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Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz greets members of the Newark African Commission and dignitaries from Ghana at the kick-off ceremony for the First Annual African Diaspora Festival, at City Hall, on July 30, 2009. The three-day festival, which will take place in Military Park and the newly-opened Nat Turner Park, will offer music, family activities, and international soccer competitions.

Friday, July 31, 2009: Family Day, Noon – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Military Park, Broad Street and Raymond Boulevard
Information: Bring the entire family along to Downtown Newark’s Military Park for a day filled with fun activities, for adults and especially children. Highlights of the day will include original talent competitions for adults and children. Food and drinks will be available. READ MORE »

City Hall Ceremony opens three-day African cultural and sports festival. Newark, NJ – July 31, 2009 – Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz, members of the Newark African Commission, representatives from African nations, African soccer teams, and other Newark dignitaries launched the City of Newark’s African Diaspora Celebration with a kick-off ceremony in the City Hall Rotunda last night. READ MORE »

The Fathers Now program at Newark’s Comprehensive Center for Fathers graduated over 60 men from its program and has an employment placement rate of almost 70%.

Since his divorce, Kevin Robinson talks to his kids more and he’s more dedicated to being in their lives. But it wasn’t always so amicable. “I went through a period where I was confused. I was separated from my children for about six months. I had to learn to deal with my ex.” At 49, Robinson, is evolving, and he credits Newark Now’s Comprehensive Center for Fathers for the changes he’s made.

Last year, Robinson was a part of the first class of 20 men that completed the center’s fatherhood program in Newark. And in February the men from the first four classes marched in an official graduation ceremony. The program is an extension of the National Comprehensive Center for Fathers in Philadelphia. READ MORE »

Ceremony is first of its kind for state’s largest city;
Parents of Peruvian-American soldier slain in Iraq are also honored for their sacrifice
Newark, NJ – July 29, 2009 – Mayor Cory A. Booker, Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood Engagement Margarita Muñiz, members of the Newark Municipal Council, members of the North Jersey Peruvian-American community, and other dignitaries gathered yesterday to mark the 188th anniversary of Peru declaring its independence from Spain by raising the South American nation’s flag over City Hall. READ MORE »

Nine-acre Nat Turner Park offers area residents state-of-the-art athletic field,
running track, green spaces, playground, and amphitheatre
Newark, NJ – July 28, 2009 – Mayor Cory A. Booker; White House Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew; Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.; Newark Municipal Council Members; The Trust for Public Land Vice President Rose Harvey; President and CEO of The New York Giants John Mara; Former New York Giant Tiki Barber; The Friends of Nat Turner Park and other dignitaries joined the Central Ward’s Springfield Avenue community, and other supporting donors, to cut the ribbon to open Nat Turner Park – Newark’s newest and largest city-owned park. The nine-acre facility was designed in part by members of the community and students from three adjacent schools. READ MORE »

Scholastic reading characters entertainment children at the Lincoln Park Music Festival

Newark, NJ – Thousands of people gathered last weekend at the fourth annual Lincoln Park Music Festival: A Celebration of Spirit and Dance. The free, three day music festival, presented by Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District (LPCCD), Mayor Cory A. Booker, and the Newark Municipal Council is the area’s only music festival that focuses on the holistic health and sustainability of an urban community. READ MORE »

Newark, NJ – Over 30 Graduates of the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District green job training program received their diploma today on stage at the Lincoln Park Music Festival on Friday, July 24, 2009 and had Governor Jon S. Corzine address them with an encouraging commencement speech. The Governor was joined by David J. Socolow, Department of Labor Commissioner, Ralph A. LaRossa, President and Chief Operating Officer of PSEG and Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District (LPCCD) Executive Director, Baye Adofo-Wilson. READ MORE »

New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine and Department of Labor Commissioner David J. Socolow join Baye Adofo-Wilson, Executive Director of Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District to honor the graduates of the green job training program.

WHEN: July 24, 2009
TIME: Friday, July 24, 2009 at 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM

Note to editors: At 2:00pm DOL Commissioner David Socolow is expected to shadow, George Baez, a green jobs training program graduate at a residential home location in Newark, NJ. If you plan to cover this, call Kimberlee Williams at 973-280-6533 for the location. READ MORE »