Hundreds of people — from governors and lawmakers to clergy and one legendary pop singer — gathered inside a towering cathedral in Newark on Saturday to bid a final farewell to the late New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver in a stirring, four-hour public funeral.
Oliver, the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the New Jersey Assembly and then the first in state history to hold a statewide elected position, was remembered as a “trailblazer,” a “champion,” and a “giant,”10 days after she died last week of undisclosed causes while still in office at age 71.