Democrat,

This week NJDSC leadership have been in Philadelphia for the DNC’s winter convention. We’ve had the opportunity to hear from Democratic leaders at the national level, including Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi and President Biden, about our goals for the upcoming year and how we can continue the work to modernize the Presidential nominating calendar to recognize our party’s diversity.

Additionally, Black History Month started this week, a time when we honor and celebrate the contributions Black Americans have made to the fabric of this country, especially Black women who continue to be the backbone of the Democratic Party.

Beyond these 28 days, we must promise to engage across our differences, learn more about and from each other, and work to build a state, and country, where everyone is free to participate and thrive without barriers and without violence. Black History Month is about making a commitment to ensure that Black lives are afforded the same protections others enjoy. Because in the end, Black History Month is American history.

You can read my full statement on the power, progress, and continued fight of Black Americans here.

This week Governor Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Oliver announced more than $38 million in funding to nonprofits and local governments across the state through the Lead Remediation and Abatement Grant Program to address the ongoing threat of childhood lead poisoning.

The funds will be used to identify and remediate lead-based paint hazards through encapsulation, replacement, or abatement. Encapsulation and replacement are measures designed to temporarily reduce human exposure to lead-based paint hazards. Lead abatement measures provide a long-term solution to removing lead-based paint hazards from surfaces via replacement and/or repair. Priority will be given to proposals that serve areas with the highest level of need, based on the number of children under the age of six with elevated blood lead levels.

“Today marks the start of our next phase in combating the growing crisis of lead exposure that affects far too many families in New Jersey,” said Governor Murphy. “This funding will allow nonprofits and local governments here in New Jersey to assist residents in their lead remediation and abatement efforts, including thousands of Black and Brown families and children who disproportionately suffer from lead poisoning. Lt. Governor Oliver and I are committed to this cause and will continue to work together to reduce these numbers.”

Throughout the month of February, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee will celebrate Black History Month with a weekly spotlight of Black leaders throughout the state and nation that are continuing to do the work of making America a more equitable place for ALL to participate and thrive. 

We are excited to be starting this week with our very own Black Caucus Chair, Missy Balmir, and Vice-Chair, Eash Haughton. 

The mission of the Black Caucus is to educate and engage the Black community to drive change across the state that reflects our values and ideals, and we are so grateful to have Missy and Eash leading the charge in the fight to make New Jersey, and the country as a whole, a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable place.

Missy and Eash have worked tirelessly in their roles to increase the visibility of Black leaders, mobilize voters on issues that affect Black New Jerseyans, and fight for increased representation at all levels of government. The Black Caucus has already held their first meeting to recap the 2022 election and discuss what the year ahead will look like.

Make sure you keep up on what the Black Caucus is doing on Facebook and Instagram.

Additionally, if you are interested in getting involved with the Black or other caucuses, you can sign up here.

The Biden-Harris Administration released new data this week showing the number of people in each state who applied for student debt relief or were automatically eligible for the relief. This data showed that in the less than four weeks timeframe that the application was available, 26 million people either applied for debt relief or had already provided sufficient information to the Department of Education to be deemed eligible for relief. 

When broken down by state, we learned that 759,000 New Jerseyans had applied for the student debt relief program, with 493,000 applications already approved. The only thing standing between the hardworking people of New Jersey and that critical relief is the Supreme Court. Biden, however, has consistently pledged his confidence in the program and its legality and is committed to continuing to fight to deliver relief to middle and working class Americans where they need it most.

Overall, more than 40 million borrowers are estimated to qualify for the Biden Administration’s debt relief program with nearly 90% of the relief going to those earning less than $75,000 per year. With such a significant number of people carrying the heavy burden of student debt, we are gratified to see the President continue to push for relief. . 

— Chairman LeRoy J. Jones, Jr.

P.S. This week, the Hindu and Jewish Caucuses joined with other organizations to make paper cranes to show solidarity with the New Jersey Jewish community against anti-Semitism. Paper cranes have become a symbol of peace and hope through stories inspired by a Japanese legend.

Paid for by the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.

New Jersey Democratic State Committee
194-196 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
United States

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