About

One Hillsborough (also known as Community Conversations) is a coalition of community groups, residents, students, likeminded organizations, and businesses who are committed to strengthening the social fabric: to foster goodwill, cooperation and understanding and contribute to the social and cultural diversity of our community. We promote a society where everyone —regardless of age, race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, religion, or political affiliation— has opportunity to interact, learn, strengthen and/or build new relationships and find a sense of belonging. Our guiding principles are:

• respect, recognition, and reciprocity
• equal rights 
• racial literacy 
• oneness of humanity (not othering)
• spiritual reality 
• kindness, diversity, inclusion
• broadening our social spaces
• non partisan (no political endorsements)

As of 1/5/2023, One Hillsborough is a domestic non-profit corporation in accordance with New Jersey State Law, identification number 0450907343.

What are One Hillsborough’s Objectives?

1. To promote social and cultural diversity by addressing bias based on age, race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, religion, or political affiliation:

• to provide an informal mechanism to resolve unresolving complaints
• to advocate for and with the under-represented and marginalized
• to support education about bias, othering, racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion

2. To initiate and support constructive dialogue within the township on equity, diversity, and inclusion:

• to support education programs that foster open and effective dialogues
• to promote and protect civil rights
• to explore our common spiritual connections across our community

3. To advise the Hillsborough Township Committee, and/or local police and municipal departments to address tensions in the community and to ensure employees, residents and visitors of all backgrounds and circumstances are safe, welcome, respected, and treated in an equitable manner.

Reflecting our increasingly diverse town, One Hillsborough supports many community dialogues and collaborates with all local community services providers, groups, and organizations to facilitate access and opportunity for all, particularly to those from underrepresented and unheard groups, without any boundaries of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, or political affiliation to enhance Hillsborough’s reputation of one of “the best places to live” for everyone.

Who does One Hillsborough collaborate with?

One Hillsborough partners and supports all forums and channels to facilitate access and opportunity for all, and particularly to those from underrepresented and unheard groups.

Our collaborations to date include:

• Community Conversations
• Hillsborough Township
• Hillsborough Police Department
• YMCA of Greater Somerset County
• Hillsborough School District
• Hillsborough Middle School
• HHS Student Diversity Initiative
• HHS Muslim Student Association
• HHS Black Student Union
• HHS TEDEd Club
• Peer Mentors of Hillsborough High School
• HMS Cares (club for an Anti-Racist and Equitable School)
• Hillsborough Education Association
• Allegra School of Music & Arts
• Hillsborough Black Parents & Citizens Coalition
• Hillsborough Municipal Alliance (combatting substance abuse)
• BoroSafe (suicide-prevention)
• Safe+Sound (to empower survivors of domestic abuse)
• Our Revolution Hillsborough
• In progress: Houses of Worship and faith groups.

As we explore further collaborations, we thank everyone for their efforts to make Hillsborough a welcoming town for all.

one-hillsborough / hillsboroughcommons (this website) provides a loose framework for different paths of social action to strengthen the social fabric in Hillsborough.

Individuals, small groups (or even other social organizations) can use this framework to develop, announce and report on their plans, interests, goals and schedule of (mostly) informal get-togethers. 

Of course topics may vary. This diversity of approaches, interests and expressions reflects the reality of our common diversity – yet provides a way for all of us to stay informed, participate and stay acquainted with each other.

Conversation Paths are independently organized efforts within the community conversations framework.

Our site section Explore reflects where our attention is currently. Any related events or efforts will generally be listed on the Events page.

2018

In the Summer of 2018, a handful of individuals got together over breakfast to discuss some concerns about living in Hillsborough. While our town had some definite positives, some practical concerns included: not knowing enough people in our community; not having any contact outside of a tiny group of like-minded; the prevalence domestic violence; substance abuse among youth and adults; bullying; generally feeling lonely or unsafe; and finding our local institutions mostly unable or unwilling to address these concerns. Our breakfasts became a monthly recurring conversation, who, how and what steps could be made to improve our social fabric.

2019

A first public event, Turning the Pages of Hillsborough, was held on June 1st, 2019 at the Hillsborough Public Library. It explored Hillsborough's history of the people, places, and culture. Guest speakers included Beverly Mills and Elaine Bucks, authors of If These Stones Could Talk; HHS students working towards building a catalog of human stories from our town; HHS TED-Ed speakers discussing their own journey and how it relates to history. There were musical and art presentations. Local stakeholders included BOROSafe, Safe+Sound Somerset, the Hillsborough-Millstone Municipal Alliance. The event was well received by the 70 participants, and the breakout sessions were effective in allowing more people to talk to more people while learning about our town.

