The Annual Hudson County Black History Month Celebration Awards Dinner honors local African Americans who have served their community with distinction.

Hudson County Executive Craig Guy will join Vice Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners Jerry Walker, County Register Jeff Dublin and a host of other elected officials and community leaders to recognize Hudson County’s 2024 Black History Month Honorees at the Black History Month Celebration Dinner to be held at High Tech High School in Secaucus tomorrow evening at 6 pm.

“I was honored to nominate my dear friend, Florence Holmes, for this year’s Coretta Scott King Humanitarian Award, and pleased that the Hudson County Black History Month Committee confirmed the nomination,” said County Executive Guy. “I look forward to joining our Vice Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, Jerry Walker, Register Jeff Dublin, and other county and municipal officials and community leaders as we salute all our Black History Month honorees at this wonderful annual event.”

Vice Chairman Walker, who serves as a member of the Hudson County Black History Month Committee, noted how valuable events like the Celebration Dinner remain, even in an evermore fast-paced, online-driven world. 

“Taking time to understand who we are as individuals requires each of us to understand and appreciate our heritage and our place in history,” said Commissioner Walker. “Our Black History Month honorees’ remarkable stories of courage, creativity, and compassion we will celebrate tomorrow night remind us how that place is shaped and re-shaped for the better every day—right here in Hudson County.” 

The Hudson County Black History Month Committee accepts nominations for five traditional countywide awards recognizing the service and achievements of local residents in keeping with the theme of that year’s celebration. This year’s theme is “African Americans and the Arts.” 

The Hudson County Black History Month Celebration Dinner will include oratory and musical performances from Hudson County Schools of Technology students and an invocation and benediction by the Rev. Chester Banks of Jersey City.

The 2024 Hudson County Black History Month Honorees are as follows:

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Drum Major Award: Demetrius

Terry, of Kearny. Mr. Terry is a former aide to two New Jersey state legislators and served as the Executive Director of the Greenville Health Access Coalition, a non-profit organization that fought to expand healthcare access for local residents. He now works in property management for a real estate development company and remains active in local community affairs with a focus on bipartisanship and encouraging more participation by younger and LGBTQ voters in local politics.

The Coretta Scott King Humanitarian Award: Florence Holmes of Jersey City. Ms. Holmes has won countless previous awards for her remarkable half-century of service to her community. She currently serves as the Director of the Mary McLeod Bethune Senior Center in Jersey City, the Vice Chairperson of the Hudson County HIV/AIDS Planning Council, a member of the Jersey City Parks Coalition, a member of the Jersey City Golden Door Rotary Club and as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Patrick’s Church, where she has been a parishioner since 1970. 

The Rhudell Snelling, Sr., Community Service Award: Jovina Johnson of Jersey City. Ms. Johnson, a resident of Jersey City for more than twenty years, serves as President of the Journal Square Community Association (JSQCA). She is the first African American woman to lead the JSQCA as President. Ms. Johnson has been active in community redevelopment in the Journal Square area as a property owner and member of the JSQCA since 2019.

The Hudson County Public Service Award: Sgt. Steven Rhodes of Bayonne. Sgt. Rhodes has served for a quarter century as a member of the Bayonne Police Department. As a detective, he worked as a member of the Detective Bureau, the Narcotics Unit, and the Juvenile Aide Bureau. Today he serves as the Community Outreach Officer in the office of Bayonne’s Police Chief, Robert Geisler. In that role Sgt. Rhodes works closely with the city’s Community Policing Unit as well as community organizations and local clergy. He is a member of the Bayonne Branch of the NAACP, Bayonne PAL and the Bayonne Community Center.

Outstanding Hudson County Healthcare Award: Joan Dublin of Jersey City. Ms. Dublin holds a B.S. in Nursing from New Jersey City University and a Masters in Public Administration from Seton Hall University. Since 2007, she has served as President & CEO of Metropolitan Family Health Network. In that role, she increased the number of patients served and created health-provider partnerships to expand access to better and more affordable care for local residents. Ms. Dublin has served as Chair of the New Jersey Primary Care Association, Jersey City Medical Center’s Senior Director of Patient Care Services, and as Executive Director of Jersey City Family Health Services. 

Residents can learn more about this event by contacting the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs at 201-459-2070 or online at: www.visithudson.org. The Celebration Dinner is free and open to the public.

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The Foundation Art Collection is proud to honor the works of African American artists during Black History Month

Willie Cole’s 1999 work, “Man, Spirit, Mask,” is displayed prominently in HCCC’s Gabert Library.

February 9, 2024, Jersey City, NJ – With Black History Month upon us, it’s a good time to reflect on and celebrate the rich and diverse contributions and experiences of African and African American artists. The Hudson County Community College Foundation Art Collection is proud to feature an extensive collection of works by African and African American artists and works depicting the African American experience and story.

