29 Jun ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO HOSTS ESSEX COUNTY LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH CELEBRATION Star of Essex County Awards are Presented to Cathy Renna, National LGBTQ Task Force Communications Director; Dr. Marybeth Boger, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at NJIT; and Sakia Gunn, a posthumous honoree who lost her life in an attack 20 years ago
Published on June 29, 2023
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., the Essex County Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs and the Essex County Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Advisory Board hosted the Essex County LGBTQ Pride Month Celebration on Wednesday, June 28th. During the ceremony, DiVincenzo presented Pride of Essex County Awards to Cathy Renna, National LGBTQ Task Force Communications Director; Dr. Marybeth Boger, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Sakia Gunn, a posthumous honoree who lost her life in an attack 20 years ago, in recognition of their support in the struggle for equality for the members of the LGBTQ community.
“Every year in Essex County, we celebrate Pride Month and our LGBTQ community. It is our opportunity to raise awareness about issues that affect this segment of the population and recognize outstanding members of our own LGBTQ community,” DiVincenzo said. “Our three honorees have done the difficult work in their respective fields of providing support, protecting human rights and promoting understanding,” he remarked.
“We are delighted to celebrate the Essex County LGBTQ+ Pride Month Celebration, which is a time to recognize our community’s strength, resilience, and unity. County Executive DiVincenzo’s unwavering support and leadership has helped Essex County make significant progress in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, setting a great example for other governments and the State of New Jersey. We are working together to create a more inclusive and diverse society, where everyone can thrive, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Reginald Bledsoe, Director of the Essex County Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs.
Cathy Renna currently serves as Communications Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. She is a veteran in the communications industry and serves as the Principal of Target Cue, an LGBTQ+ focused communications consultancy she founded in 2013. While at GLAAD through the 1990s, Renna has executed her expertise in crisis and strategic communications, playing a central role in shaping nearly all major issues affecting the LGBTQ community, from the beating death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 to the fight for marriage equality and the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” She most recently worked with the team that coordinated historic coverage for WorldPride/Stonewall 50, working with NYC Pride, the emerging visibility of transgender and non-binary people and is thrilled to elevate the visibility of the Task Force as a strong, inclusive, and intersectional voice in the queer movement and a queer voice in the progressive movement.
After leaving GLAAD as National News Media Director, Renna joined Fenton Communications, where she served as its New York office Media Director from 2004 to 2006 and worked with clients ranging from MoveOn.org to the American Lung Association to Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wangari Maathai. In her near 30 years of media relations and activism experience, Renna has garnered placements in every major media outlet in the U.S. and internationally, including The New York Times, USA Today, The Associated Press, BBC, and the Washington Post. She continues to be a sought-after spokesperson for LGBTQ+ issues.
Renna lives in Montclair with her wife Karen and their cat Winston. She is the proud Mom of Mars, who attends HSPVA High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas.
“Thank you, Joe DiVincenzo and Reggie Bledsoe. I do work across the country and it is clear that New Jersey and Essex County are leading the way. Today is the 54th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and I know I stand on the shoulders of so many people – there is so much history in this State,” said Renna said. “We all matter and it’s up to our LGBTQ community and the larger community to recognize that. We are now in a very challenging time – facing many anti-LGBTQ bills nationally but were all in this fight together. This is a community that will not go away. We fought and won marriage equality and now we need to stand together in solidarity,” she added,
Dr. Marybeth Boger, born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., moved to New Jersey in 2003 and worked for the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School at Fort Monmouth. In 2004, she joined the New Jersey Institute of Technology community as the Director of the University Learning Center. Rising through the ranks, she currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at NJIT. Early in her career at NJIT, she was the advisor for the student organization, Spectrum.
When Dr. Boger sought to establish a connection with the LGBTQ community in New Jersey, she joined the conference planning committee of the African Asian Latina Lesbian United (AALLU) organization. The mission of this organization spoke to her interest in providing queer women of color with educational and networking opportunities. Boger is a mentor to countless individuals, irrespective if they are lesbian, gay, straight, transgender, questioning, Black, White, Latino, or Asian – she treats all with the utmost care, respect, and kindness.
Dr. Boger earned her MA and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy (with a concentration in Global Education) from the State University of New York at Buffalo. During her graduate studies, she received a DAAD fellowship and a Fulbright scholarship, allowing her to spend time in Germany conducting research at a German high school.
She is the loving mother to two phenomenal young men, Ashanti, 27, and Zamir, 13. She also serves on the Vanguard Theater Company Board of Directors and the Board for the Hispanic American Foundation of Essex County.
“I’m extraordinarily overwhelmed. It took me a moment to realize I would be standing here today expressing my gratitude to the County Executive and Reggie Bledsoe for this honor. To be able to be my authentic self where I am and allow my son to be his authentic self is so important,” said Dr. Boger. “We must support our children so that they feel loved. My children extend beyond my two children. They are my students at NJIT and those I meet while I travel. I just do the work and don’t think about it and there is more to be done. I look forward to continuing the work to make a difference,” she added.
“Thank you, County Executive, for honoring one of NJIT’s best! NJIT is one of the most diverse and inclusive places and that is because of the work that Dr. Boger has done with our students and our staff,” said NJIT President Dr. Teik C. Lim. “Thank you for all you do at NJIT, Marybeth. We are not only great for education, but we also change lives,” he added.
Sakia Gunn was a 15-year-old African American lesbian, who tragically lost her life at the hand of a hate crime, after enjoying a fun night with her friends. She was a loveable person, a great artist and basketball player at West Side High School in Newark, who had goals of becoming a WNBA player. While her time on this earth was cut short, her living in her truth was not in vain. Her memory lives on in the hearts of those she knew and cherished, and many young people she had yet to meet will have greater access to services they need and be better equipped to live as their authentic selves because of all the work her passing inspired within the LGBTQ+ community, the County and among elected officials.
Gunn was the beloved daughter of Latona Gunn and Gerald Gadson; loving sister of Sabrina, Krystal, Nikyah, Marcese and Kyre; granddaughter of Thelma Gunn, Johnnie Mae Gadson-Francilus and Jimmy Gadson; great-granddaughter of Carrie Gunn, and is survived by a host of other relatives and friends.
“This is an emotional moment for us, because even though it has been 20 years, we still miss her. To know that we have the support of our Essex County family means a lot. Thank you so much, Joe D., because a lot of times crimes happen to young black children and you never hear about it,” said Gail Guions, Gunn’s aunt.
The invocation was provided by Rev. Margarette Ouji, pastor of the First Lutheran Church in Montclair. The musical entertainment was provided by the Amanda Lyons Duo.
The Essex County LGBTQ Pride Month Celebration is the part of a yearlong cultural series created by County Executive DiVincenzo to highlight Essex County’s diversity. Other cultural heritage celebrations include African American History Month, Irish Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage, Portuguese Heritage and Latino Heritage. Created in December 2010, the Essex County Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Advisory Board is one of several volunteer advisory boards that discusses issues affecting the community and provides recommendations to the Essex County Executive.