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African Americans who impacted the New Jersey State Legislature

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My visit to the New Jersey State House

Last week I went to bring your children to work day with my parents.  In the afternoon we toured the newly renovated New Jersey State House. 

This was my first time going to the state house and I really enjoyed it!

The Rotunda of the New Jersey State House
Inside of the New Jersey State Senate

I learned so much history and enjoyed the tour. There were plaques on the wall at the State House to honor people who were important to the New Jersey State Legislature. When I went home I was excited learn more about them

Who was Hutchins F. Inge?

Do you know why there is a plaque for Hutchins F. Inge at the State House?

Hutchins F. Inge was the first African American to serve in the New Jersey Senate.

He was born in 1900 in Charlottesville, Virginia.  

He went to Howard University College of Medicine and began his medical practice in 1936 in Newark, New Jersey.  He was a part of many organizations in New Jersey that wanted to improve life for people such as the NAACP and Urban League. 

He began his political career in 1965 as a candidate for state senate and won!

He was the first African American to serve in the New Jersey Senate 

Who was Walter G. Alexander?

Do you know why there is a plaque for Walter G. Alexander at the State House?

Walter G. Alexander was born in 1880 in Lynchburg, Virginia.  His parents were former slaves.  He attended public school and went to Lincoln University at the age of 14.  After graduation he went to medical school at the Boston College of Physicians and Surgeons (this is now called Tufts University). 

In 1902, he opened his medical practice in Orange, New Jersey.  He also worked with organizations that wanted to make life better for people such as the NAACP.  In 1911 he became involved in politics.  In 1920 he won the election to the New Jersey General Assembly.  

Another important African American who was part of the New Jersey Legislature was S. Howard Woodson.

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1916 and graduated from high school there.  He then went to Cheyney University and later earned graduate degrees from Morehouse and Clark Atlanta University.  In 1946 he moved to Trenton, New Jersey to become the minister of Shiloh Baptist Church.  

He worked in the community with the NAACP and was active in the civil right movement. He wanted to make sure that African Americans could own homes and have a voice in their communities.

In 1974 he became the first African American speaker to be elected to the New Jersey General Assembly.

Who will have a plaque at the New Jersey State House in the future?

One day there will be a plaque for Sheila Oliver. 

She is currently the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey and the first woman of color in this role.

In 2010, she became the first African American woman to serve as the Assembly Speaker and lead the state legislative house.

Did you know that she is also is a graduate of Lincoln University? She also has a master’s degree from Columbia University and several honorary doctorate degrees.

Dr. Maya Angelou

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Dr. Maya Angelou honored at Northwestern University

Why Maya is my hero!

I smile when I read her poem ” Stillness I Rise”

Maya Angelou inspires me. When she was alive, she helped the world become a better place. She wrote poems that make me feel good. She wrote books that helped people understand that we can achieve greatness in this life. She had so many careers! She achieved more than most people in her lifetime.

Still I Rise

BY MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Who was Maya Angelou?

She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri.  She was the second child of Bailey and Vivian Johnson. Her older brother, Bailey, Jr gave her the nickname “Maya” which stood for — mya sister

Dr. Angelou was a civil rights activist, scholar, world renown poet, and award-winning author.  In her lifetime she accomplished many amazing achievements because she would not allow her race or gender to be a barrier.  For example, in the 1950s, African Americans could not become cable car conductors in San Francisco.  Through her persistence and determination, she became the first female African American cable car conductor

In the 1950s and 1960s she was an actor and singer.  She was in a Broadway play with James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson. 

The Notorious RBG!! 

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Who was Ruth Bader Ginsberg?

Ruth Bader Ginsberg was born in New York in 1933.  She is also known as RBG. 

She grew up in Brooklyn during a difficult time in America.  She encountered discrimination because she was Jewish and a woman.  She saw signs in the country that said, “no blacks, and no Jewish people allowed”.  Ruth wanted to change this because it was wrong.   

What did she do to change this?

Ruth decided to become a lawyer to fight injustice. She went to Cornell University and then Harvard and Columbia Law Schools.

Along the way Ruth faced many obstacles, but she persisted.  In the 1950s, there were few women lawyers.  At Harvard Law school there were only 9 women out of 500 students in their program.  However, Ruth excelled in law school and graduated at the top of her class. 

After graduation, she had a hard time finding a job.  But she persisted! She clerked for a judge in New York and then worked as a professor in law school.  First, at Rutgers Law School in 1963 and then at Columbia Law school.  Ruth was the first female law professor at Columbia to receive tenure in 1972. 

RBG’s major accomplishments

She accomplished many historical achievements in her lifetime.   

In 1980, President Carter appointed her to the U.S. Federal Court. 

In 1993, President Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was the second woman and the first Jewish woman on the Supreme Court  

In 2009, she worked with President Obama on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to combat pay disparities between men and women.  

Why is RBG an inspiration?

Ruth has become a popular icon because she championed women’s rights and equality for all.  She also brought fashion and style to the Supreme Court by wearing lace and decorative collars on her robe. 

In 2020, when she died, she became the first woman in U.S. history to lie in state at the white house.  RBG is beloved because she fought for inequality and made our country a better place.