How will NJ commemorate Sheila Oliver's life? More details emerge
More details about the Murphy administration’s plan to commemorate the life of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver are coming to light.
Oliver will lie in state in the Statehouse rotunda in Trenton on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and at the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark on Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. That celebration of life will feature a eulogy by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Sharpton said in a statement that Oliver was a “living testament to the importance of having Black women in positions of power to represent the needs and values of our community."
“Through her work with Emerge America, Lt. Governor Oliver fought to ensure more women — and more Black women in particular — have the opportunity to serve in elected office,” he said. “Not satisfied with her own success, she paved the way for a new generation as well.”
Gov. Phil Murphy’s office announced this week that Oliver’s official portrait will be commissioned for display in the Statehouse. The governor will also commission a portrait of former Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who served as the state’s first lieutenant governor.
Related: Gov. Phil Murphy, back in New Jersey, mourns his 'greatest partner,' Sheila Oliver
By doing this, Murphy is setting a precedent for all lieutenant governors to receive this recognition. Oliver’s family and Guadagno will work with Murphy’s office to pick artists for the portraits. The process usually takes more than a year.
“As the first two lieutenant governors of New Jersey, Sheila and I shared a unique bond of serving the residents of our great state,” Guadagno said. “I am incredibly grateful to Gov. Murphy for his decision to commission and display our portraits in the Statehouse and humbled that our time in office will be recognized with such an honor. I’m deeply proud of my time in public service and honored to have shared this journey with Sheila.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sheila Oliver funeral: Details on commemoration plans in NJ
