In light of recent events throughout the nation, and with the progress made by the Black Lives Matter movement, we must all answer a call to action. We cannot continue to be silent in the face of injustice. It’s no longer enough to simply say that you, personally, are not racist. Instead, we must all take initiative to be actively anti-racist and combat institutionalized racism in any way.

It has recently come to our attention that the official seal of the City of Clifton features the culturally insensitive image of a Native American man in a headdress. Although we recognize that when Clifton was established this may not have been deemed to be a racist image, but it is now over a century later and times have changed. Let’s acknowledge the fact that we are living on land stolen from Native Americans, who were often murdered or forced to relocate. It is not only culturally insensitive but outright racist to have this as the official seal of our town. We urge the Clifton City Council to think about how any Native Americans currently living in Clifton, around Clifton or that may have been kicked out of Clifton may feel if this is how the city is represented on all official documents. It should also be noted that not only does the seal of Clifton feature the image of a Native American, but one of the public middle schools is named after Christopher Columbus, who contributed to the genocide of countless Native Americans. 

It is time for a change in Clifton. Let's not uphold this institutionalized racism any longer. Clifton City Council needs to change the official seal of the city on all signs and documents. We would like to suggest featuring a mustang on the seal, as that is the official mascot of Clifton High School, and will not cause any controversies.

Lastly, we would like to state that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. Something as seemingly insignificant as the seal of our hometown is actually a part of a much broader issue, of white supremacy, of institutionalized racism, and of oppression of minority groups. This petition will surely face backlash from people who want to maintain the status quo, or who will complain that we are trying to change history. To them we say, we are not trying to change the past, but instead we are trying to learn from it, so we can build a better, more inclusive future for all.

If you would like to voice your opinion as well, please do not hesitate to email the following City Officials:

peagler@cliftonnj.org

lmurphy@cliftonnj.org

rpino@cliftonnj.org

rgrabowski@cliftonnj.org

janzaldi@cliftonnj.org

msadrakula@cliftonnj.org

dvillano@cliftonnj.org

wgibson@cliftonnj.org