Racial Equity Diversity Gala To Honor Essex County Community Leaders

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Urban League of Essex County. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we do not always see or recognize people or organizations that are working steadfastly behind the scenes to improve the community. These heroes make it their mission or devote their time to stimulate social justice and economic empowerment to traditionally underserved populations.

The Urban League of Essex County, a major nonprofit organization, invites the public to celebrate five distinguished honorees whose contributions have mirrored the organization’s mission to help African Americans and disadvantaged residents achieve economic and social advancement. The occasion is the Urban League’s annual R.E.D. (Racial Equity Diversity) Gala to be held at Nanina’s In the Park, in Belleville, NJ on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

The dinner and awards ceremony is the Urban League’s most important fundraiser of the year to support its array of programs and services including individual counseling, groups seminars, social service assistance, and community outreach that results in home ownership, housing assistance, new entrepreneurship, upskilling and employment, and financial literacy. A major initiative for 2024-2025 is to improve the literacy and reading proficiency of the youth of Newark and the surrounding Essex County.

“The Urban League’s Gala is an opportunity to celebrate individuals and companies that promote diversity and advance educational equity. Less than 20% of Newark third graders are proficient. This year we will not only celebrate the successes of our clients, but we will also raise the clarion call for each of us to confront the literacy crisis facing our young people,” said Vivian Cox Fraser, President & CEO, Urban League of Essex County.

This year’s honorees are:

Community Impact Award Honoree: MOSAIC - NJ ADVANCE MEDIA – Mosaic is an innovative news platform that celebrates the mosaic represented by the richness of New Jersey’s diverse cultures.

Corporate Citizen Award Honoree: PNC GROW UP GREAT - PNC BANK – For 20 years, PNC Grow Up Great has helped children from birth to age 5 discover their love of learning through volunteerism by its employees.

Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award Honoree: DR. CHARLES M. PAYNE – Dr. Payne, a Professor at Rutgers University-Newark, directs the Joseph Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Research with a focus on urban education and social inequality

William M. Ashby Award Honoree: SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE BOOKSTORE – Serving the Newark community since 1992, Source of Knowledge is not only a bookstore, but a community center that specializes in Black art, Black literature and culture as well.

Diversity Champion Award Honoree: HON. GARY S. STEIN – The Honorable Gary S. Stein served on the New Jersey State Supreme Court for more than 17 years and subsequently filed a major public interest lawsuit challenging New Jersey's extreme racial and socioeconomic segregation of its public schools as unconstitutional.

For more information on tickets, sponsorships, and donations, contact Ms. Karin Aaron, Arron and karin@aa4associates.com, 973-902-6351.

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