Burgess continues her parents’ legacy of activism

IRVINGTON, NJ — Irvington Council President Renee Burgess has seen a lot — both positive and negative — happen in Irvington, having been born and raised in the township. Now, as part of a team led by Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss, Burgess is taking what she has seen and is using it to inform her work to improve the township.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Irvington was gang-ridden and burdened with crime, according to Burgess. This and her own parents’ activism fueled her to become involved.

“My mom and dad were community activists — my father more so than my mom. My dad ran for council and had his own union. He was the first African American to be president of a union, among other activities that he did,” Burgess said in an interview on July 20.

Raymond C. Burgess Sr. Memorial Park, located on Montgomery Avenue, was named after her father to honor his work in Irvington.

“When I was younger, we used to go to a lot of community meetings, which were called ‘block meetings’ at the time,” Renee Burgess said. “When I came of age, there was a situation going on where we were being challenged by gangs. Not as bad as they are today, but we had some gang violence, and I would be afraid sometimes to walk into school. That was one of the things that I expressed at one of the meetings.

“From the block meeting, we had to go to the council meeting, which I didn’t know too much about. But I was tired of seeing shrines and just a lot of fights on corners,” she continued. “I went to the council meeting; I expressed myself and let them know it didn’t feel safe. Before I knew it, they had more police presence. I had my community supporting me.… They stood up and applauded because they saw that I was a young lady that took on the responsibility and became a voice for my immediate community.”

Later on, Burgess continued making a name for herself, by becoming a district leader and hosting summer block parties.

“A district leader … is someone that would be the mouthpiece for your community, where you can go to the city and talk to your local officials about any situations that are happening,” Burgess said. “From there, they saw that, even though I was quiet, I had a big voice when needed.”

From there, Burgess joined the school board, serving as both president and vice president at different times throughout her 12-year tenure.

“From the school board, I was asked to be on the council, and, gratefully, I was voted in with the Irvington Strong team with Tony Vauss being the head of the ticket, along with October Hudley and Charnette Frederic,” Burgess said. “We were blessed to get in office in 2014. My council colleagues trusted me enough to represent them as president in 2019, and that’s what I’m currently doing.”

According to Burgess, she and the Irvington Strong team are able to accomplish so much change because they are always a united front.

“To compare us to other surrounding cities in the state, it does sound a little far-fetched, but I can say that our council and our mayor, we’re all on the same page. We support the same goals, and we work very well together. It’s rare, but it’s a beautiful thing,” she said. “Our vision for Irvington is the same as when we first started, which is to maintain our clean and safe initiative.

“Everyone wants to feel safe in their community and to have a clean community. We want to make it a place where people would want to stay, live, do business and raise families. Being a person that was born, raised and educated in Irvington, our team strives to make that a place for everyone here,” she continued. “I would like to see Irvington in a place where we hold a better reputation. I want people to know Irvington is a great town to live, learn, play and grow.”