Showing posts with label Phil Murphy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Murphy. Show all posts

Sunday, April 28, 2019

NJ Governor Murphy Orders Mississippi State Flag be Removed From Liberty State Park

NJ Governor Phil Murphy today ordered that the Mississippi state flag be replaced by the American flag at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park. Flags from every state in the country adorn poles along Freedom Way, which runs through the park. The Mississippi State flag, which prominently features the Confederate emblem, will be replaced with an American flag.

“New Jersey’s strength is rooted in our diverse communities,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “The Confederate symbol displayed on the Mississippi state flag is reprehensible and does not reflect our values of inclusivity and equality. I applaud Senator Cunningham for bringing this issue in her district to my attention.”

“The Confederate flag symbolizes an era of hate, violence, and division,” said Sen. Sandra Cunningham. “I thank Governor Murphy for his commitment to tolerance and equality and for the decision to remove this hateful symbol from Liberty State Park. Hate has no home in New Jersey.”

Monday, July 09, 2018

Meet Zakiya Smith Ellis, the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education

Zakiya Smith Ellis was confirmed as New Jersey's Secretary of Higher Education on June 7, 2018, where she will be responsible for policy development and coordination of other higher education activities for the state.

Smith Ellis previously led work at Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest foundation focused solely on higher education, to advance federal policy to increase attainment and to develop new postsecondary finance models, focusing on issues of affordability.

Prior to her work in philanthropy, Zakiya served as a Senior Advisor for Education at the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she was tasked with developing, informing, and promoting President Obama's higher education policy. She also served in the Obama administration as a senior adviser at the U. S. Department of Education, where she developed programmatic, policy and budget solutions to respond to pressing challenges in college access, affordability, and completion.

Before transitioning to work as a political appointee, Dr. Ellis served as Director of Government Relations for the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, where she authored reports on the efficacy of financial advising in college access programs, on community college transfer and articulation, and on the ability of low- and moderate- income families to afford college more broadly.

Earlier in her career, Zakiya worked directly with students in various capacities across the K-12 system, and her goal is to always bring those insights to her current work. She worked on staff in various capacities for Teach For America, helping to train new teachers, and for the federal GEAR UP program in East Boston, Massachusetts, providing college preparation and financial aid information to high school students. Ellis was introduced to federal policy as an intern on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, working for her former hometown Congresswoman.

Zakiya has been featured on C-SPAN and Fox Business News, profiled in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education and was twice named to Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30. She recently completed a three-year term as an appointed memberon the board of directors for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).

Dr. Ellis holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary education from Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and holds a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

NJ Governor Phil Murphy and Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver recognize Juneteenth

About two days ago I reached out to the office my governor, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to ask whether the governor intended to recognize Juneteenth with a brief statement. You can imagine my surprise when today I received a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth from Governor Murphy's office signed by not only Murphy but by Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver also. Thank you Governor Murphy! George L. Cook III African American Reports.Read the proclamation below:

Friday, January 12, 2018

NJ Gov-Elect Phil Murphy calls out Trump over racist remarks

I was fortunate enough to attend an event for NJ Gov-Elect Phil Murphy today and get this video. During a speech at the Newark Museum at an Inaugural Weekend kickoff event Democrat Phil Murphy called out Trump over his racist remarks. Watch those remarks below:

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Tahesha Way named New Jersey Secretary of State

Gov.-elect Phil Murphy on Monday introduced former Passaic County Freeholder (county commissioner) Tahesha Way as his choice for secretary of state, handing her a mandate to expand voter access and push back against President Donald Trump's administration.

The secretary of state is the chief election official, but also oversees the state's $44 billion tourism industry and is responsible for administering artistic, cultural and historical programs. Murphy said the position requires a "tested" leader who understands both business and law and "respects the vast cultures which make our state a melting pot." In Way, he said, he and Lt. Gov.-elect Sheila Oliver have found someone who fulfills those requirements and will "serve New Jersey with distinction."

Way was appointed to the Passaic County Freeholder Board in 2006 and served as its director in 2009. She spent five years as an administrative law judge and taught law at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is currently the special counsel for the county's Board of Social Services.

"I look forward to working with the governor-elect to make democracy real for all residents of New Jersey through maintaining and strengthening voting rights and common-ground efforts to modernize the voting process, and I hope to ensure the integrity of the voting process," she said during a news conference in Trenton, where she was joined by three of her four daughters and her husband, Charles, a former running back for the New York Giants.

[SOURCE: NORTHJERSEY.COM]

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Two African Americans elected as Lieutenant Governors on Election Day 2017

While much attention was payed to Democratic candidates that won governor's races in both New Jersey and Virginia, two African American candidates also won statewide office. Both Sheila Oliver of New jersey and Justin Fairfax of Virginia were elected as Lieutenant Governors of their prospective states.

