Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, the first Black woman elected to statewide office in New Jersey history, was remembered in a memorial service Saturday as a trailblazer who fought to help those in need.
During the funeral service Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo announced the county’s family assistance and benefits building in Newark will be renamed after Oliver and there will be a bust of her displayed at the county courthouse in the city.
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:
Former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal is making his mark on his hometown skyline with two new apartment complexes that he is building in Newark NJ.
And much like the 7-foot-1-inch sports legend, the 22-story apartment complex -- colloquially called "Shaq Towers" -- will hover over the city's downtown as its first high-rise in more than 50 years.
"I remember when I was growing up (the city) used to be beautiful like this so the older I get, I want it to be a little more beautiful," O'Neal told NJ Advance Media. "I invest in things that are going to make a difference."
On Tuesday, O'Neal, a Newark native, was joined by Gov. Phil Murphy, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver and Mayor Ras Baraka to mark a milestone in the building's construction.
"Yet another piece of evidence that this city is on the rise, let there be no doubt about it," Murphy said. "This is a city that has got a trajectory that is undeniable ... as our big urban centers go, first and foremost as Newark goes, so goes the state of New Jersey."
The $79 million luxury apartments, developed by Boraei Development and O'Neal, are steps from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the renovated Hahne & Co. building that includes a Whole Foods and the newest restaurant by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
The 168 apartments at 1 Rector Street will open by the end of the year with residents able to apply for a lease as soon as September, Wasseem Boraie told NJ Advance Media. He said the company bought the property -- which used to house the old Science Park High School 10 years ago -- but construction didn't begin until last October.
"We were waiting for the right time," Boraie said, citing new businesses in the area. "We all then build up around the supply."
O'Neal also announced a new $150 million, 350-unit apartment complex with Boraie (whom he called "the Kobe Bryant of development"). The 35-story building on 777 McCarter Highway will be known as the "House that Shaq Built," O'Neal said.
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.”
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.
A group of elected New Jersey officials released the following statement in response to a Republican campaign flyer that is overtly racist. Don't take my word for it you can look at the flier and read that response below.
This statement comes from the following elected officials. Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, NJ State Democratic Party Chairman John Currie, Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Leroy Jones, Senator Teresa Ruiz, Senator Ron Rice, Governor Dick Codey, Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson, Assemblyman Tom Giblin Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor-Marin and Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver.
The Republican Party of Burlington County has mailed local residents an appeal for votes based on undisguised racism that relies on racial and economic stereotypes. The flyer states, “If you don’t want Burlington County to turn into this part of New Jersey, then vote for the people who make our county a special place to live. The mailer features a large map of northern New Jersey with Newark in large bold lettering and a large red push pin stuck into Newark.
The not so subtle message is that Newark and its suburbs are all that white voters fear in a community: Black, Latino, Poor, Dangerous, and Blighted. The characterization is slanderous and false. It exploits the worst racial stereotyping. The message is that if you elect Democrats, minorities will take over your community and destroy it. You will be driven out.
The theme of the Burlington Republicans is the same divisive rhetoric as the Trump campaign and its cheerleader-in-chief, Chris Christie. The Trump campaign is toxic and contagious. It’s blatant racism has emboldened local Republican candidates and given them permission to campaign on a message that has heretofore been confined to white supremacists. We urge the voters of Burlington County to come out and vote in record numbers this year. Every vote against the Burlington Republican candidates and against Donald Trump will send a message that our communities reject those who seek to divide us for political gain. And we call on our legislative colleagues of both parties to stand with us and denounce the hateful Burlington Republican campaign.
On 11/16/2015 a "State House Rally for Justice" was held outside the NJ Capitol building by the NJ Clergy Coalition for Justice. Inspired by the #BlackLivesMatter movement the rally was just not a protest but presented state legislators with three items for legislation to aid in police reform.
1.Legislation that mandates body cameras for all officers in New Jersey.
2. Legislation that calls for an independent prosecutor when an officer is charged with shooting and killing someone.
3. Proper education and training for law enforcement to manage implicit biases.
Watch NJ State Legislators such as Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker and NJ State Senators Nia Gill, Ron Rice, and Ray Lesniak address these issues at the rally below. *Former Speaker of the House and Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver and NJ Senator Peter Barnes were also present but a certain person's iPhone ran out of storage, sorry.
NJ Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker.
NJ State Senator Ray Lesniak.NJ State Senator Nia Gill
NJ State Senator Ron Rice
