Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued the following statement on the death of Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver:
“Newark is in mourning. We’ve lost a favorite daughter, cherished and revered. Long before she was Lieutenant Governor, Sheila Oliver mentored so many in our city – with wisdom, compassion, intelligence, and a fierce dedication to diversity, equality, equity, and justice. Sheila was probably the most knowledgeable elected official in the entire state and an authoritative historian in her own right. Her biography is filled with many ‘firsts’ as a Black woman, but underlying her many accomplishments will always be the legacy and inspiration she leaves us with: to broaden our vision to see greater possibilities, to expand our embrace to include those on the fringes and to deepen our commitment to democracy and liberty for all. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”