Attending the Essex County Board of County Commissioners’ 2022 Black History Month virtual ceremony are, top row, from left, honoree Annette Strickland, of Montclair; board clerk Deborah Davis Ford; Commissioner Romaine Graham; and honoree Johanna L. Wright, of South Orange. Middle row, from left, are Pia Amos, the granddaughter of posthumous honoree Roger M. Yancey, of Newark; Commissioner Vice President Carlos Pomares; Commissioner President Wayne L. Richardson; and Commissioner Patricia Sebold. And bottom row, from left, are Commissioners Robert Mercado and Rufus Johnson; honoree Lionel Leach, of Irvington; and Commissioner Brendan Gill.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Essex County Board of County Commissioners celebrated Black History Month on Feb. 17 by honoring four community leaders who have all been heavily involved in the towns they live and work in. Recognized by the commissioners were Montclair’s Annette Strickland, Irvington’s Lionel Leach, South Orange’s Johanna Wright and Newark’s Roger M. Yancey, who received his award posthumously.
“As we know, the coronavirus has disproportionately affected communities of color,” Commissioner President Wayne L. Richardson said at the meeting, which was held virtually. “As a legislative body, we are proud of the progress that has been made in combating the coronavirus in Essex County. We live in a time when the things that have been fought so hard for by the generation before us are threatened on a daily basis: voting rights, the basic right to live free of fear of racist attacks. We understand that the struggle continues, and we are poised to continue to do our best for Essex County.”
Leach was the first to be honored at the ceremony. In his third year as the head of Essex County College’s running program, Leach coaches the men’s and women’s cross-country teams, as well as the men’s and women’s track-and-field teams. In 36 years of coaching, Leach has coached seven Olympic runners and five National Junior College Athletic Association all-Americans, and his teams have won five NJCAA Region 19 cross-country championships. In 2021, he was named the Atlantic Region Cross-Country Coach of the Year. He was elected to the board of directors of USA Track and Field, where he became the first black national chairperson of youth programs.
“At the end of the day, it’s a team effort and we all work together,” Leach said while thanking his family and assistant coaches when he spoke at the meeting. “I grew up running track and field, and my coach at that time, Charles Davis, used to say, ‘You have a talent, and you have to take that talent and receive a free education.’ That’s one of the principles I still cherish today, and I try to have our athletes achieve.”
Though he has coached athletes who have made it to the Olympics and other international competitions, which is very gratifying, Leach said his favorite accomplishments are seeing his runners graduate after being on his team.
“My most important accomplishment that I love to see is at graduation, when those athletes that come up through the program walk across the stage and receive that diploma, especially after Essex County College when they go on to a four-year institution,” Leach said. “That’s the most gratifying thing to me.”
Currently a member of the South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education, Wright is a retired teacher who taught health, physical education and science at South Orange Middle School. She was inducted into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Coaches Hall of Fame for her career as the head girls basketball coach at Columbia High School, a position she held from 1982 to 2012. As the Cougars’ coach, Wright won more than 500 games, as well as two state titles, in 1998 and 2001. In addition to her coaching career, Wright has received a Congressional Citation for Community Services, the Essex County Education Association’s Human Rights Award and the National Black MBA Association Women in Leadership Award.
“The older I get, the more these honors mean, especially when it comes from home,” Wright said at the meeting. “You can receive honors from all over the place, but there’s something about Essex County. To be honored by the commissioners, I was verklempt.”
She spoke about social justice issues such as gun violence, mental health and the climate crisis, saying that teachers and other adults have to support eradicating the challenges that young people face.
“It is important that we put our foot down and we stand up — instead of standing by — for our young people,” Wright said. “We can no longer sit silently. What we need to do is bring truth to our jobs. Don’t let your paycheck undermine your principles. Don’t let popularity guide your conscience.”
Yancey moved to Newark from his native Virginia and graduated from the New Jersey Law School, which is now the Rutgers University School of Law, in 1928. In 1942, he became a special assistant U.S. attorney for the New Jersey District and two years later became a full U.S. attorney. Yancey’s career also saw him become counsel for the city of Newark, New Jersey deputy attorney general and a judge on the Essex County District Court. He became the first black person to serve on a county bench in New Jersey when he was nominated to the Essex County District Court in 1960, where he remained until his death in 1972. Yancey’s granddaughter, Pia Amos, accepted the award on the family’s behalf.
Strickland recently retired as the executive director of the Schumann Fund for New Jersey, a Montclair-based foundation that invests in early childhood development and public policy with an emphasis on racial and economic equity. Strickland has served as the director of community relations in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and is a member of the Essex County Human Services Advisory Council.
“Each February, our nation celebrates the spirit and dynamic leadership of African Americans, both past and present,” Richardson said. “As a black man, it is important to me that our contributions are celebrated both large and small, because each of us is significant to the success of our communities.”
County commissioners honor local leaders from Irvington, South Orange, Newark, Montclair added by Amanda Valentovic on
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