Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. hosted the Essex County LGBTQ Pride Month Celebration on Tuesday, June 19. During the ceremony, DiVincenzo presented Pride of Essex County Awards James Credle, Diversity Consultant and Retired Dean at Rutgers University; Donovan Scott Linder, Outgoing President of RU Pride; Rev. Ann Ralosky, Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Montclair; and the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law for its commitment to tackle important public interest issues.
“We are proud to celebrate Essex County Pride Month and raise awareness about the LGBTQ community in Essex and how this segment of the population has contributed to the development of our County. Our year-long cultural heritage series recognizes the diversity of our residents and it is fitting that we include the LGBTQ community,” DiVincenzo said. “Mr. Credle, Mr. Linder, Rev. Ralosky and the Gibbons Fellowship have worked hard to provide support, promote understanding and protect human rights. They are exceptional people who have not always followed the popular path but have always done what is right,” he noted.
James Credle, a Newark resident, spent 38 years at Rutgers University in Newark before retiring in 2005 as Assistant Dean of Students. After serving in the Vietnam Conflict, he used the GI Bill to attend Rutgers, where he also attended law school and served as Director of the Office of Veterans Affairs. He helped establish and served as a board member with numerous organizations and services advocating for Vietnam and Vietnam Era Veterans. Credle also was a Gay/Human Rights activist/leader serving as the Co-Chair for Men of All Colors Together/New York; Co-Chair of its national organization, the National Association of Black and White Men Together; member of the “Gays for Jessie Jackson,” co-founder of Project “FIRE,” an HIV/AIDS education and prevention program in Newark, and co-founder of the Newark Pride Alliance. During his tenure at Rutgers, he was awarded the Human Dignity Award, the university highest award for service to a diverse community. He now works as a Food/Diversity Consultant.
“We understand very clearly the issue of marriage equality, however the challenge is much greater and much broader than that,” said Credle. “Here in America, LGBTIQ people are as poor and jobless as the rest of America, so we need to let them lean on us. There are people in our County that need our help and assistance. We need all of you to be persons they can lean on,” he added.
Donovan Scott Linder, an Edgewater Park resident, is the outgoing President of RU Pride. He graduated from Rutgers University in Newark with Bachelor’s Degrees in psychology and sociology. He plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. While serving as President of RU Pride for the last three years, the organization was recognized by the university as Student Organization of the Year in 2009-2010 and received an Educational Program Award. Linder has received the Dean James Credle Award, Emerging Leader Award, Campus Leader Alumni Scholarship, Angel Claudio Award, Psi Chi, the National Honors Society in Psychology and the Rutgers University 2012 Human Dignity Award, one of the University’s highest honors. He was also a Peer Advisor Student Coordinator in the Dean’s Office, NYC AIDS Walk team leader, Co-Chair of the Chancellor’s Office LGBT Task Force, a member of NJPAC LGBT advisory board, an Ambassador for Out for Undergraduate Business Conference and Managing Editor for the Observer Rutgers Newark newspaper.
“I am humbled to be receiving such a high honor. I received the Human Dignity Award, which is one of Rutgers University’s highest honors, but this really touches me on a greater level and I want to thank the County Executive and the Essex County LGBTQ Advisory Board. This award is only a testament to the young people in this County who are continuing the work that so many of our predecessors left for us to do. Throughout my tenure at Rutgers-Newark, I was a very busy person, but I must say none of these opportunities would have been possible without support from God, my family and friends and, most of all, my LGBTQ community,” said Linder. “These are the times when each of us has to put aside our differences and come together united with civil rights, marriage equality and things of that nature. I know it’s not always easy at times, but we have to look at the bigger picture and we owe it to our society to make it better each day. Progress is in the making, and I see a society where equality and justice for every citizen is mandated across the board,” he added.
Rev. Ann Ralosky, a Montclair resident, is the Senior Minister of First Congregational Church in Montclair, an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. The congregation voted to become ONA in 2005 and its membership is almost 40 percent LGBTQ singles, couples and families. The congregation is also the home of the Garden State Equality headquarters and has partnered with that organization to raise awareness and support for Marriage Equality. Prior to serving at FCC, Rev. Ralosky was the Protestant Chaplain at Montclair State University, was a strong supporter of the LGBT Center and created many opportunities for conversation and faith development for students, faculty and staff around the issue of faith, spirituality and sexual identity. In her role as ordained clergy, Rev. Ralosky has testified before the State Legislature in Trenton in support of Marriage Equality. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Fordham University in 1985 and her Masters of Divinity from Drew University in 2007 where she graduated summa cum laude.
