Kenneth Gibson Archives - New Jersey Globe

Trailblazer: Congressman Donald Payne Sr.

January 17, 2022 12:19 amJanuary 16, 2022 10:18 pm

Donald Payne, Sr. (1934-2012) was the first Black to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives. He had run for Congress twice before winning the seat in 1988. In 1970, Payne became the first African American to serve...

Trailblazer: Assemblyman George Richardson

January 17, 2022 12:17 amJanuary 16, 2022 10:17 pm

George C. Richardson (1931-2021) was a maverick civil rights leader who served four terms in the New Jersey State Assembly in the 1960s and 1970s. Richardson had sought to become the first Black to serve in the New Jersey Senate...

Trailblazer: Mayor Kenneth Gibson

January 17, 2022 12:07 amJanuary 16, 2022 10:15 pm

Kenneth Gibson (1932-2019) became the first Black to serve as mayor of a major northeastern city when he ousted two-term incumbent Hugh Addonizio in 1970. Gibson had served as an engineer for the New Jersey Highway Department and as the...

The story of a maid who became an assemblywoman

January 17, 2022 12:01 amJanuary 16, 2022 10:14 pm

A former maid and the granddaughter of slaves, Remay Pearce served as an assemblywoman from Essex County for about seven weeks in 1979 and 1980. In those days, when a seat in the legislature became vacant, it would remain empty until the...

Trailblazer: Sally Carroll

January 17, 2022 12:00 amJanuary 16, 2022 5:54 pm

Sally Carroll was one of the first black women to serve as a Newark police officer in the 1940s. Carroll’s involvement with the Newark NAACP lasted more than 50 years, including a stint as president from 1967 to 1974. She...

George Richardson, former assemblyman first elected in 1961, dies at 90

October 11, 2021 12:01 amOctober 11, 2021 10:52 pm

George C. Richardson, a maverick civil rights leader who served four terms in the New Jersey State Assembly in the 1960s and 1970s, died on September 24. He was 90. Richardson had sought to become the first Black to serve...

Marie Villani, Newark city councilwoman for 20 years, dies at 100

July 17, 2021 10:26 pmJuly 19, 2021 9:39 am

HMarie L. Villani, a six-term Newark City Councilwoman and the first woman to win a citywide election in the state’s largest city, died on July 13. She turned 100 on July 4. Villani was appointed to fill an at-large city...