29 Nov ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO DEDICATES BRONZE BUSTS OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE THURGOOD MARSHALL AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST RABBI JOACHIM PRINZ Busts Are Placed in Lobby of Essex County Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building
Published on November 29, 2023
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. dedicated busts of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Civil Rights leader Rabbi Joachim Prinz on Wednesday, November 29th.
“We have named buildings and fields and created statues and markers to highlight our history and remember the people who shaped the development of Essex County and our nation. This will keep the legacies of those who came before us alive and remind future generations about the people who impacted us,” DiVincenzo said. “Placing busts of Sonia Sotomayor, Thurgood Marshall and Rabbi Joachim Prinz in the lobby of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building highlights people who have contributed to our nation and represents the diversity that makes our country great. These three trailblazers dedicated their lives to public service, advocated for equal rights and conducted themselves with honesty and integrity,” he added.
“Maintaining equality and fairness does not always follow a smooth and paved road. The highways to equality and justice are always under construction. What the County Executive has done is create a special place where those who fight for equality and justice are recognized,” said Glenn A. Grant, Administrative Director of NJ Courts.
“The three people being honored today have made a significant difference in people’s lives, so it is fitting that these statues be dedicated in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building,” Commissioner Vice President Carlos Pomares said. “We are honoring three wonderful people today,” said Commissioner Patricia Sebold, who added Rabbi Prinz officiated her wedding ceremony. “The County Executive has done a great job honoring so many people who have had a profound impact on Essex County. These busts are an extension of that,” Commissioner Len Luciano said.
Sonia Sotomayor began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. She was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1991 and by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1997. She became the third woman and first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court after being nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009.
“These three human beings were agents of change who engaged in uncomfortable conversations to improve our society. It’s important for young people to visit this building and see the names of people like Sonia Sotomayor, Thurgood Marshall and Rabbi Prinz and realize they have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps,” Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz said.
The pedestal is engraved with a quote by Sotomayor: “I think it’s important to move people beyond just dreaming into doing. They have to be able to see that you are just like them, and you made it.” It continues with: “Born in The Bronx, Sonia Sotomayor lost her father at an early age and was raised by her widowed mother. She knew her career path early, deciding at the age of 10 to be an attorney. Through self-imposed discipline, she graduated as valedictorian from high school, summa cum laude from Princeton and Yale Law. As an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, she prosecuted some of the most heinous criminals. Her legal acumen was recognized by both political parties, who nominated her to the U.S. District Court and the Court of Appeals. In 2009, Sotomayor became the first Latina on the U.S. Supreme Court. Proud of her Puerto Rican heritage, Sotomayor has made her mark as a jurist, author and trailblazer.”
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American on the Supreme Court, serving from 1967 to 1991. Prior to his judicial service, he was a Civil Rights attorney, lead the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was a prominent figure in the movement to end racial segregation in public schools, arguing the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. He passed away in 1993.
The pedestal is engraved with a quote by Marshall: “To protest against injustice is the foundation of all our American democracy.” It continues with: “In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American to be named as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. He fought for affirmative action for minorities, held strong against the death penalty, and supported a woman’s right to choose. Before joining the highest court, he led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Legal Defense and Education Fund and was a prominent figure who fought to end segregation in schools. He won 29 of the 32 civil rights cases he argued before the Supreme Court, culminating in the 1954 landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that found school segregation was unconstitutional.”
“I commend the County Executive for making this building a must see destination,” Prosecutor Ted Stephens said, adding that Thurgood Marshall is one of his heroes.
Rabbi Joachim Prinz was born in Germany and was outspoken against Nazism in the 1930s. After being expelled from Germany by the Nazi regime, he came to the United States where he was a leader in the Civil Rights movement and served as rabbi at Temple B’nai Abraham in Newark from 1939 to 1977. He passed away in 1988.
“I am very excited to be here and I thank Joe DiVincenzo for this significant way of honoring my father and my family. Becoming a U.S. citizen was one of the most important days in my father’s life. He believed in democracy and the potential for opportunity it gave people,” said Prinz’s daughter Deborah Prinz.
“Rabbi Prinz was a great person who did many great things,” Deputy Chief of Staff William Payne said, adding he met Prinz through their involvement in the Junior Leaguers, which helped young people get into college.
The pedestal is engraved with a quote by Prinz: “Bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.” It continues with: “As a charismatic, young clergyman in his home country of Germany, thousands flocked to his inspiring public talks and study groups. Outspoken against Nazism, he was expelled by the regime in 1937 and emigrated to the United States, where he found a home in Newark at Temple B’nai Abraham. A leader in the Civil Rights Movement, he was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington, where he spoke just prior to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and, for over four decades in the United States, he advocated for peace, racial and religious equality and justice.”
The three bronze busts were created by Jay Warren from Oregon.
The Essex County Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building opened in June 2021. The first bronze bust in the building is of the late U.S. Representative and Civil Rights leader John Lewis from Georgia. Bronze busts of Supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Congressman Peter Rodino were added to the lobby in 2022. The lobby also includes a mural and video that depict pictures of and quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
