Montclair NAACP had a swearing-in ceremony Thursday for the organization’s new leadership team. Essex County Commissioner and longtime member of the Montclair NAACP Brendan Gill swore in the new officers as well as members of the executive committee over Zoom.
“With what’s going on in our country right now, the work you are doing, each and every day, is more critical than ever,” said Gill, referencing in his remarks the movement in Florida to eliminate Black history in schools.
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill sent a congratulatory video to the Montclair NAACP’s new leadership team.
Sherrill spoke of the Montclair NAACP’s long history in the community and its engagement on issues ranging from affordable housing to education to civil rights.
“We can become a better community because of our diversity. That is going to be our strength going forward thanks to the Montclair NAACP,” said Sherrill.
Roger Terry, who returns as Montclair NAACP president, is excited to bring younger members into the organization and wants to make sure the entire community is represented and involved.
“This is a tremendous group of people from all over community,” said Terry in an interview with Baristanet. “This will help us take the Branch to another level.”
The new officers installed for 2023-24 term are:
President: Roger Terry, Sr.
1st Vice President: Diane Anglin
2nd Vice President: Rosita Dotson
3rd Vice President: Joe Davis
Treasurer: Marcia Brewington
Assistant Treasurer: Kyle Anglin
Secretary: Cary Chevat
Assistant Secretary Deirdre Malloy
The members of the executive committee installed Thursday are Marcia Almeida, Dhia Barnes, Dr. Renee Baskervile, William Ewing, Madeline Gale, James Harris, Tinu Joseph, LaNA Jules, Michelet Jules, Deirdre Malloy, Kevin Pierre and William Scott.
Aw, how lovely – nice little mutual admiration society. Meanwhile, it’s been 1.5 years since the Fire Chief and Manager Stafford ‘tweaked’ the fire promotion exam to promote chief’s son at the expense of the two black veteran firefighters who got royally screwed (which – as reported by the press – got confirmed by an internal EEOC investigation). To my knowledge, nothing material has been done about it by NAACP. I do not recall seeing President Roger Terry at a single council meeting to raise this issue. Not once. But who knows, perhaps all of the NAACP award ceremonies take place on Tuesday evenings.
That said, as NAACP sat quietly and ignored the problem, something did get done by the Township’s leadership. The Town improperly and secretly (without resolution) hired a politically connected law firm O’Toole Scrivo to conduct a fake ‘investigation’ and, presumably, conclude that the Fire Chief and Manager Stafford did nothing wrong and make black firemen look like cranky crybabies.
Last I heard, promotions were halted pending this rigged investigation. Parenthetically, this must have been the longest workplace investigation in history as, I believe, the black firemen made their complaint of discrimination in October of 2021. Anyway, is NAACP is interested in this subject matter at all? Or are they content having their galas and giving each other awards as they are stubbornly looking the other way from instances of discrimination right before their noses?
One last thing – Fire Chief Herrmann, Manager Stafford and the law firm O’Toole Scrivo are all from Cedar Grove. I know – pure coincidence.