Overview:
I remember my first interview with former New Jersey Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver. It was back in 2013. At that time, she was the Speaker of the NJ Assembly for about three years. It was a historic first! The first Black woman to sit at the helm of the mostly colorless NJ Assembly. She was also from Newark and East Orange and was, by all accounts, a real community activist in every sense of the word.
I remember my first interview with former New Jersey Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver. It was back in 2013. At that time, she was the Speaker of the NJ Assembly for about three years. It was a historic first! The first Black woman to sit at the helm of the mostly colorless NJ Assembly. She was also from Newark and East Orange and was, by all accounts, a real community activist in every sense of the word.
She was embroiled in one of a series of public spats with then-governor and current candidate for president in 2024, Chris Christie. I’ll never forget it. At a public town hall meeting in Paterson, Christie, the portly and bully politico, referred to Oliver by race and gender instead of her name. Christie said, “An African American female is blocking a vote on a school voucher program.”
During our brief interview afterward, Oliver said she was “appalled” at Christie’s remarks and adamantly accused him of interjecting race into politics. I was impressed with her outspokenness and savvy directness. She was frank and to the point without being blunt and raw.
Then in 2014, along with other reporters and some of Oliver’s constituents from the 34th District, I met with Oliver after another series of contentious and bitter New Jersey Assembly meetings. Besides Christie, Oliver had frequent public clashes with then-Senate Democratic President Stephen Sweeney.
I don’t know if she ever wrote and published her book. However, many articles and essays have been written about her, including a few by me.
At any rate, her sudden passing has stunned everyone. It was sudden, unexpected, and tragic.
In a moving tribute to her legacy, the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) issued the following statement in part, “Sheila Oliver will be remembered for her graceful approach to leadership. A well-educated public servant that gained her experience from the community and ascended through various levels of public servant leadership with a commitment to improving the conditions of the underserved and underrepresented. She was a leader for the people. She walked softly and utilized her big stick with discretion. Her portfolio of accomplishments is too voluminous to share at this time; however, she leaves behind a legacy that is to be recognized with tremendous gratitude.”
Rest in Peace and Power, sister Sheila Oliver. Your spirit and penchant for excellence and equality will live on for decades!