Kenneth Gibson Archives - New Jersey Globe

Thomas Cooke, former East Orange mayor, dies of coronavirus at 90

May 29, 2020 4:03 pmJune 4, 2020 10:20 am

Former East Orange Mayor Thomas H. Cooke, Jr., one of the first African American politicians to achieve success in Essex County in the 1960s, died on May 18 of complications related to the coronavirus pandemic. He was 90. Cooke was...

Sanders campaign chief taking on Booker in Senate primary

March 16, 2020 11:58 pmMarch 17, 2020 12:05 am

The chairman of Bernie Sanders’ New Jersey campaign filed nominating petitions today to challenge incumbent Cory Booker in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Lawrence Hamm said he filed over 2,500 signatures, considerably more than the 1,000 required by state...

Trailblazer: Congressman Donald Payne Sr.

January 20, 2020 12:53 amJanuary 20, 2020 8:54 am

Donald Payne, Sr. (1934-2012) was the first African American 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...

Trailblazer: Mayor Kenneth Gibson

January 20, 2020 12:52 amJanuary 20, 2020 9:05 am

Kenneth Gibson (1932-2019) became the first African American 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...

Longtime progressive activist will challenge Booker in Senate primary

December 19, 2019 10:41 am

Lawrence Hamm, a progressive leader for the last five decades, will challenge Cory Booker in the 2020 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Booker, who is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president, has not yet announced if he will seek...

Funeral arrangements for Calvin West

December 4, 2019 3:53 pmDecember 4, 2019 11:00 pm

Funeral services for legendary political leader Calvin D. West will be held on Monday morning at the St. James AME Church in Newark at 10 AM. West, the first African American to win a citywide election in New Jersey’s largest...

The 1978 race for Essex County Executive, Part 1

July 22, 2019 3:42 amJuly 24, 2019 8:30 pm

Essex County politics had an evolutionary transformation in the late 1970s, when voters approved a referendum that switched control of country government from the Board of Freeholders to a single County Executive. A process that took six years culminated in...