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Champions of Diversity are Recognized for Their Work to Promote Equal Economic Opportunity in New Jersey

The Oct. 6 Event was the Finale in a Series of 'Equal Opportunity Receptions' Produced by the N.J. Chamber and the African American Chamber of N.J.

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Champions of Diversity – leaders with great passion, commitment and persistence – were recognized Oct. 6 for their outstanding work to promote equal economic opportunity and diversity in New Jersey. They and their organizations were honored at a reception in Somerset hosted by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

The honorees were Dr. Daniel Jean, assistant provost for special programs at Montclair State University; Eloise Samuels, a founder and president of New Jersey Orators; and Joe Roth, president & CEO of the NJ Sharing Network.

Dr. Daniel Jean was recognized for the work he does at Montclair State University, where he oversees scholarship and college access programs and provides career counseling to students. He is executive director of the school's Educational Opportunity Fund, which provides academic and financial support to low-income students, empowering them to succeed. It is the very program he benefitted from when he was a young Haitian immigrant in Newark who struggled in school. The result? He went from a 1.9 GPA in high school to a doctorate degree from Seton Hall.

Jean has blended his personal background with his passion to do the crucial work of helping hundreds of students each year to get something they might not otherwise have had: A top flight education and an equal chance to develop a thriving career.

He noted the challenges faced by people in urban environments across America, such as food deserts, random violence, drug dealers, welfare and alcoholism. “When you speak a certain way, you are ‘acting white,’” Jean said. To combat these challenges, we must educate, he said. “Education transformed my life,” Jean added. “We must continue to do the work to build, not destroy.”

Also recognized was Eloise Samuels, a founder and president of New Jersey Orators, which teaches public speaking, literature, college readiness and life skills to youth 7 to 18 years of age in preparation for advanced learning. Samuels was among a small group African-American corporate executives who founded New Jersey Orators in 1985 after noticing a lack of formal language skills of young people who interviewed for jobs at their companies. Over the past 35 years, New Jersey Orators has grown from one chapter in Somerset to 22 chapters and more than 200 volunteers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with plans to expand nationally.

More than 5,500 young people have participated and are today applying their skills as reporters, actors, engineers, business executives, lawyers, judges, college professors and a host of other professions.

Samuels noted that some suggested she temporarily shutter the program during the pandemic, but she said the work is too important. “I have seen the results, the effect we have on young people and I will never close,” Samuels said. She had a request for the corporate leaders in the audience. “When you think about a business meeting, ask for a young person, an orator, to speak before your organization. I assure you; they will impress you.”

In fact, three members of New Jersey Orators – high school students – spoke at the reception: Abigail Ibironke, of the New Brunswick chapter; Kylah Walters of the Trenton chapter; and Chelsea Young of the Plainfield chapter. All three of their presentations were followed by standing ovations.

Joe Roth, president & CEO of NJ Sharing Network, was recognized for his organization’s innovative “#DonationNeedsDiversity,” program, an initiative to encourage multicultural communities to become more involved in saving and healing lives through organ and tissue donation. There are nearly 4,000 people in New Jersey currently waiting for life-saving transplants – two thirds are people of color.

People waiting for an organ transplant have a better chance of receiving a viable organ if there are large numbers of donors from their racial or ethnic background. This is because compatible blood types and tissue markers – critical for donor-recipient matching – are more likely to be found among members of the same ethnicity.

“We are asking people to look at their own mortality,” Roth said. “If something tragic happens to you, you can save lives. Working with the very diverse communities we have in New Jersey, everybody needs to think about saving a life.”

The reception was the finale in a series of 'Equal Opportunity Receptions,’ produced this fall by the N.J. Chamber and the African American Chamber of N.J. The series will culminate with a dinner gala at the Pines Manor in Edison on Nov. 10 to celebrate more Champions of Diversity.

The two Chambers are working together to address the economic inequities that exist for Black citizens and Black business owners in the state. They are focusing their efforts chiefly on education, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for people of color.

“These events are not just celebrations, they are part of a mission,” said John Harmon, president, CEO and founder of the African American Chamber of Commerce of N.J. “New Jersey is already one of the most diverse states in the nation. The time is now to make it the most economically inclusive state in the nation.”

“This is a rallying call,” said Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the N.J. Chamber of Commerce. “We must demand an end to economic inequities in New Jersey. We will challenge businesses in every corner of the state to do their part to change the status quo.”

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