NBRJC Membership

Anyone may apply to become a member of NBRJC. There is no fee for membership, and it expires two years from the date of issuance. 

Prospective members must agree to our core principles and pledge to uphold them. We also require members to answer a few questions about their interest in the organization.

NBRJC members have a variety of privileges which include the following:

• Endorsement of Candidates: Members may cast one vote to endorse a candidate for local, state or federal office. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker vote is held.

• Propose By-Law Amendments: Members may propose amendments to the organization’s bylaws. Any changes to the bylaws must pass with a ⅔ vote among voting members.

• Develop Events through the organization: The Board of Directors must unanimously approve any member-submitted events.

• Create Committees: The Board of Directors must unanimously approve all proposed committees.

NBRJC Membership Policy:

During the course of the membership, members are required to maintain good standing. To maintain good standing, members must attend at least two monthly membership meetings and two political education sessions per year. Failure to fulfill this requirement may result in the suspension of member privileges for the subsequent year and/or term. A member who does not meet these requirements by the end of their first year of membership will lose their voting rights for six months. Continuous absence from the coalition may result in membership termination. The secretary of the Board will be responsible for maintaining attendance to ensure all members remain in good standing.

In the event that a member is violating our core principles or engaging in abusive behavior, the Board may vote to remove this member. The removal of a member requires a unanimous board vote.

Our Core Principles:

We believe in a broad definition of community that includes community members who are houseless, incarcerated and/or undocumented. When we say “our Community” we are referring to New Britain and the surrounding towns, loosely defined.

We believe in prioritizing care for the most marginalized members of our community. We believe in the equitable distribution of resources to this end.

We believe that decision-making should not be concentrated in the hands of a few. People in positions of power should be actively engaging with community members and ensuring the decision-making process is accessible to all community members.

We believe education in our community goes both ways. Community members must educate and listen to one another.

We believe in holding community members who cause harm to others accountable for their actions.

We believe that white supremacy and systemic racism are deeply imbricated in almost every local, state and federal institution.

We believe that you cannot separate racism from classism and sexism.  We believe that eradicating racism also requires us to eradicate sexism, classism, transphobia, homophobia and all other forms of oppression.

We believe that poverty is not a crime or an individual failure. It is the intentional outcome of a system that prioritizes money and profit over human beings. We must invest in our social infrastructure and divest from institutions that criminalize poor people and people of color.