NJIT – 91��Ƭ

Remembering Founding NCC Board Member And Newark’s First Black Mayor Ken Gibson

Michelle Lang — Fri, 03 May 2019 13:35:37 +0000

Ken Gibson was a founding board member for 91��Ƭ, as well as Newark’s first black mayor. Photo courtesy of Tracey Battles.

Ken Gibson is best known for being the first black mayor of Newark, but he was also a founding board member of 91��Ƭ. He passed away March 29 at the age of 86.
“Ken Gibson was a groundbreaker and was associated with 91��Ƭ from its inception. He had a profound influence on the city and will be missed dearly,” said 91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman.
91��Ƭ Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba said Gibson was very dedicated to the city of Newark. Yamba said Gibson put a high priority on employment and training and was instrumental in the push to keep Essex County College in Newark when others were trying to move it to the suburbs. Yamba also called him a gentleman mayor.
“His personality was such that he always welcomed you. He didn’t push you off when you went to see him,” Yamba said. “I really admired him for that. I appreciated that relationship and certainly his passing is a great loss for all of us.”
Gibson spent the early part of his life in Alabama. He moved to the Central Ward of Newark with his parents when he was 8 years old. He attended Central High School and Newark College of Engineering (which is now NJIT). He was an engineering aide for the New Jersey State Highway Department, an engineer for the Newark Housing Authority and the treasurer of the United Essex Civic Association.
He first ran for mayor of Newark in 1966. He lost the race, but received a sizable amount of votes, which was encouraging enough for him to run again in 1970, when he won. Gibson served as mayor until 1986. He is the city’s longest-serving mayor.
In between his first two bids for office, the Newark Rebellion took place in the summer of 1967. After that, 91��Ƭ Director of Community Engagement Richard Cammarieri said activists focused on two areas: electing a mayor and city council that reflected the makeup of the city and improving conditions so residents could thrive.
Cammarieri explained that Gibson was involved in both of those initiatives, with politics and as a founding board member for NCC, which was incorporated in 1968.
“In many ways Ken Gibson was at the intersection of these interrelated and complementary impulses: electoral political organizing and neighborhood-based community development,” Cammarieri said.
After Gibson became mayor and was no longer a board member for NCC, he still kept a strong relationship with the organization. Current 91��Ƭ Board Member Newton Richards said Gibson was instrumental in helping NCC further its goals.
“He was really indispensable to us. He helped in our early progress. He expedited our interests in making up for the shortage in affordable housing. And getting the first supermarket, which was Pathmark, built. Because he had contact with the state and federal government,” Richards said. “He was a fantastic guy.”
Current Newark Mayor Ras Baraka praised Gibson for his service both to the city and the African-American community.
“He led in a tumultuous and difficult time as the city tried to recover from the Newark Rebellion. He will be remembered in his effort to live up to his words, ‘Wherever the country is going, Newark will get there first,’” Baraka said in a statement. “He set the stage for every African-American elected official in this state. We stand on his accomplishment and grow from his challenges.”
Before his passing in 2018, 91��Ƭ Founder Monsignor William J. Linder wrote about Gibson and how he was tied to NCC long after he left the board.
“What 91��Ƭ was accomplishing made Mayor Ken Gibson very proud, considering he was an original board member. More importantly, under his leadership, 91��Ƭ had prospered and gained prominent recognition,” Monsignor Linder wrote. “Gibson and 91��Ƭ were a winning combination.”

91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center Becomes First Newark 2020 Hub

Michelle Lang — Fri, 25 May 2018 20:27:24 +0000

91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center has become the first community hub of the Newark 2020 initiative, which aims to connect 2,020 Newark residents to employment that provides family sustainable wages by the end of 2020.

As a hub, 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center is responsible for reaching out to individuals who signed up and submitted information through the Newark 2020 website, assessing their educational and professional backgrounds and connecting them to employment opportunities.

“We are serving as the liaison between Newark 2020 applicants and employers,” said 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center Director Rodney Brutton.

Another part of being a community hub is providing employability skills training, helping candidates with resumes, practicing interviews and offering assistance in preparation for employment opportunities.

“We’re happy to have been selected as a community hub,” Brutton said. “It’s exciting.”

Mayor Ras Baraka announced the Newark 2020 initiative last year. It has support from a number of city employers, including Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, PSE&G, Audible, Prudential, RWJBarnabas Health, NJIT, Rutgers-Newark, Panasonic, United Airlines and 91��Ƭ. The employers have agreed to hire a certain number of Newark residents.

91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center is in a good position to prepare applicants for jobs because as an accredited post-secondary career and technical school, it offers programs that help students receive certifications in their field of study.

“If a Newark 2020 applicant isn’t qualified for a job but is interested in training, we’ll be able to help them,” Brutton said.