“My part of the journey is being the Pastor of First Congregational Church. They are an extraordinary group of people. It is a blessing to be a part of that community and to allow that community to be a voice for equality, liberation and grace within Montclair and beyond. It is a privilege to receive this honor, and I hope that it will allow the light to shine a little brighter on our corner of Montclair, that it can be a beacon for equality in this County,” said Rolasky.
The John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law is sponsored by the Newark law firm of Gibbons, P.C. under the guidance of John J. Gibbons, former Chief Judge of the Third Circuit, and Lawrence S. Lustberg, Director of the Gibbons Fellowship Program. The Gibbons Fellows, together with the law firm, undertake public interest and constitutional law projects and litigation. The Fellowship Program has become widely known in New Jersey and nationally as a voice for the poor and underrepresented. In the New Jersey courts, the Fellowship has acted as one of several lead counsel challenging racial profiling on the New Jersey Turnpike; has long been an advocate for poor, inner city students in the landmark Abbott v. Burke school finance litigation; and has represented battered and low-income women in cases concerning domestic violence, criminal prosecution of pregnant women for injuries to their unborn fetuses, and denial of welfare to children in families already receiving welfare.
“We have fought for marriage equality and other issues in New Jersey, which I know will be a reality in this State sooner rather than later, and we will continue to fight until the end,” said Lawrence Lustberg, Executive Director of the Foundation. “We would do what we do without recognition, but we are extraordinary grateful for the recognition you give us today. On behalf of the Gibbons law firm and the John J. Gibbons Fellowship, we accept this award and thank the County Executive and the Essex County LGBTQ Advisory Board,” he added.
The Essex County LGBTQ Pride Month Celebration is the part of a yearlong cultural series created by County Executive DiVincenzo to highlight Essex County’s diversity. Other cultural heritage celebrations include African American History Month, Irish Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage, Portuguese Heritage and Latino Heritage. Created in December 2010, the Essex County Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Advisory Board is one of several volunteer advisory boards that discusses issues affecting the community and provides recommendations to the Essex County Executive.
Source: www.nj.com
Tesco overhauls YouTube presence in social strategy rethink - Marketing
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Tesco is looking to introduce a 'coherent', unified social-media strategy, beginning with the launch of its first integrated YouTube channel. The retailer has hired digital agency Zone to help simplify its presence on YouTube, where it has several channels ...Source: www.marketingmagazine.co.uk
Coryton Oil Refinery: Workers demonstrate at minister meeting - BBC News
Oil refinery workers from Essex facing redundancy have demonstrated at a meeting at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Union officials and local politicians met energy minister Charles Hendry on Tuesday to discuss Coryton Refinery.
The Unite union has attacked moves to start laying off 180 workers.
The union said a buyer could be found for the site which went into administration when the owner, Swiss-based Petroplus, collapsed in January.
Unite national officer Linda McCulloch said: "The workers at Coryton feel as though they have been led down the garden path by the administrators and let down by the government who continue to sit on their hands and refuse to offer state aid.
"These are skilled workers who have worked tirelessly to keep the refinery going and make it one of the most efficient in Europe.
'Declining demand'"The closure of the plant would be a disaster for the workforce and the surrounding local economy."
About 180 jobs will be cut next week at the refinery, its administrator PwC has announced.
The administrator has confirmed that while it continues to work with various parties which have expressed an interest in acquiring the Coryton site, it was highly unlikely that it would be sold as a refinery.
Last week the government ruled out state aid for the plant, saying that "overcapacity in the refining industry and declining demand for petrol mean that it would not be sustainable for government to provide assistance".
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Hendry said: "From the outset of this process, we have worked tirelessly with the administrator to find a way to secure a successful outcome for Coryton and to safeguard local jobs.
"It is extremely disappointing that the administrators have not found a buyer for the refinery, despite their strong efforts."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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