Newark, NJ— March 8, 2022 Yesterday, Council Vice President LaMonica McIver introduced two separate Resolution(s) to Congress on behalf of Council and the City of Newark. 

According to Councilwoman McIver “It is significant and symbolic that Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination was announced during Black History Month and into Women’s History Month, especially considering that of the 114 Supreme Court Jurists who have ever served on the Bench during the history of the United States, only five (5) were women. It is notable that Judge Brown Jackson is the first and only African- American woman ever nominated to the country’s highest court. We strongly urge Congress to support and confirm this historic nominee.” 

“We urge Congress  to take immediate action on the Biden/Harris Build Back Better (BBB) agenda. A large component of the  BBB plan is making investments into homeownership and access to Affordable Housing for Black, Brown, and Native Families”, McIver states. “This resolution goes in tandem with the amendment introduced by Mayor Ras J. Baraka yesterday, as it relates to the City’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (IZO). The Mayor’s  amendment has a multi-pronged approach to increase the supply of housing that residents can afford and ensure that Newark is an equitable city. Today, far too many Newark residents lack access to affordable and quality housing. The stigma of racial inequality saturates the NJ housing market and homeownership rates for Black, Latino and Native American households are far below those of their white peers. Congressional support of the BBB plan along with the initiatives of Mayor Baraka will go a long way to put an end to systemic housing discrimination.” 

Certified copies of these Resolution(s) were sent to United States Senator Robert Menendez and Senator Cory A. Booker’s congressional offices.