The 14th Annual African-American History Month Celebration in Essex County recently took place at the Essex County Hall of Records.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award was given to Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss, and Government Affairs Manager for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Sarah Jones received the Coretta Scott King Leadership Award.
“Mayor Tony Vauss and Sarah Jones are role models who have dedicated their professional lives to public service and have made a significant impact on influencing government policies and improving the quality of life in their communities and throughout the State,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said.
Vauss was elected mayor of Irvington in 2014 and is a member of the Martin Luther King Heritage Committee, Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and the NAACP. Jones, a resident of South Orange, in her capacity as Government Affairs Manager for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, represents Horizon BCBSNJ before the New Jersey Legislature and various New Jersey governmental departments and agencies, and supports government affairs advocacy efforts at the federal level with New Jersey’s congressional delegation.
Entertainment at the event was provided by the Arts High School Choir under the direction of Scott Cumberbatch. The African-American History Month Celebration is part of a yearlong cultural series to highlight Essex County’s diversity.