2020

In January of 2020, Community Conversations and the newly formed HHS Student Diversity Ititiative co-hosted the 4^th National Day of Racial Healing at the media center of Hillsborough High School to bring people together in our common humanity and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world. This day was established in 2017 by more than 550 leaders from around the United States and is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

HHS students facilitated the break-out sessions and art students shared some of their art on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Covid-19 ground everything to a halt in March 2020. School, meetings, and work moved mostly online for the next 15 months, and our conversations also continued through zoom. An online guided dialogue in six sessions about race was held online. Ten weeks later, Black Lives Matter demonstrations erupted throughout the country. Hundreds of Hillsborough locals attended the demonstration and kneeled in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to commemorate the murder of George Floyd around the intersection of Amwell Road and Route 206 on June 6, 2020. 

2021 – 2022

As in-person life slowly resumed, Community Conversations participated in the Hillsborough Mental Health fairs in February of 2021 and May of 2022. As our conversational community grew and became more diverse, a private social network was added to provide additional ways for more people to stay informed and connected without the need to always attend an event or meeting in person.

Two private screenings were held of the documentary Me, The Other with the movie’s director Majidi’s attending through zoom and later in person. The movie was subsequently shown in other local venues.

In June, we participated at the inaugural and second Juneteenth commemorations in Somerville and the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum in Skillman respectively.

Some serious local incidents involving our own local institutions came to our attention:

• student censorship over a Black Lives Matter poster at the Hillsborough Middle School
• two local police-involved fatal shooting incidents (January and March 2022)
• racial harassment of an African American family by a white neighbor for over two years without an appropriate remedy from the Hillsborough PD or the County Prosecutor's Office
• mis-reporting and suspected bias by some police officers

After attending a formal Hillsborough Township Committee meeting to share some of these concerns, two informal meetings were held with the Mayor, the Township Administrator and Police Department representatives. Community Conversations advocated for review, how to better tackle assistance for families being harassed by their neighbors and how to try to find (at least partial) solutions with more public engagement. As of December 2022, most of these incidents are unresolved.

In the Summer of 2022, Community Conversations decided collectively to rename our loosely knit community to One Hillsborough and get slightly more organized and connect with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, the NJ Division on Civil Rights, and filed formal complaints with the NJ Division of Criminal Justice.

As the harassment case had been ongoing without resolution and questions lingered about the reporting bias within parts of the Police Department, Community Conversations engaged in stronger advocacy and attended another formal Township Committee meeting on September 13^th, 2022, to reinforce strong support for diversity, equity, inclusion and taking a stand against racism and bigotry. The Hillsborough Township Committee appointed a liaison to One Hillsborough to explore ways to collaborate.

[Video (excerpt) of ten citizens speaking about this at https://youtu.be/wGefMBYq5pk?t=1]

One Hillsborough proposed to host a recurring town-wide platform for community conversations in collaboration with Hillsborough Township, community services providers and other organizations to allow for equal communication in a more informal setting, to enable sharing concerns about any topic in our town, and keep this conversation updated three or four times a year. 

Even older signs

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Continued teasing out

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First planned event

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is One Hillsborough?

One Hillsborough is a coalition of community groups, residents, students, likeminded organizations, and businesses who are committed to strengthening the social fabric: to foster goodwill, cooperation and understanding and contribute to the social and cultural diversity of our community.  We promote a society where everyone —regardless of age, race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, religion, or political affiliation— has opportunity to interact, learn, strengthen and/or build new relationships and find a sense of belonging. Our guiding principles are:

• respect, recognition, and reciprocity
• equal rights
• racial literacy
• oneness of humanity (not othering)
• spiritual reality
• kindness, diversity, inclusion
• broadening our social spaces
• nonpartisan (no political endorsements)

As of 1/5/2023, One Hillsborough is a domestic non-profit corporation in accordance with New Jersey State Law, identification number 0450907343.

What are One Hillsborough’s Objectives?

