What’s in a name?
It’s so important that for the past 18 months, the California Conference for Equality and Justice has been on a journey to update its name and logo.
“We surveyed more than 100 youth and adult stakeholders for input and feedback,” said Reena Hajat Carroll, CCEJ’s executive director. “We are proud of our board and staff for selecting a powerful new name — Confluence Rising.”
Hajat Carroll explained that, in its literal definition, a confluence is the place where things merge or flow together.
“Confluence,” she added, “also describes a coming together of people or ideas, referring to a meeting or gathering point. It can also describe the meeting of rivers or bodies of water, an image that is echoed in our new logo.”
“Rising,” meanwhile, represents the “transformative power of CCEJ’s mission to educate and empower youth and adults to lead change for equity and justice in our communities,” Hajat Carroll said.
The organization, Hajat Carroll said, deeply respects and honors its nearly 100 years of history.
“We carry our lineage with us, from our beginnings as the National Conference for Christians and Jews (1927), to the National Conference (1990), to the National Conference for Community and Justice (1995),” she said, “to our most recent evolution as the California Conference for Equality and Justice (2005).”
She called the new name “an exciting evolution.”
In a letter to supporters, Hajat Carroll and Long Beach Councilmember Megan Kerr, chair of CCEJ’s board of directors, said the work of Confluence Rising “will 100% mirror the activities of CCEJ and NCCJ: we will connect, educate and transform youth and adults to build systems toward greater equity and justice.”
Confluence Rising, Hajat Carroll and Kerr said, “will continue to offer Building Bridges Camp and Restorative Justice Youth Diversion, along with anti-hate awareness activities and adult training and coaching for equity and inclusion.”