Rev. Al Sharpton. (Photo: Luke Martin).
Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the primary eulogy for New Jersey Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver at her funeral services on Saturday.
Funeral services will begin at 10 AM on August 12 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
“Lt. Governor Oliver was a living testament to the importance of having Black women in positions of power to represent the needs and values of our community,” Sharpton stated. “ Through her work with Emerge America, Lt. Governor Oliver fought to ensure more women – and more Black women in particular – have the opportunity to serve in elected office.”
Oliver, who became the state’s second lieutenant governor when she and Gov. Phil Murphy won in 2017, will lie in state at the statehouse in Trenton on Thursday, and in repose at the Essex County courthouse in Newark on Friday, so that members of the public may pay their respects.
Saturday’s funeral services will be open to the public. Additional speakers will be added later.
“Not satisfied with her own success, she paved the way for a new generation as well,” said Sharpton. “Lt. Governor Oliver was a friend to me and, speaking on behalf of Pastor Steffie Bartley and National Action Network, someone whom we all considered to be a dependable and powerful partner in the fight for justice and equality.”