UNIONLEADER
UNIONNEWSDAILY.COM
FEBRUARY 2022
VOL. 06 NO. 10
Union hosts MLK Day virtual celebration New bank branch opens
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Making a difference
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Igbinosun on to Ole Miss
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By EmilyAnn Jackman Staff Writer For this year’s commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr., on Monday, Jan. 17, Union Mayor Manuel Figueiredo and the Township Committee asked the community, “What does MLK mean to you?” The event featured praise dancers and an ensemble, artwork, testimonials, and inspiring words that described who King was and what he stood for. Numerous people took the opportunity to say what King meant to them. “It is my honor to welcome you to the township of Union’s annual MLK community virtual celebration, as we honor and commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King,” said Figueiredo. “As we strive to continue to recognize and emulate Dr. King’s legacy, life and work, I hope you find inspiration and hope in his words: ‘We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. … There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.’ Today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s stirring words and writings remain as relevant, inspiring and as urgent today as they were back then.” During the program, state Sen. Joe Cryan shared remarks about how the past compares to today. Cryan also talked about a bill he has introduced that would give temporary workers basic protections, something they currently do not have, which he thinks King would approve of today. “I think the words of King today would be a challenge and we continue to be challenged, in terms of government and in terms of society, as a continued fight for equality,” said the senator. “For example, taking a look at education. The opportunity for all children to have an opportunity for educational equality has been a challenge that’s been consistent in our society and our culture here in New Jersey for a very long period of time. In terms of the
Union Mayor Manuel Figueiredo speaks during the township’s virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 17. segregation of schools, New Jersey is the fifth-most-segregated school system in the entire country. But also the equality of children of color and having the same opportunities, they aren’t there yet, and, for those that don’t believe that, the data simply shows otherwise. “As your state senator, I fought and made sure that we finally had parity in educational funding so that those opportunities, which we won’t see the results of for a long period of time, but those opportunities are there for all of our children,” Cryan continued. “I think King today would be proud of some of the things we’ve done. We took the Union County Sheriff’s Office from a diversity that literally was less than 5 percent of folks of color wearing uniform. I’m very proud of the fact that, as your state senator, the most diverse packages of superior court judges was approved with a lot negotiation and a lot of fights, because I think it’s important, in terms of infrastructure, that
equality is not just about who has the office or who has what’s in front of you, but the infrastructure of government looks like the folks it represents. I think that’s incredibly important. “What does King mean to me?” he asked. “It means challenge, and, hopefully, together, with King’s legacy, your support and work from myself, we can meet some of those challenges and continue to search for the time when we can all say we’re equal.” Assemblyman and Rev. Reginald Atkins said that, without King, we wouldn’t be where we are today. “Without his seeds of courage, seeds of discipline, his vision, his resilience — we wouldn’t have the fruit that yields to us, even today, that have allowed our country to move forward,” Atkins said. “Think about it: Because of his vision and his resilience, we now have the Civil Rights Act; we now have the Voting Rights Act; See UNION, Page 3