The Foundation Art Collection is home to over 90 permanently installed works by African American artists and artworks exploring the impact of the African diaspora. Many of these are world-renowned artists, some of whom are from or live in New Jersey, like Willie Cole, Faith Ringgold, and more. 

Some of the works in the Collection are challenging to look at, serving as a stark reminder of the severe hardships and grave injustices that Africans and African Americans have endured. But the Collection also pays homage to the resilience and spirit of the people who collectively struggled against injustice and celebrates the triumph of overcoming adversity. In many ways, the works in the Collection embody famed African American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s words, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. It may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

One group of works that captures the poetry of this struggle is the Collection’s many portraits of renowned Caribbean artist Bob Blackburn by differing artists including Will Barnett, Paul John, Rie Hasagawa, Denise Kasof, Justin Sands, and Bruce Waldman. Born in Summit, New Jersey to Jamaican immigrant parents, Blackburn grew up in Harlem and became an accomplished artist. Frustrated that segregated printshops of the day wouldn’t let him work there, Blackburn took matters into his own hands and created his printshop in 1947 so that people of color and women (who were also excluded from printmaking workshops) had a place to work and create. Today, over 75 years later, the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop (EFA RBPMW) is the nation’s oldest and longest-running community print shop.

The Foundation Art Collection is home to three works by Willie Cole, a world-renowned sculptor and New Jersey native. Cole is perhaps best known for transforming unassuming, everyday household items like bicycle parts, high-heeled shoes, and even discarded appliances into striking sculptures. He also creates art inspired by African masks, and his 1999 limited-edition print triptych, Man Spirit Mask, is prominently displayed in Gabert Library. Beyond HCCC, Cole’s art is found at prestigious museums like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Newark Museum.

The Collection also features two works by Faith Ringgold, who was born in Harlem and later moved to Englewood, New Jersey. As a child, Ringgold suffered from chronic asthma and was thus drawn to art as a hobby at an early age. Ringgold is known for her paintings, sculptures, mixed media, and, perhaps most of all, her narrative quilts like The American Collection and The French Collection. The Foundation Art Collection is home to the digital print with hand lithography, Coming to Jones Road, Under a Blood Red Sky, which explores the relationship between African Americans’ experience of escaping slavery by the Underground Railroad during the Civil War and Ringgold’s move from Harlem, where she was treated with dignity and respect, to her new home in Englewood, where she encountered racism and hostility. Meanwhile, a serigraph of Here Come Moses tells the story of the hopes and dreams of another formerly enslaved person as he fled northward by the underground railroad African Americans followed to freedom during slavery. Ringgold’s art can be seen in high-profile museums like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum.

Other accomplished African American artists featured in the Collection include Gordon Parks, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Mickalene Thomas, and Chakaia Booker. The Collection also features art from HCCC’s own African American art students, right alongside the works of world-renowned artists. Notably, recent donations have brought to the Collection of sculptures from ancient Egypt, Kenya, and Ethiopia.  

Furthermore, the Collection features many inspiring photographs of iconic moments of the civil rights movement, such as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at the National Mall and the iconic photo of Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in the Black Power salute during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics.  The Collection’s curator, Andrea Siegel, Ph.D., explains, “The gravity of these iconic, historic moments can seem intimidating to students, but seeing these smaller photographs up close in person makes it a more manageable experience that they can take something from.”

Beyond celebrating the lives and work of African and African American artists, another primary goal of the Collection is to awaken a newfound appreciation and curiosity about African American art. Siegel says, “We want to instill and reinforce a sense of pride in the community. When the Collection can show someone something new about their heritage they didn’t know about or inspire a new passion, it has done its job.”

HCCC serves Hudson, one of the most diverse counties in the United States. Its Journal Square campus in Jersey City is located in the heart of one of the most diverse cities in the United States, while its North Hudson Campus in Union City is home to a richly diverse community of the Hispanic diaspora.  HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber says, “We are honored to serve one of the most diverse communities in the United States, and our Foundation Art Collection is a true reflection of this diversity.”

Additionally, the Foundation Art Collection supports HCCC students, many of whom are first-generation college students from traditionally underserved communities. Seeing fine art firsthand inspires empathy, ignites curiosity, and gives students newfound cultural capital. Siegel states that, ultimately, “The Foundation Art Collection reflects to our community all its diverse beauty.”

Unlike some college collections, the Foundation Art Collection isn’t under lock and key, out of reach of the public. Under Dr. Andrea Siegel’s leadership, the entire HCCC campus has blossomed into a living art museum, open to all members of the College and the wider community to experience and enjoy. Students see these pieces by renowned African and African American artists daily.

