Rev. Dr. Charles Franklin Boyer, Founding Director
The Reverend Dr. Charles Franklin Boyer is a third-generation African Methodist Episcopal preacher. He is the pastor of Bethel AME Church in Woodbury, NJ, and the founder of Salvation and Social Justice, a non-partisan faith-rooted organization that believes liberation should precede legislation and prophetic vision should precede public policy (www.sandsj.org).
Nationally, he has represented the Social Action Commission of the AME Church in several capacities including, the United States Senate regarding solitary confinement, and the House of Representatives for gun violence. Dr. Boyer also co-authored the Anti-Poverty Network’s Report, “The Uncomfortable Truth: Racism, Injustice and Poverty in New Jersey.”
Dr. Boyer was the leading faith voice in the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice’s 94% campaign that led to convening the Task Force to Transform New Jersey’s Youth Justice System. He works closely with the Black Legislative Caucus and led the campaign in New Jersey to enact racial impact statement legislation in the youth and criminal justice systems. He is New Jersey’s leading religious figure in the campaign to abolish the War on Drugs, isolated confinement, and the criminalization of Black people. Rev. Boyer has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s 25 most influential African Americans by the South Jersey Journal, a Game Changer by the NAACP, a Torch Bearer by the ACLU, a Movement Maker by NJ Working Families, and a Community Servant by NJ Citizen Action. He has been recognized by the NJ Work Environment Council and received the Making Democracy Work award by the League of Women Voters. He has presented on faith rooted advocacy at The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and was named #4 on the “Twenty-Five People to Watch in 2019” by NJ Advanced Media for his work around the police accountability.
He is married to Rosalee and they have three children; Shaina, Kyle, and Jayden. More than anything, Rev. Boyer is passionate about the spiritual disciplines especially prayer and meditation. He rises early every morning to commune with God and seek guidance. His favorite scripture is Psalms 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed, that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Rosalee Boyer, MHS, Co-Founder Deputy Director
Rosalee Boyer has many years of experience in the legislative arena. She has worked closely with legislative officials and their offices to organize and plan events and public forums. She has corresponded with agencies on behalf of constituents to settle community related issues. Rosalee is considered the minister of "organization and planning" for Salvation and Social Justice. She is the First Lady at Bethel A.M.E. Church. She has a passion for education, Rosalee has developed and organized off-campus adult continuing education programs. She served over 15 years as a faculty academic advisor in higher education. Her favorite scripture is, "The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I Fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1
Reverend Robin Tanner is the Minister of Worship and Outreach at Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, NJ. She is a founding partner in Launchpad, a learning collective powering progressive faith communities. Rev. Tanner has a M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School and a Doctorate in Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion. She organizes with Repairers of the Breach and co-convenes the NJ Prophetic Agenda. @sainthumans www.sainthumans.com
Rev. Robin Tanner, Multi-Religious Engagement Fellow
Gantry Fox, Police Accountability Organizer
