Rep. Watson Coleman Statement on Passing of Mildred Crump

Ewing, NJ (December 2, 2024) — Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued the following statement mourning the passing of former Newark City Council President Mildred Crump:

“Bill and I are devastated at the passing of Mildred Crump, an extraordinary woman whose tenacity, spirit, compassion, and grit forever changed the landscape of New Jersey politics. She was smart, savvy, impeccably dressed, and always led with kindness and grace. A woman of immense and unwavering faith, I doubt that her work is done even now that she’s rejoined our Heavenly Father.

“Mildred was relentless. Her legacy is a litany of firsts — the first Black woman to serve on the Newark City Council, and later the first woman to serve as Council President. She found a world that often blocked Black women from positions of power or leadership, and through sheer determination and skill paved a path broad enough for countless others to follow — myself included.

“For her, others always came first. She heard the calling to public service as a means to do good in the world. To shape the circumstances of people less fortunate and make their lives better. To look out for our communities, for families who have been left out, overlooked, marginalized, and unfairly disregarded. She always sought out the least among us and asked, ‘What can I do to help?’ That is the truest meaning of service.

“To know her is to love her, and it has been a blessing to know Mildred. Bill and I are praying for her family, her son Larry and her daughter Sherri. We pray they find peace in knowing the joy Mildred’s spirit has found in returning at last, after 31 long years, to her beloved husband, Cecil. May God bless her and welcome her home.”

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