1. To promote social and cultural diversity by addressing bias based on age, race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, religion, or political affiliation. In particular: to provide an informal mechanism to resolve unresolving complaints; to advocate for and with the under-represented and marginalized; and to support education about bias, othering, addressing racism, equity, diversity and inclusion through the use of workshops, presentations and events.
2. To initiate and support constructive dialogue within the Township on equity, diversity and inclusion. In particular: to support education programs that foster open and effective dialogues about race relations; to promote and protect civil rights through community dialogues and/or collaboration with other organizations; and to explore spiritual connections across community the community, expanding education across different faiths.
3. Advise the Hillsborough Township Committee, and/or Local Police and Municipal departments to ensure employees, residents and visitors of all backgrounds and circumstances are safe, welcome, and respected, and treated in an equitable manner. This includes initiating and improving programs to address tensions in the community; recommending policies, procedures and programs that will mitigate and eliminate all types of discrimination in Hillsborough.

Who does One Hillsborough collaborate with?

One Hillsborough partners and supports all forums and channels to facilitate access and opportunity for all, and particularly to those from underrepresented and unheard groups.

Our collaborations to date include:

• Community Conversations
• Hillsborough Township
• Hillsborough Police Department
• YMCA of Greater Somerset County
• Hillsborough School District
• Hillsborough Middle School
• HHS Student Diversity Initiative
• HHS Muslim Student Association
• HHS Black Student Union
• HHS TEDEd Club
• Peer Mentors of Hillsborough High School
• HMS Cares (club for an Anti-Racist and Equitable School)
• Hillsborough Education Association
• Allegra School of Music & Arts
• Hillsborough Black Parents & Citizens Coalition
• Hillsborough Municipal Alliance (combatting substance abuse)
• BoroSafe (suicide-prevention)
• Safe+Sound (to empower survivors of domestic abuse)
• Our Revolution Hillsborough
• In progress: Houses of Worship and faith groups.

What is social cohesion?

Social cohesion refers to the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity among members of a community. A strong social fabric provides many opportunities to interact, learn, strengthen, and build new relationships and find a sense of belonging and support, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability, religion, or political affiliation.

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a conceptual framework that promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been under-represented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc. Expanded abbreviations are also sometimes used to emphasize an additional element: DEIJ (DEI+Justice) and DEIB (DEI+Belonging).

What is Black Lives Matter?

Black Lives Matter is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people.

Is One Hillsborough only concerned with racism?

No. One Hillsborough is focused on our common thread of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all residents of Hillsborough, which includes many other current (January 2023) areas of interest:

• racial literacy
• improving our environment
• roots of hillsborough
• books, podcasts and shows we learn from
• mental wellness
• lgbtqia
• spiritual wellness

Any more questions?

Please send to onehillsboroughnj@gmail.com so we can add it to this list!

Updated 20230921/pr

1. Mailing List

We announce events and any developments and progress on specific goals through our email list service. Expect about one or two emails a month (at most). This is a private service, and your email address is secure and can not be seen by anyone except our admins (to actually send this email).
You can subscribe to our mailing list here:

NOTE: To unsubscribe just click on the link at the end of any list email you receive.

2. Social Media

One Hillsborough supports events; both our own and those hosted by affiliated efforts. Our two social media accounts:

 One Hillsborough on facebook

 One Hillsborough on instagram

3. Email

You can email us directly at onehillsboroughnj@gmail.com

4. Private Social Network

Note: We have ended this experiment of having our own private network

Our own private network? Why yes! What this means: we own it, we control it, it's free, no snooping, and no advertising, while  enabling anyone to participate, contribute, initiate or engage without having to check calendars, attend meetings etc. It is yet another way to share our hopes, ideas, courses, discussions and stay informed.

One-time (free!) email registration is required for this to work and it can work on all your mobile devices (notifications and messaging available) if you want to download the Mighty Networks app, available for both iOS and Android.

Among the more practical tools that this offers:

• We've got polls, prompts, posts, and questions that can bring more people into conversation.
• We've got Topics to organize our activity, Search to find what we're looking for, and Save Post for you to quickly come back to your favorites.
• You can send quick direct messages. You can also post and have threaded conversations.
• We can organize virtual sessions (zoom integration!) and events.
• We can keep conversations and messaging going before, during, and after our events, and allow anyone to get informed easily when joining at a later time.

It is (no longer) here: conversations.hillsboroughcommons.org