffering.Inform us about little-known stories whose telling wood and South Orange and distributed to businesses and surrounding communitiesIm reminded of a passage in the Bible where itwould enrich us all.totaling 16,000. Subscriptions are availablesays, If one member suffers, all suffer together withAlthough we are living in a time of unrest and sor-to non-residents for $30 (U.S.) $40 (Foreign) annually. No part of the publication may beit; if one member is honored, all rejoice togetherrow, we remain a resilient community with many rea-reprinted or otherwise reproduced withoutwith it. (I Corinthians 12:24) As people who sharesons to hope. We look forward to sharing that hope writtenpermissionfromVisualImpactthesamehumanity,weareeachaffectedbytheby continuing to lift up members of our towns and Advertising, Inc. other, for good or bad. Lately, the bad seems to becelebrating one another. We count it an honor. CIRCULATION VERIFIED BYU.S. POSTAL RECEIPTS.READ & RECYCLE8/ matters magazine / summer 2020'