Community Corner
African King Blesses Newark Hospital, CEO
How many people can say that they've been blessed by a king? Newark native Darrell Terry Sr. now has that unusual bragging right.
NEWARK, NJ — How many people can say that they’ve been blessed by a king? On Tuesday, Newark native Darrell Terry Sr. gained that unusual bragging right after a visit from His Royal Majesty Oba Michael Odunayo Ajayi of Nigeria.
Ajayi’s visit with Terry, the CEO and president of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, was part of the king’s two-week, diplomatic visit to the New York and New Jersey area.
Upon leaving the hospital, the king pronounced a special royal blessing upon the medical center and Terry - the first African-American president and CEO to preside over the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s Black History Month celebration - as seen in the above photo.
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The visit was part of the kickoff activities for this year's African American Heritage Parade and Festival in Newark, hospital administrators said.
Ajayi’s visit may bring back a bit of recent nostalgia for some Essex County residents. In June of 2016, another visiting African king - Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi Ojaja II – made it a point to stop in Newark during his trip to America.
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- See related story: Coming To America: Nigerian King Visits Essex County
Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com
Photo: RWJBarnabas Health
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