- [Promoter] Major funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group.

Serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years, and by the PSEG Foundation.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] - Good evening and welcome to a special edition of NJ Spotlight News on this Thanksgiving, I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For more than a year now, we've had the incredible opportunity to introduce you to people who are contributing to their communities in extraordinary ways through our digital documentary film series 21.

21 profiles one person in each of our 21 counties and the series examines the simple question of does where you live in the state affect how you live.

An this Thanksgiving, we wanna introduce you to several more New Jerseyans who are giving back and their communities are more than grateful.

First up, is Laura Choi with her unwavering love and courage, she embodies the change she wants to see in Warren County.

Laura is all about creating inclusive communities where everyone's stories are valued.

She's a champion of educational equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and mental health.

She strives for a brighter tomorrow free of conditions and qualifications for belonging.

Meet Laura.

[upbeat music] - There isn't a singular story for any one of us, for any one person, any one group of people.

I think at the core of my being I'll always be seeking to create communities to form communities.

I think it's because I live here in Warren County and that I have lived a different story and I find myself to tell a different story, to show people that there are other stories.

[upbeat music] And I think those stories are critically important to be told.

[upbeat music] My grandpa had a shop, a print shop, that was like right there behind you.

Turn around, look at that.

- Oh.

- You see that one?

At that time, this was his shop was the only Chinese business on this block.

[somber music] I came to the United States when I was six from Shanghai, China.

We've always been legal residents, gone through the immigration process.

My grandparents lived in Chinatown.

Just learning about immigration patterns and policies and how different groups of people came to America.

My family's part of the story of America.

I grew up in Queens in New York City.

Grew up around all kinds of immigrants.

The diversity was just what I thought was normal.

When I went to college, it was a bit of a culture shock.

All of a sudden I felt like I didn't belong and I was perceived as different.

I think that's when I started to investigate and to just really try to learn why some people always belonged and some people didn't.

When we first arrived here in Warren County, my oldest was in third grade and she was one of few students of color in the school.

It was not very diverse at the time, but there's definitely been a demographic shift over the past 10 years, but I'm not so sure that the culture is catching up with it.

Very charged political atmosphere we've had over the past four or five years has just been a microcosm of those things happening right here in this little community.

2017 was a really hard year.

The rights that we just Americans thought we had.

Women's rights and rights of LGBTQ students, rights of students to be safe in the classroom have just been challenged.

In 2017, my child came out as a transgender person and then I realized that the world just was not safe for my kid to exist.

My child was no longer in the school district, but I just wanted to be sure that it was safe for other kids.

So, I am on the school board in our township.

My passion is educational equity.

So here we are in the school.

We have to drive through a neighborhood to get to the school.

[somber music] I saw how important it was that our students see a teacher that looks like them or hear stories that's not generally reflected in their textbooks and their curriculum.

In education, there's an analogy about windows and mirrors, how we learn the curriculum that's reflected to us.

They're either windows into a world that we don't know and we're becoming aware of, or they're mirrors that reflects back to us that tell, you know, that we find ourselves in those stories, and both are necessary.

For people of color, we've only seen our curriculum through Windows and not mirrors.

White European children they've only seen through mirrors and not windows.

And so, while we're here telling them that like another window exists, oftentimes, you know, we don't get believed, right?

Like they're like, oh no.

When these stories become normalized in everybody's life and education and awareness, like, you know, that's how we erase the other.

Love this one about it, Chinese immigrant girl learning English.

I'm like, yes, that's me.

[Laura laughing] New Jersey's only the second state to mandate Asian American history curriculum.

And I was part of the effort to advocate and push for that.

I wanted to make sure that our district was safe, that we had policies in place to protect kids and just, you know, have a seat at the table.

Okay, but maybe they'll get to know each other and maybe they'll be friends.

Okay.

It wasn't until I was in seminary and went to Princeton Theological Seminary that I saw that there could be a different possibility for me.

And not introduce myself as, "Hi, I'm the pastor's wife."

My faith demands that I love my neighbor period.

You're so loved.

There's no qualification, there's no condition.

People should not have to earn their inclusion, earn their belonging.

Radical love comes with no conditions.

Do you need a hug too?

- Can I get a mom hug?

- You need a mom hug.

- Oh, the one I don't get.

- Well, I'll be your mom.

I want a different story for my kid.

One that's full of more possibilities and more hope.

Two major things that I identify with now that is not a part of the conversation or the culture at all in the Asian American community, is LGBTQ inclusion and mental health.

I think I just find myself in all these spaces and opportunities where I can affirm people's existence.

I wanted to affirm my own child's existence, even though at the time, like she didn't feel she deserved to exist, and that was really, really hard.

I think we went through a couple years of me fearing that my kid won't live into adulthood.

Think about how much beauty can be created when we move beyond the discomfort, when we move beyond fear.

Where I live in Warren County now definitely affects how I live.

I love that this is a space that we can all share and live in together and we have to find a different way to be a community.

What we all long for is a safe community where our children can grow up into decent human beings and have decent education and be safe.

