Lt. Gov. Kimberly Guadagno greets students at the Gregory School in Long Branch on Feb. 14. She presented the school with two banners from the King Center in Atlanta, Ga., to celebrate Black History Month. LONG BRANCH — Lt. Gov. Kimberly Guadagno presented the Gregory School in Long Branch with two banners from the King Center in Atlanta, Ga., to mark Black History Month.
The banners, which celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday and Dr. King’s birthday, were presented to the school in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Guadagno also spoke to students about the contributions of African-Americans to the nation’s culture and history.
“As citizens of New Jersey, we should feel tremendous pride that our state has been a leader in recognizing and honoring the lasting impact of Dr. King on our nation,” she said in a press release.
New Jersey was the first state to officially recognize the significance of Dr. King’s life and legacy, when Gov. Tom Kean established the nation’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission in 1983.
“[Guadagno] motivated our young leaders and let them know they could achieve anything they put their minds to,” said Principal Bridgette Burtt. “She connected with me and our students as we all embrace the diversity around us and learn from each other. Being unique and determined are two qualities that we promote at the Gregory School each and every day.”
In observance of Black History Month, Guadagno is hosting an exhibit of educational materials and photographs of prominent African-Americans in the rotunda of the Department of State in the State House. On display through February, the exhibit includes reproductions of “The North Star,” a newspaper published by escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass; a reproduction of the thirteenth amendment, which made slavery illegal in the United States; and profiles of several abolitionists.