Millburn-Short Hills Magazine Back to School 2020 | Page 13

COURTESY OF JORDANA HORN
better place than the
way they found it.
We talked to Horn,
who shared how she
manages her work,
home and public life.
WHATWAS IT
LIKE ORGANIZING
THETOWN-WIDE
SUMMER READ,AND
WHATWAS YOUR
GOAL IN SETTING
IT UP? With the
proliferation of Black
Lives Matter marches
and protests, I
wanted to make sure
that our community
had those kinds of
discussions. And I’m very grateful
that there’s a real interest in learning
more about Black history and
about racism in the United States.
Especially now that so many summer
programs and plans were changed
because of COVID-19, it seemed like
a good opportunity to try and start
something, and to additionally help a
local business, The Book House, our
local bookstore in Millburn.
So, working with Nadege, we put
forward this idea. And the response
was huge. I was very pleasantly surprised
by that. I’m sort of aperson
who, if you want to see something
done, put your pedal to the metal and
do it yourself. So Ijust got intouch
with Nadege, and it just took off
from there.
WITH THE RECENT EVENTS
SURROUNDING THE BLM
MOVEMENT,HOW DO YOU
THINK THIS TOWN-WIDE SUMMER
READ CONTRIBUTES TO THE FIGHT
FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE? Iwant to
start with the caveat that I think it
is not enough. But I think that one
of the necessary steps to becoming
anti-racist is to make yourself more
aware of the deeply entrenched
history of racism in this country. I’ve
attended both public and private
schools, and Ihave to say that my
education was woefully lacking in
GOOD TURNOUT Millburn area readers gathered at their laptops for the Townwide
Summer Read 2020 organized by Jordana Horn, in conjunction with The Book House.
these subjects. And I hope that we can
see that the tide is starting to turn.
WHATROLEDOYOU THINKTHIS
FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE PLAYS
BOTH IN THE PAST AND IN THE
PRESENT OF YOUR COMMUNITY?
Ithink that we live in avery
interesting place. Welive inasuburb
where it’s aspirational to live here.
We’re extremely fortunate. Most of
us are here because of the wonderful
schools that are here, and I think
that education is a priority. And I
think that now, as opposed to when
I grew up... It’s a much more diverse
place than it was when Igrew up,
and I think it’s much better for
it. So Ithink that it’s natural, that in
light of having a dramatically less
homogeneous community, that
people would want to have more
examination and more introspection
about things that were previously
deemed as “the norm.”
WHAT HAS RUNNING THE“CALL
YOUR MOTHER”PODCAST BEEN
LIKE,AND WHAT DOYOU
HOPE YOUR LISTENERS GET
OUT OF IT? It’s been alot of
fun. We’ve talked about so many
different things, and I think
the ability to connect with people and
to share personal experiences through
stories has been very powerful. Some
of the things we’ve talked about: We
interviewed a mom
who became addicted
to opioids after giving
birth. Wetalked to
atransgender dad
who talks about the
experience of giving
birth. We’ve talked to
celebrities, comedians,
Jill Cardman and Judy
Gold. We talked about
anti-Semitism. We
talked about the spread
of measles and the viral
contagion of ideas.
Ihope that it exercises
listeners’ muscles
of empathy. It’s very
easy to form an opinion
in the abstract, but
then you talk to somebody and you
hear their story, and you hear the raw
emotion in their voice. I think that
my ideal would be that... Obviously
I want to entertain with the podcast,
along with my co-host, Shannon. But
we’re also really trying to challenge.
I hope that you come away thinking
about things differently than when
you come in.
WITH EVERYTHING YOU’RE
HANDLING RIGHT NOW, HOW DO
YOUSEEM TO JUGGLE IT ALL? Ithink
juggling implies that all balls are
up in the air all the time, and that
is definitely not the case. A hundred
percent, there are balls on the
floor. There’s a psychological hurdle
of recognizing that that’s okay, that
not everything is going to be perfect,
and that all you can beisthe best
version of yourself that you can be.
I think that all of those things
each appeal to adifferent part of my
personality, and I hope that when my
kids grow up, they remember that
their home was a loud and messy
and fun one. Where they had amom
who really cared a lot not only about
them, but about the world outside of
them. And you can argue that maybe
it’s a little selfish, because I want
that world outside to be better for
them. That’s at the root of motivation
of everything that Ido. ■
MILLBURN &SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE BACK TOSCHOOL 2020
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