And so, I think these are common grounds that we can agree on.

Guys, that's such good imagination.

[upbeat music] At the end of the day, I wanna create communities where everyone feel like they belong and that all of their stories matter.

My hope and my vision that I do what I do, not to wait for the world to change, but embody the change now that we need to create that normal within ourselves.

I think the courageous work needs to continue to create those spaces, because there's always going to be resistance.

Within a community, interpersonally, we can all extend that love and that grace and radical inclusion.

[upbeat music] - Now, down to Gloucester County, where native Laura Baldwin embrace her journey with Tourette Syndrome and has been educating others since her initial diagnosis in sixth grade.

Through soccer and her local TOP Sports program, she found refuge, a space to connect with, and inspire special needs children encouraging them to embrace their uniqueness.

She emphasizes the importance of focusing on the person beyond their diagnosis.

Meet Anna.

[somber music] - My first tick started when I was, actually about two or three.

You know, I would punch my shoulders, I would click my shoulders together, I would scream actually.

So, if you see somebody who is having ticks, just recognize that they're not doing it for attention and they're not doing it because they want to do it.

Really just try to ignore the ticks and focus on the person.

[gentle music] [gentle music continues] I had such a great childhood.

Being in Gloucester County, it's a fun mix of things.

You know, we're close to Philadelphia, we're not far from the beach, but there's also a lot of farmlands.

It really is such a great place to live.

I plan to stay in Gloucester County.

When people hear the word Tourette's, they always think of the cursing, and that's actually called Coprolalia, which it's a form of Tourette.

I had it myself.

It can also include what we call comorbids or comorbidities.

It's very common for it to come along with OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, other things like that.

Not always, but it's likely that if you have Tourette's, you may have another condition.

So now, you'll see me blinking my eyes, you might see me like wiggle my nose, or I'll make little clicking noises.

But as I've gotten older, they've definitely decreased.

- You were always interesting, never dull.

I loved watching you kids.

- I get this feeling almost like when you get an itch and the only way to scratch the itch is to do the tick.

So, my little brother was diagnosed first.

- We had Eric, I couldn't understand why he just wouldn't sit quietly and read, 'cause that's what you did.

I was eventually diagnosed in the sixth grade and then not too long after I was diagnosed, my sister got her diagnosis.

People with Tourette Syndrome, sometimes they can suppress certain tics, but not always.

I was able to suppress it and kind of hide it, but it would only make it worse.

You know, when I eventually did let all of the ticks out.

But in school I tried to do that and my grades suffered as a result, because I was so focused on suppressing the ticks that I wasn't focused at all on anything happening around me.

It took a lot of energy, a lot.

[gentle music] I was in the sixth grade, and that was actually, the first time that I did a presentation and spoke publicly about having Tourette's was that same day that I got diagnosed.

I wanted everyone to have the full understanding and the full idea of what Tourette's actually is.

So, I wrote a little speech and I presented it to my class.

I wanted them to recognize that I'm not doing these things because I want to.

My brain is making me do these things.

I don't have any control over it, but at the end of the day, I'm just like any other kid.

Once they understood what it was, they were fine.

They were like, "Oh yeah, you know, it's no big deal."

I'm so proud that I took that step.

Doing that first presentation really changed the course of my life.

Before my diagnosis, I was very, very shy and very soft-spoken.

And then after the diagnosis, now I have this ability to connect with people and also, advocate for myself and my needs.

One of my passions has always been soccer.

Whenever I would play it, it really helped with my tics.

My tics were the worst my freshman year and my sophomore year in high school.

And at that point, I actually was pulled out of school for a little bit of time, because of how severe it was.

My body was exhausted.

I was mentally exhausted from all of it, but going out and playing soccer kind of was my escape.

[upbeat music] On the soccer field, I would hardly tick it all, because I was so focused on playing the game and what I was doing that it actually, it calmed my body.

I got involved with TOP Sports, because Coach Troy started this program three years before.

- So, if your athlete does not play soccer today, but they learn your name, and you learn their name, and you get them to giggle one time, success.

[people chatting] - TOP stands for The Outreach Program, and what we do is we get paired off one-on-one with an athlete who has some sort of special needs.

You're the best, you're awesome, I love you.

We meet the kids where they're at.

We make sure that whatever it is that they have going on, they're still able to participate in the sport.

All right, you going out?

Let's see it.

I wanna see those soccer moves.

I started working with the most amazing kids and I've just been in love with it ever since.

One of my first athletes that I started working with, his name is Nick, call him my Nicki.

He is the coolest kid ever.

Through working together, we really started to develop a relationship and we really developed a bond.

The first sentence he ever said to me was, he asked me to be as Valentine and I cried like a big wuss, 'cause I just loved this kid.

He took me to his prom.

I don't have enough good things to say about him.

He's just incredible.

Because of the Tourette's, I wanna help other people, because I know what it's like to feel different.

What's up dude?

I'm able to relate to these kids on a deeper level.

I can understand not everything that they're going through obviously, but I can understand a little bit.