The Foundation Art Collection is proud to pay homage to the incredible contributions of African and African American artists during Black History Month and all year long. The Foundation Art Collection honors these amazing artists and works by being open to all, and HCCC is happy to give tours of the Collection.

If you’d like to arrange a tour of the Hudson County Community College Art Collection, please email Andrea Siegel at asiegel@hccc.edu

If you’re interested in checking the collection out online, visit  www.hccc.edu/FoundationArt/Collections

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Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and Hudson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Pro Tempore Jerry Walker will welcome host of local leaders, community activists, and students to the Countyâ€s Annual Black History Month Celebration and Awards Dinner to be held at High Tech High School (One High Tech Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094) this Tuesday, February 28th, at 6pm.

Among the honorees will be Donaldson Toussaint Lâ€Ouverture Byrd III, President of the Bayonne Branch of the NAACP, who will receive the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Drum Major Award; Pamela Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County, who will receive the Coretta Scott King Humanitarian Award; Susan Curry, longtime Jersey City Community Organizer, who will receive the Rhudell Snelling Sr., Community Service Award; Christopher A. Brown, Hobokenâ€s Director of Community Development,  who will receive the Hudson County Public Service Award; and Trina Boyd-Clyburn, RN, BSN, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer for Bayonne Medical Center, who will receive the Hudson County Healthcare Award.

  “We are proud to honor these outstanding individuals who mean so much to our community and have done so much for Hudson County,” said Commissioner Walker. “I am looking forward to publicly saying “thank you” to all of them as we celebrate our history and heritage at this very special event.”  

“For two decades, it has been my pleasure to salute some of the finest community servant-leaders we have ever produced in Hudson County during our annual Black History Month Celebration Dinner,” said County Executive DeGise. “This yearâ€s list of outstanding honorees proudly continues that long tradition.”  

As in past years, attendees will be entertained by student performers and have an opportunity to hear from the award winners about their lives, their work, and their reaction to being honored by Hudson County. This public event is by invitation only. Media members are welcome and additional background on the honorees will be provided.

  The Annual Hudson County Black History Month Celebration and Awards Dinner is organized by the Hudson County Black History Month Committee, The Committee members are: Gina Hulings, Victoria Parks, Sharonda Walker, Diane Jennings, and Krista Kenny.

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This month, the teamâ€s owner Sibrena Stowe-Geraldino makes history as the first female African American principal owner of a professional soccer team in the United States, and husband Alexsi Geraldino is the great-grandson of the founder & president of Dominican Republicâ€s Lotería Nacional (National Lottery) now, Alex is first Dominican American professional soccer club owner in the United States, both major accomplishments during Black history month.

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www.bridgeartgallery.net

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Paintings by the late Elmira Wood and photographs by Mickey Mathis on view at Galleria Hudson in Jersey City.

By Sally Deering

Downtown Jersey City, on the corner where Jersey and Newark Avenues meet, Galleria Hudson frame shop just got a little more interesting. John and MaryJean Frohling and MaryJeanâ€s son Henry Greenfield took over Galleria Hudson just a few months ago and made some changes. Along with framing services, and large-format photo-printing, Galleria Hudson now offers local artists a venue to show their work.

February is Black History Month, and the Frohlings and Greenfield are spotlighting local photographer Mickey Mathis, a Jersey City resident who can be seen, camera in hand, strolling through local neighborhoods capturing light as it spills onto buildings, and freeze-framing moments in time. Mathis has been chronicling Jersey Cityâ€s neighborhoods for more than 20 years. He made his mark as a New York photographer taking pictures of celebrities and big events like the Ali-Frasier fight.

“As a street photographer, you tune into the area youâ€re at,” Mathis says. “You have to get in there without someone saying ‘get outâ€. I allow the image to happen. I donâ€t push my images. At the decisive moment in time, it only exists that second.”

“I like the fact heâ€s not afraid to go to all out,” MaryJean Frohling says. “Looking at this beautiful winter scene, you realize he was standing in a snowstorm. But it was worth the shot.”

“You can tell from his work, heâ€s been around Jersey City,” Greenfield adds. “He knows Jersey City. He showed me his portfolio and we chose which pictures we liked that showed a range of Jersey City, images that people are inclined to buy. The showâ€s only been up one week and we already sold one piece.”

On view with Mathisâ€s work are paintings by the late Elmira Wood (1941-2013) an impressionist painter who captured scenes of country life – a man with a donkey, a girl playing among colorful butterflies. Born in Philadelphia, Wood spent much of her life as a social worker and moved to Jersey City where she lived more than 40 years. Her paintings have been compared to those of Grandma Moses, and like Moses, Wood discovered she had a passion for painting while in her 60s. It happened during a 3 am bout of insomnia.

“I often wake up in the middle of the night and begin painting the images I see in my dreams,” Wood once said. “I never quite know how the final work will turn out.”

