Lizette Parker

Lizette Parker (August 31, 1971 – April 24, 2016) was an American politician and social worker. She served as the Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, from 2014 until her death in April 2016. Parker was the first black woman to serve as Mayor of Teaneck, as well as the first black woman to serve as the mayor of any municipality in Bergen County, the state's most populous county.[1][2][3][4][5] Coincidentally, she succeeded former Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, who became the first Muslim to become the Mayor of a Bergen County community in 2010.[6]

Lizette Parker
Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey
In office
July 1, 2014 – April 24, 2016
Preceded byMohammed Hameeduddin
Succeeded byElie Katz (acting)
Personal details
Born(1971-08-31)August 31, 1971
Harlem, New York City
DiedApril 24, 2016(2016-04-24) (aged 44)
Teaneck, New Jersey
Spouse(s)Tony Parker
ResidenceTeaneck, New Jersey

Early life and family

Parker was born in Harlem, New York City to Dolores-Ann and Lawrence Phillips, and she was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey. She graduated from Teaneck High School.[7][3] She received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Montclair State University.[3] She also earned a master's degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.[3] Parker worked as a case worker and social work supervisor at the Bergen County Board of Social Services from 1992 until 2016.[1] She had served on the Teaneck Township Council from 2006 until her death in 2016.[1]

She was married to Anthony Parker[3] The couple had one daughter, Alyssa, four-year-old at the time of her mother's death.[8]

Mayoralty

Parker was re-elected to the council in the Teaneck municipal election on May 13, 2014, receiving the most votes of any member of the council.[9] The choice of mayor in Teaneck is made among council members, and Parker, who served as deputy mayor from 2006 to 2010, the 2010 election was contentious. Traditionally, the council chose the member with the highest vote total in the election to serve as mayor. Estina Baker, president of the Bergen County chapter of the NAACP, said the sentiment against choosing Parker was a matter of "race and gender," and Parker made the same allegation in an "unusually impassioned" speech.[10][11][6] After the election, parker and Hameeduddin, who was chosen mayor despite having garnered fewer votes, worked together in a[12] coalition that dominated the City Council.

In 2007, as deputy mayor, Parker performed the ceremony for the first same-sex civil union in New Jersey.[13][14]

On July 1, 2014, the council unanimously elected Parker as the Mayor of Teaneck.[9] She was sworn into the office at the same meeting. Parker became not only the first African-American female mayor of Teaneck,[15] but also the first black woman to serve as Mayor of any municipality in Bergen County, New Jersey.[3] Her predecessor, Mohammed Hameeduddin, remained in the government as a councilman.[9] As mayor, she was a member of the New Jersey Black Mayors Alliance for Social Justice which spoke out against then Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump's call to ban all Muslim immigration in the United States.[16]

Death

Parker died in office after a respiratory illness at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey, on April 24, 2016, at the age of 44.[17][18][19][20][1][21] She had recently suffered from cancer.[21] Her current term as mayor would have expired on July 1, 2016. Teaneck Deputy Mayor Elie Katz became acting mayor upon her death.[21]

She was buried in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.[22][23] 600 people attended the funeral.[8]

Legacy

A street in Teaneck is named in her honor.[24][25] A room at the Teaneck library was named in her honor.[26]

The local chapter of the NAACP created the "Lizette Parker Trailblazer Award".[8]

The Urban League of Bergen County created a scholarship fund to pay for the education of Parker's daughter.[8]

See also

References
  1. Myles Ma (2016-04-24). "Lizette Parker, Groundbreaking Mayor Of Teaneck, Dies At 44". NJ.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  2. Josh Gottheimer (February 2, 2017). "Honoring The Life Of The Honorable Lizette Parker". The Congressional Record. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  3. Jeff Green (2014-07-01). "Death Of Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker Sends Shock Waves Through Teaneck". Bergen Record (NorthJersey.com). Archived from the original on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  4. Breanna Edwards (April 25, 1916). "1st Female African-American Mayor in Bergen County, NJ, Dies at Age 44". The Root.
  5. "History Making N.J. Mayor Remembered At Funeral For Faith, Family, Love Of Children". NJ.com. April 30, 2016.
  6. "Teaneck Chooses First Muslim Mayor In Bergen County". Associated Press. July 2, 2010. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  7. Lizette Parker Volk Leber Funeral Home
  8. Barker, Cyril Josh (12 May 2016). "Election to replace late Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker set for November". New York Amsterdam News. ProQuest 1792393535.
  9. Aaron Morrison (2014-07-01). "Teaneck Selects Its First Female African American Mayor, Faces Continuing Fiscal Troubles". Bergen Record. Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  10. Joseph, A.X. (1 July 2010). "Dissent Over Next Teaneck Mayor". The Record. ProQuest 603897483.
  11. Joseph, A.X. (2 July 2010). "Teaneck Picks 1st Muslim Mayor In County HISTORY". The Record. ProQuest 603897960.
  12. Diduch, Mary (15 April 2016). "Teaneck Candidates Drop The Acrimony". The Record. ProQuest 1781145269.
  13. Calem, Jane (February 22, 2007). "Civil unions just first step, says local gay-rights activist". The Jewish Standard. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  14. Malaspina, Ann (2007), The Ethnic and Group Identity Movements: Earning Recognition Reform Movements in American History Series, Infobase Publishing, ISBN 9781438106335, Early on February 19, 2007, gay and lesbian couples gathered at city halls throughout New Jersey to apply for civil unions ... Steven Goldstein and Daniel Gross of Teaneck were the first couple given the state's legal right of a civil union. Teaneck deputy mayor Lizette Parker asked, “Do you, Steven, agree to be legally joined with Daniel under the Civil Union Law of the state of New Jersey?”
  15. "Community Mourns The Loss Of A New Jersey Mayor". Magic Baltimore. April 23, 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018. A mere two years after making history by becoming the first African American mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, Lizette Parker has passed away.
  16. Eric Kiefer (December 11, 2015). "Essex County Mayors Among Those Calling For Trump Boycott: Muslim Ban Would Be 'Un-American'". Patch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  17. Leonard Greene (April 25, 2016). "Mayor Lizette Parker Of Teaneck, New Jersey, Dies At Age 44". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  18. Daniel Hubbard (April 24, 2016). "Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker, 44, Dies After Suffering From 'Respiratory Issues' Sunday, Town Says". Patch.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  19. "Mayor Of Teaneck, Lizette Parker, Dies After Being Hospitalized For Respiratory Problems". WABC-TV. Associated Press. April 25, 2016. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  20. Elizabeth Kratz (May 5, 2016). "Teaneck Council Honors Legacy of Beloved Mayor Lizette Parker". Jewish Link of New Jersey. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  21. Dan Ivers (2016-04-24). "Teaneck Mayor Died After Respiratory Issues, Official Says". NJ.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  22. Jim Norman (April 30, 2016). "Hundreds Mourn Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker, Recalled As A 'Powerful Public Servant'". USA Today. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
  23. Lur Herzog (April 30, 2016). "History Making N.J. Mayor Remembered At Funeral For Faith, Family, Love Of Children". New Jersey Advance Media. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  24. Cecilia Levine (August 31, 2016). "Teaneck Street Renamed To Honor Late Mayor Lizette Parker Wednesday". Teaneck Daily Voice. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  25. "Teaneck Dedicates Street In Mayor Lizette Parker's Honor". NorthJersey.com. September 8, 2016. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  26. Dave Sheingold. "Late Teaneck Mayor Honored With Dedication Of Children's Room At Library". NorthJersey.com.
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