You've made it.

- Yeah.

- That's awesome.

Letting them know, hey, I understand challenges.

They're more willing to open up to you and connect with you, and it creates a safe environment for the kids.

All right, I won't shake my head.

- [Speaker] I go.

- Education makes such a huge difference when it comes to Tourette's.

I've always wanted to be a teacher.

I'm going to school right now to be a special education teacher.

I work with kids every day that have differences and I want them to know that they're valued and that they can accomplish things.

So, I always say, "Ignore the ticks, focus on the person."

But that goes for so much more than just the ticks.

What makes them unique?

What makes them themselves?

I would want them to know that they're so much more than their ticks and their diagnosis.

[somber music] I definitely believe that where I live affects how I live.

I have such a strong sense of community here.

Everybody here in Gloucester County is so kind and understanding.

In the sixth grade, I wasn't sure what a job was going to look like.

I didn't know if I was gonna be able to be successful in college.

I would not be where I am today without the amazing supports that I've found here in Gloucester County.

Everything's working out, so far, I don't wanna jinx it.

[somber music] - Now, we head to Middlesex County where Celmira Cordero understands the challenges faced by Spanish-speaking residents in New Brunswick.

As an immigrant herself, overcoming language barriers and poor living conditions, she now educates and empowers residents with resources through a local program called New Brunswick Tomorrow.

She's all about community-driven transformation, and I had the opportunity to talk with her about her mission.

Celmira Cordero, thank you so much for giving us some of your time.

You have really become the voice of tenant activism in your community.

I find it really touching that you decided to go into this work, because you yourself needed help when you came here from Peru, not speaking English, and not knowing your rights as a tenant, but also as a community member, right?

- That is correct.

That information is correct, because when I came to this country, like all of the immigrants came here, we have to learn as soon as quick everything in this country.

So yes, I had a bad experience like a tenant.

My apartment was in bad conditions, but even that, I didn't know that I have rights and mostly of the time when I talked with the landlord, they threatened me about eviction.

Finally, I found New Brunswick Tomorrow with experience project with Charles Bergman.

That person is very passionate with the community.

I learned too much with this project.

Finally, I execute my rights and now, I'm sharing all of the information with the families with the same experience.

- Do you feel like you are giving hope to other members of your community?

- Yes, esperanza means hope in English and this simple work for too many people means a lot, because the families, the experience, depression, mental issues is not only with the adult person's all inclusive with the kids.

- What do you want to do next?

- If God allows me, I would like to stay working.

If one family can learn something from the tenant's right, I know they can share to another family's relatives or coworkers, and then that voice passed around all of the people and I guarantee in the future, this community knows what they have to do is something happened with the illegal evictions, for example.

- And you, of course, are raising your son and your family in New Brunswick, buying a house there where you could have chosen to leave, but you were so dedicated to your community.

Celmira Cordero, thank you for taking part in our 21 Series.

- Thank you so much for giving me the chance, opportunity to share my experience, what I learned in all of the years living in this blessed country.

I would like to see more people giving that outreach to all of the families with this bad experience about the tenants.

Especially, in this crisis, houses that we are living in those years.

- Very well said.

Celmira, thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- We leave you tonight by giving you a sneak preview of our final change maker in the 21 Series.

Union County's Kashinda Marche is living with HIV.

She struggled with mental health issues, but along the way discovered her authentic self.

This fueled her mission to combat the stigma and ignite her passion for community outreach in Rahway.

Empowering others through daily affirmations and self-belief, proving that resiliency defines us, not always the challenges we face.

Here's Kashinda.

- Think about all the others, all the other warriors out there, right?

That's fighting their way through.

And it helps you to know to keep going, right?

Yes, Kashinda, keep going.

I choose to define myself as a more than a diagnosis.

I would not allow any diagnosis to become a barrier in my path.

[somber music] I was diagnosed with HIV.

There was a time clock of my life.

I'm caught between.

I have to raise this kid, but I'm gonna die at any moment.

And I knew I had to get up and be whatever it was that I could be for my daughter.

- Kashinda's story will debut next week.

And a reminder you can experience all the other extraordinary Jersey residents profiled in the 21 film series at MyNJPBS.org/21.

That's gonna do it for us tonight.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

From all of us here at NJ Spotlight News, thank you for being with us and have a great Thanksgiving, [upbeat music] - [Promoter] New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

And RWJ Barnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

Major funding for the 21 Film Series is in part provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Additional funding is provided by the PSCG Foundation.

- I'm very grateful that I'm still here.

- That's me and my daughter when we went to celebrate our first anniversary.

- With a new kidney, I have strength.

- They gave me a new lease on life.

- I'm still going everywhere and exploring new places.

- Nobody thought I was gonna be here, nobody.

- And I look forward to getting older with my wife.

That's possible now.

- [Promoter] We're transforming lives through innovative kidney treatments, living donor programs, and world renowned care at two of New Jersey's premier hospitals.

- They gave me my normal life back, it's a blessing.

- RWJ Barnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues]