Singer gives students a chance

EAST ORANGE — A group of budding entrepreneurs from the East Orange Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training Summer Work Experience Program got to participate in a Pop-Up Shop at the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour at Prudential Center in Newark.

The group of 22 young moguls set up shops around the concourse at the highly-anticipated concert last month.

The invitation to participate was extended by the Grammy award-winning singer following her visit to East Orange City Hall Plaza this past August.

Hill, who attended SWEP’s summer close-out event to watch her son Joshua Marley perform, was deeply impressed by the students’ innovation, creativity and hard work – so much so that she decided to share her platform to help promote their micro-businesses, which feature clothing, customized sneakers, natural beauty products, art and accessories.

“It is such an incredible honor to have one of East Orange’s own — the amazingly gifted and prolific Ms. Lauryn Hill — offer our students this remarkable chance to shine,” said Mayor Ted R. Green. “An advocate for self-love, peace and social consciousness, Ms. Hill has always been a huge supporter of our city’s progress which is inextricably linked to the success of our youth. Our SWEP program is designed to not only prepare our young people with hands-on work training, but also to empower them through mentorship and community support. What an extraordinary experience this will be for our children to have the support of Lauryn Hill, one of the most influential artists of our time.”

The participating students, the majority of whom hail from East Orange with several residents from Newark, were part of the SWEP’s Teen Entrepreneurship Program, which is run by MOET Manager LaDonna Johns, under the leadership of Jamila T. Davis, who happens to be a friend and colleague of Lauryn Hill.

“I was blown away when Ms. Hill reached out to support our students. Not only did she come out to our SWEPFest and encourage our students to go after their dreams, she followed up and offered them the opportunity to display their businesses at her concert. It’s an opportunity that they will never forget,” Davis said.

  east orange, Lauryn Hill