Sheila Oliver was the first Black woman to serve as New Jersey Assembly speaker, and then, in 2017, as lieutenant governor. Her memory will endure through the women she mentored. CBS New York's Christine Sloan spoke to some of them on Tuesday.
Oliver was the first Black woman to serve as Assembly speaker, and then, in 2017, as lieutenant governor.Sheila Oliver leaves behind a legacy of helping those in need"How many people can literally say they have met the physical manifestation of blazing a trail for you? And that's what she did for me," Timberlake said.
"Lieutenant Sheila Y. Oliver was my dear friend, my mentor. This very desk that I sit at is hers. This chair I sit in is hers," Timberlake said."Looking at her as an icon in those spaces did something for this young Black woman."Timberlake said Oliver taught her to be a legislator and to be the voice for the community, adding the 71-year-old encouraged her to embrace motherhood.
"To so many Black women, it literally shattered us," added Tai Cooper, the chief community development officer for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.Women Oliver mentored say the political world won't be the same without her. Shante Palmer, vice chancellor of external and governmental relations at Rutgers University-Newark, served on the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation with the late lieutenant governor and knew her for years.
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