The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) has welcomed Stark & Stark shareholder Thomas S. Onder, Esq., as a member of its Board of Directors.
Onder joins the BRCSJ Board to help direct the organization and its initiatives.
The mission of The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice is to inspire the surrounding communities while communicating messages of acceptance, respect and compassion. It also serves as a vibrant community activist center, educational enclave and safe space for LGBTQIA kids, intersectional families and all marginalized people, connecting diverse communities both locally and nationally.
The organization carries the name of Bayard Rustin, who was instrumental in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and overcame much adversity as a gay man.
When Onder and his family attended the first-ever Princeton Pride Parade in 2019, organized by the BRCSJ, he immediately knew that he wanted to grow his involvement in the organization.
“Being a board member of the Bayard Rustin Center means being able to give back to the community and focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” Onder said in a prepared statement. “This organization helps people understand and be respectful towards others, no matter who they are as individuals. It’s about showing respect and humanity to everyone, and I’m very proud to be a part of that.”
BRCSJ Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber commented, “Tom is a very welcome and wonderful addition to our already robust Board of Directors. His desire to be of service to the community and to create a better, more inclusive world for his daughter is an inspiration for us all to move forward together.”
He added, “Through his work at Stark & Stark, as well as his strong personal commitment to our mission here at the Center, he will provide a strong conduit and connection between our good works and the greater community we serve.”
Onder is a shareholder and chair of Stark & Stark’s Shopping Center & Retail Development Group, assisting owners, developers and mangers of commercial real estate.
He is also a member of the firm’s Litigation and Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Groups and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Onder contributes to the community as a trustee with the Mercer County Community College.
He is the state chair for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware Regions, also serving on ICSC’s national Economic Subcommittee.