These 3 Newark Seniors Are ‘Legends’ In Their Community

NEWARK, NJ — Three seniors from Newark recently earned awards as part of Essex County’s annual Older Americans Heritage Month Celebration.

Held last month, the 2023 tribute included “Legend Awards” for Ihsan Ali, Lucila Bermudez and James Young Jr., each Newark residents, as well as Livingston resident Steven Delman and Bloomfield resident Martin Siegel.

According to county officials, the award winners were nominated by social service agencies and community organizations that work closely with the Essex Division of Senior Services. They were chosen because they are “positive role models for the younger generation, have worked tirelessly to assist fellow seniors and made tremendous contributions to improve the quality of life.”

Here’s why Ali, Bermudez and Young earned their awards this year, officials said:

IHSAN ALI - “Newark resident Ihsan W. Ali has been a Community Organizer and Planner for over 20 years. She currently is working to revitalize Newark’s South Ward through the Clinton Hill Block Club Coalition. The plaque presented to her states: “Ihsan Ali loves her community and has focused her lifelong efforts on improving her hometown of Newark. With more than two decades of experience as a community organizer and planner, Ihsan has used her expertise to connect with residents through her work with the Unified Vailsburg Organization and the Clinton Hill Block Club Coalition. Her vision is to restore the beauty of the area – even if it has to be done one block at a time. This includes local business development, creating affordable housing, keeping streets and properties clean and, most importantly, personally touching people’s lives by providing food and other supportive services. We thank Ihsan Ali for all she has done and continues to do to make Newark and Essex County a better place.”

LUCILA BERMUDEZ - “Newark resident Lucila Bermudez came to the United States over 50 years ago in search of a better life. She raised her family, had a successful career in the fashion industry, learned several languages and now stays active in the community through the FOCUS Hispanic Senior Center. The plaque presented to her states: “Lucila Bermudez personifies the ‘American Dream.’ She immigrated to the U.S. from Peru 54 years ago looking for a better life. Lucila worked two jobs to support her children (who were still in Peru) before deciding to pursue a career in fashion. She got a job as a pattern maker in New York City and then enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology. After she graduated at the top of her class, Lucila earned a promotion to Assistant Designer. Her success enabled her to bring her children to the U.S. and support their growth and education. She continued challenging herself by learning four languages (including Mandarin) and traveled the world after retiring. Lucila relocated to Newark to live with her daughter and has remained active with the FOCUS Hispanic Senior Center.”

JAMES YOUNG - “Newark resident James H. Young Jr. has been involved in education and job training programs and environmental justice initiatives since the 1970s. He is the Senior Community Organizer for the South Ward Environmental Alliance. The plaque presented to him states: “Helping empower others to succeed and raising awareness about environmental justice are both passions of James Young. Throughout his career, James has helped others succeed through education and training readiness programs he has overseen for the Newark Board of Education, Council for Airport Opportunity and Work World. Later, he joined Marriott Hotel and, after working in several other cities, returned to Newark to become the first Black Human Resources Director at the Newark Airport Marriott. He turned his activism to the environment after working as an energy consultant and today continues his passion for education and advocacy for environmental awareness as the Senior Community Advisor for the South Ward Environmental Alliance.”

“Active in all aspects of life, our senior population is proving that you don’t slow down after you reach a certain age,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“Our honorees have exhibited a tremendous amount of responsibility by advocating for and providing assistance that is helping their fellow seniors to remain active and continue living in our community,” he added.

The Essex County Division of Senior Services offers a range of services to eligible Essex County senior citizens. The division offers adult protective services, provides basic transportation services, administers adult day care centers, offers counseling services, provides home-delivered meals and offers visiting nurse services. For more information, call the Division of Senior Services at 973-395-8375.

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