Sheila Oliver

New Jersey elected Sheila Oliver as its first female African-American lieutenant governor. Oliver is no stranger to breaking records: She became the first African-American woman to be elected as Assembly speaker in New Jersey and only the second black female speaker in U.S. history.

“This may not be the first glass ceiling I have broken, but it is certainly the highest,” Oliver said during Democrat Phil Murphy’s victory party. “And I hope somewhere in this great state of New Jersey, a young girl of color is watching tonight and realizing that she does not have a limit to how high she can go.”

Justin Fairfax

Democrat Justin Fairfax was elected to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. With his victory, the former federal prosecutor will be the second African-American to win statewide in Virginia.

“I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Fairfax said during a statewide victory party, according to WJLA-TV. “We are changing the course of history in this commonwealth.”

[SOURCE: HUFFPOST]

Saturday, October 21, 2017

FULL SPEECH: Barack Obama speaks in Newark with Phil Murphy

In these tumultuous times it was great to hear comforting and uplifting words from an intelligent person. It was even better that the person was former President of The United States, President Obama reminding us what an actual president looks and sounds like. At a campaign event in Newark NJ for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy, his first outing since he left office Barack Obama lamented the current state of politics. "We thought we put that to bed," Obama said. "That's folks looking 50 years back. This is the 21st century, not the 19th century." Watch his full speech below:

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

NJ Gov Race: Murphy Picks Sheila Oliver as Running Mate

NJ Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Murphy has chosen Sheila Oliver, the former speaker of the Assembly, as his running mate in this November's election, according to a source with direct knowledge of the selection process.

The first African-American woman Assembly speaker in state history, Oliver has more than a dozen years of legislative experience, serving in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature since 2004.

She also served on the Essex County board of chosen freeholders (county commissioners) from 1996 to 1999.

Born and raised in Newark, Oliver, 65, graduated from Weequahic High School before moving to Pennsylvania to earn a degree in sociology at Lincoln University, the nation's first degree-granting historically black university.

Oliver took her masters in urban planning and administration she got from Columbia University and put to extensive use in Essex County, where she works as an assistant administrator.

She previously served on the East Orange Board of Education from 1994-2000 and as its president from 1999 to 2000.

Oliver also serves on both the Assembly's commerce and economic development committee and the Legislature's joint committee on and equal employment opportunity.

As a woman of color with a long track record of helping Jersey's urban communities, Oliver as the Lt. Governor candidate could help Murphy connect his message of economic renewal to African American voters who may have cooled to Democratic politics in the post-Obama era.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Jim Johnson entering N.J. governor's race

Jim Johnson, a former U.S. Treasury official and federal prosecutor has announced he's running for governor of N.J., wading into a Democratic primary that many considered over before it officially began.

Johnson, of Montclair, has opened a campaign office in his hometown, looking to mount a challenge against banking executive and former U.S ambassador Phil Murphy, who kick-started his campaign with $10 million of his own money and is considered the odds-on favorite for the governorship.

Johnson told NJ Advance Media on Monday that he's running on a platform of rebuilding the state's economy, restoring bonds in the community and renewing trust in government.

"I believe that elections, at the end of the day, are about the people who go to the voting booth," he said.

Johnson is a former undersecretary for enforcement at the Treasury Department, where he oversaw the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Secret Service, U.S. Customs and other agencies during President Bill Clinton's administration.

He also headed up New Jersey's Advisory Committee on Police Standards, which was formed during the late 1990s when the State Police was under federal monitoring for racial profiling, and has helped shape recent reforms including the Attorney General's Office's policy on the use of body-worn cameras.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Is NJ Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter planning a run for governor?

While the names of mostly white male Democrats (Fulop, Sweeney, Lesniak, Murphy) have been tossed around during speculation about who will run for Governor of New Jersey in 2017, it seems that there may someone else looking to run. According to NJ.Com that someone might be African American Democrat Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter.

From NJ.Com:

Certainty about whether Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, D-Passaic, will be running for governor dramatically grew today -- though not exactly as she planned it.

At an event in Jersey City this morning where Sumter was scheduled to speak, state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, D-Jersey City, mistakenly introduced the assemblywoman as having already thrown her hat in the ring.

"If you've been watching the news, and you've heard about who's running for governor, you may not have heard her, but she announced that she is running for governor," Cunningham said.

Sumter, who was running late to the event and arrived shortly after Cunningham's introduction, quickly responded to the senator's gaffe with a sense of humor.

"Senator Cunningham just shared with me that she shared the good news prior to my announcement," the 35th District assemblywoman said to laughs from dozens of people in the audience.

Shortly after her remarks at today's event, Sumter declined to confirm with The Jersey Journal that she is running for governor, only going so far as to say the possibility is under "serious consideration."