Newark 2020 Project Director Travis Reid said 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center was chosen as the first community hub based on the results of a competitive bidding process and subsequent follow-up interviews with staff. Community hubs will help candidates develop resumes, provide best-in-practice case management to clients and facilitate effective matches between job seekers and employers.

“91��Ƭ’s existing infrastructure and deep experience in workforce development led to their number one ranking in a very competitive pool of respondents to our RFP,” Reid said.

Greater Newark LISC was part of the Newark 2020 selection and onboarding process for 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center as a community hub. Its funding is providing for the start of Newark 2020 operations there. The organization also provides funding and technical support for 91��Ƭ’s Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities program.

“Greater Newark LISC is proud to have served as a partner in the Newark 2020 initiative since its inception, and we are especially pleased to be a part of the launch alongside the LISC Bridges to Careers Opportunity work at 91��Ƭ, all in alignment with the living wage employment landscape efforts here in Newark,” said Greater Newark LISC Program Officer Jerrah Crowder.

Newark 2020 applicants came to 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center May 14 for an orientation. They got to hear more about the initiative from Reid and Brutton and met with Hub Representative Aziza Johnson and Program Assistant Quameria Edwards.

While Reid explained that employers are not required to grant interviews, those looking for employment at companies that have committed to Newark 2020 are better positioned to yield opportunities.

“Newark 2020 strategically leverages employer commitments to hiring locally to benefit the city’s labor force,” Reid said. “Community hubs are critically important because they help facilitate matches that mutually benefit job seekers and employers.”

Newark 2020 is open to all Newark residents, regardless of employment level. At the orientation, participants had a variety of career interests, including customer service, health care, communications, building maintenance and human resources.

Those interested in participating in Newark 2020 should visit and register. For more information about 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center and its course offerings, or call 973-824-6484.

New Harmony House Director Passionate 91��Ƭ Housing

Michelle Lang — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 20:53:06 +0000

Yonette Fredericks became the Director of Harmony House Jan. 29.

Yonette Fredericks has had a passion for housing for many years. She’s happy to be the director of Harmony House, 91��Ƭ’s transitional housing facility for homeless families. As director, she supervises case managers, ensures contractual services are being provided and ensures the facility is in compliance with its license. She’s been in the role since Jan. 29.

Fredericks has known about 91��Ƭ for a number of years. She first heard about the organization through the Housing Scholars Program, offered through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Division of Community Resources. The program matches interns with nonprofit organizations actively involved in the development of affordable housing. She was not picked to intern with 91��Ƭ at the time, but continued to follow it.

Her previous job was with Urban Renewal as the program director of two halfway houses: a 90-bed male facility and a 30-bed female facility. Part of her job was connecting clients with community services, including education. She had a relationship with 91��Ƭ Workforce Development Center to get clients enrolled in its classes.

Fredericks has always been passionate about housing and assisting those in need. She decided to make the transition to housing after working in the corrections field for 17 years and came across the job opening at Harmony House.

“I always wanted to work with 91��Ƭ,” Fredericks said. “It’s funny how life comes full circle.”

Fredericks earned her undergraduate degree in Science, Technology and Society from NJIT and has a master’s degree in Public Administration from Kean University.

While Fredericks is able to use her experience with halfway house residents, there are differences in her new role, including that most care is based on clients’ participation.

“We’re trying to motivate clients to see what’s in their best interest and uplift themselves. It’s sometimes challenging, but we have a dynamic team here with a vested interest,” Fredericks said.

From the start of her tenure, Fredericks said the 91��Ƭ family has welcomed her and has been open and willing to share information.

“I think because it was so inviting, I don’t feel like the outsider,” she said.

Chief of Health and Human Services Arti Kakkar is glad Fredericks has joined 91��Ƭ.

“She has a very strong work ethic and has already created a working structure with the staff and residents alike,” Kakkar said. “She is a team player for sure. I am happy to have her on my team.”

Fredericks’ favorite part of her job is conducting unit inspections because it helps her see clients as they really are and connect with them.

“It helps to connect on a different level, on a humanistic level,” she said. “You can see if they’re hurting and they need help. It’s a window into their reality.”

Housing has been a passion for Fredericks since college. Throughout her career and even in her personal life, she has been the go-to person for people in need of housing.

“Housing is the core of an individual’s stability,” she said. “Without that, everything else is just surface, like putting a band-aid on a puncture wound.”

Fredericks came to the United States from Guyana in 1992. She has been an Essex County resident since 1999, always living in urban areas.

She is very family oriented, participating in many family functions. She also loves to read, everything from fiction to nonfiction to self help to motivational books.

Fredericks has three goals for Harmony House: maintain 100 percent compliance with its funders’ contractual requirements, increase staff trainings and improve client satisfaction.

“I’m ready to do a great job,” she said.