“Elmiraâ€s paintings fuse dozens of colors to produce abstract scenes and figures in rural and small town settings typical of African-American society,” Greenfield says.

One fan describes what he feels after seeing Woodâ€s work: “You feel happy and come away with an uplifted feeling of peacefulness.”

 FRAMES FOR ART; WALLS FOR ARTISTS

 â€œGallerie Hudson was always a frame shop,” Frohling says as customers come and go on a chilly Monday afternoon. “Back in October, the previous owners were going to sell the business. MaryJean and I decided to buy it. Henry came to help out and found he had an interest and a talent.”

Greenfield, a math teacher, says he gets his talent for framing from growing up with a creative mom.

John Frohling, MaryJean Frohling & Henry Greenfield outside their new gallery & frame shop GALLERIA HUDSON

“Sheâ€s specific in describing something when it comes to color, style,” Greenfield says. “I grew up with that and its second nature to me. When it comes to framing, I can see whether the style of the frame fits the mood of the piece, I know how to pay attention to all the things happening in a piece of art.”

The main framer, Jessica Tirado of Jersey City, has been at Gallerie Hudson for several years. Frohling says: “We like her very much. She does a great job.”

The Frohlings and Greenfield say they feel very strongly about making Gallerie Hudson a venue for local artists to show their work. They want the gallery to be more interactive with the community, Greenfield says. A hub for special events. Theyâ€re already planning a JC Fridays happening at the store on June. The team is also offering artists and local businesses discounts.

“Weâ€re civic-minded,” Frohling, a lawyer and founding member of the JC Landmarks Conservancy says. Heâ€s also Founding President of the Victory Hall Cultural Center. “We want to get involved in the local arts community, and be a successful small business in Jersey City.”

 
If you go

February: Mickey Mathis & Elmira Wood

Gallerie Hudson

197 Newark Ave, JC

(201) 434-1010

www.galleriehudson.com

Hours: Tues-Fri, 11 am-7 pm

Sat, 10 am-6 pm

Mickey Mathis Photography

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A non-stop celebration of Song and Culture In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and In Celebration of Black History Month

 

“Mesmerizing, Beautiful and Phenomenally Resonant” 

 

“Their brilliance lies in their clean voices”

“The public will be blown away”

Bronx, NY – Lehman Center for the Performing Arts delivers a world of internationally acclaimed performances to the Bronx highlighting South Africaâ€s Soweto Gospel Choiron Saturday, February 15^th, 2014 at 8pm in their 10^th Anniversary National Tour. This choir is dedicated to sharing the joy of faith through music with audiences from around the world and this special concert in the Bronx is dedication to  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for Soweto Gospel Choir  on Saturday, February 15^th, at 8pm start at $25 | Children 12 and under $10 for any seat, and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. All students, senior citizens, Lehman College alumni and CUNY staff and faculty receive $5 discount per ticket. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low cost on-site parking available for $5.

The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in November of 2002 to celebrate the unique and inspirational power of African Gospel music and has become an overnight, multi award-winning sensation.  The 26-strong choir, under the direction of David Mulovhedzi, Diniloxolo Ndlakuse, and Kevin Williams, draws on the best talent from the many churches in and around Soweto.

On February 11, 2007, the Soweto Gospel Choir received its greatest accolade, a Grammy Award for their second CD “Blessed”, in the category Best Traditional World Music.  The choir has performed for their Patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Nelson Mandela, and many United States presidents.  Their guest appearances include NBCâ€s Today Show as well as on Late Night with Conan Oâ€Brien.  The choir has also made a guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and in December 2006 they performed at Sun City, South Africa, for Oprah Winfrey and 200 of her V.I.P. guests, including Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, Sydney Poitier and Quincy Jones.

To add to their string of national and international awards, in November 2007 Soweto Gospel Choir won a Metro FM Music Award for Best Gospel Album for African Spirit, based on nominations submitted by the radio stationâ€s listeners, and the public.  In February 2008, the choir was awarded a second Grammy Award for their third albumAfrican Spirit, in the Best Traditional World Music category.

The choir has toured the world extensively, performing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Nelson Mandela Theatre and Royal Festival Hall in London, and at the Edinburgh Festival, the Adelaide Festival, the Hong Kong Festival, and the London Festival.

In December 2008 the Choir received its third Grammy nomination in the category of Best Contemporary World Music for their album, Live at the Nelson Mandela Theatre.

Most recently, the Choir became an Ambassador for Nelson Mandelaâ€s 46,664 campaigns.

This event is made possible through the generosity of New York State Assembly Member José Rivera.

 

Lehman Center is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council.  The 2013-2014 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, JPMorgan Chase, Con Edison and through corporations, foundations and private donations.

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