ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO INTRODUCES PROPOSAL TO NAME ESSEX COUNTY DIVISION OF FAMILY ASSISTANCE AND BENEFITS HEADQUARTERS AS ‘ESSEX COUNTY SHEILA Y. OLIVER DIVISON OF FAMILY ASSISTANCE AND BENEFITS BUILDING’ TO HONOR

THE LATE LT. GOVERNOR SHEILA Y. OLIVER

County Executive also will Commission of a Bronze Bust of Lt. Governor to be Displayed in Essex County Martin Luther King, Jr. Building

Essex County, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced his proposal to name the Essex County Division of Family Assistance and Benefits headquarters in Newark as the “Essex County Sheila Y. Oliver Division of Family Assistance and Benefits Building” in honor of the late Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver. The County Executive also announced that he will commission the creation of a bronze bust of Lt. Governor Oliver that will be displayed in the lobby of the Essex County Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building in Newark.

DiVincenzo made the announcement on Saturday, August 12^th during his remarks at Oliver’s funeral in the Cathedral Basilica in Newark. Lt. Governor Oliver was the first African American elected to a statewide office when she was elected as Lieutenant Governor with Governor Murphy in 2017 and was the first female African American to serve as Assembly Speaker when she was elected in 2010.

“Sheila had an extraordinary knowledge of government having served on the East Orange Board of Education, Essex County Board of Freeholders, NJ State Assembly and as Lieutenant Governor. She broke barriers in Trenton to become our first African American Assembly Speaker and our first African American elected to a statewide position as Lieutenant Governor. More importantly, Sheila pursued a career in government and politics because she cared about helping people and making the lives of those in need better,” DiVincenzo said. “Our Division of Family Assistance and Benefits is the safety net that supports our vulnerable, families in need – the people Sheila wanted to help the most. That’s why it’s fitting that we rename the building in her honor,” said DiVincenzo, who noted that when he took office in 2003, Lt. Governor Oliver was his first Director of Citizen Services.

“Sheila was a trailblazer and pioneer who broke racial and gender boundaries in politics and government. Naming our DFAB building in her honor will keep Sheila’s legacy alive, give hope to those who come to our offices seeking assistance and inspire future generations to help others,” the County Executive said.

The bronze bust of Lt. Governor Oliver will be placed in the first-floor lobby of the Essex County Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building. It will join busts of human rights advocates Congressman John Lewis, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Congressman Peter Rodino. Bronze busts of Supreme Court Justices Sonya Sotomayor and Thurgood Marshall and Civil Rights activist Rabbi Joachim Prinz are being developed.

Lt. Governor Oliver’s public service career is long and varied, and she has served on every level of government in New Jersey. Lt. Governor Oliver became the first African American elected to statewide office when she was elected as Lieutenant Governor with Governor Phil Murphy in 2017. Lt. Governor Oliver was elected to the NJ General Assembly in 2004 representing the 34^th Legislative District and served there until 2017. While in the Assembly, she was the first African American woman to be NJ Assembly Speaker when she served from 2010 to 2014. Previously, Lt. Governor Oliver was the Essex County Director of the Department of Citizen Services and Department of Economic Development, Training and Employment, the Assistant Essex County Administrator, a member of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the President, Vice President and member of the East Orange Board of Education.

She was one of the founders of the Newark Coalition for Low Income Housing, which sued the Newark Housing Authority and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in federal court to block the demolition of publicly subsidized housing in Newark when there was no plan to replace units for low-income families. In addition, Oliver was the first woman in East Orange to launch a competitive campaign for mayor when she unsuccessfully ran for that office in 1997.

Lt. Governor Oliver campaigned to fill the remainder of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg’s term after his untimely death in June 2013. The only female in the special election, she used her state-wide platform to raise awareness and start a conversation about important issues affecting New Jersey residents.

Lt. Governor Oliver was born in Newark, resided in East Orange and graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and from Columbia University with a Master’s Degree in Planning and Administration.

The proposal will be presented to the Board of Commissioners for their review. The bronze bust is anticipated to be unveiled this winter.