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He has been called the future president of the United States.’ He has been a host of celebrity and political supporters, including Jon Bon Jovi, Bill Bradley, Tiki Barber and Barbra Streisand. He was in talks to become a potential candidate for President Obama’s cabinet. He went on a hunger strike for 10 days to protest open-air drug dealing. He has chosen to live in Newark’s more precarious neighborhoods, working to incite revitalization there.’
He is mayor of Newark, N.J., and he is not a traditional politician.
As part of the Open VISIONS Forum, and in collaboration with the Office of Student Diversity Program, Cory A. Booker, the mayor of Newark, spoke on the topic of Bridging the Divide: The Strengths and Challenges of Diversity in America.
Forum Program Director and Art History Professor Phillip Eliasoph commenced the evening by quoting Booker’s friend, Gayle King.
‘I used to say: If you listen to Cory Booker for 15 minutes, you’ll be hooked,’ she said. ‘Now I say five.’
Almost immediately upon his entering the stage of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, it became clear why.
Booker has proven his words carry weight. Since he became mayor on July 1 2006, Booker and his administration have doubled the production of affordable housing, reduced murder and shootings by 40 percent, created public/private partnerships assisting ex-offenders and at risk youth and embraced the cultural history of Newark.
When asked by Eliasoph about the role of the arts in leveraging the economy, Booker explained that the arts drive a huge amount of economic development, and affirmed, ‘our greatest asset that differentiates us as a species is our ability to make expressions of the divine.’
Exuding charisma and humility, Booker was quick to thank his parents, who had flown up from Georgia to join him. Cary and Carolyn Booker, two of the first IBM executives, raised Booker in an affluent Bergen County, N.J. suburb. Though he is 39, Booker joked with the audience that his mother still tells him what to do.
‘I’m the mayor of the largest city in New Jersey and my mother still tells me to comb my hair, but I don’t have any hair!’
Booker graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in political science and a M.A. in sociology, and continued his education as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford and later received his J.D. from Yale Law School.
Booker contended that throughout his years in academia ‘I learned more from my activism at college than in the courses.”
Shortly after transitioning into politics as a councilman, Booker set his sights on the mayoral race. Throughout the evening, Booker entertained the audience with anecdotes about Newark citizens, including Ms. Virginia Jones, a neighbor he had had while living in the housing complex Brick Towers in Newark’s Central Ward. Booker noted that Jones and other citizens have taught him invaluable lessons that have helped to shape his personal philosophy. Booker derived his political stands and campaigned for mayor, winning on his second attempt.’
Renee White, Fairfield professor of sociology and anthropology, asked Booker if he was familiar with the idea of new black politics.
Speaking of himself, as well as other prominent black politicians, including Artur Davis, Deval Patrick and Adrian Fenty, Booker said, ‘We’re all the natural evolution of American society, with the same passions and commitments to social justice.’
Declaring that he will never be a, ‘race-effacing leader,’ Booker believes instead that it is essential to preserve the differences that constitute these United States.
Booker said that he is inspired and motivated by the citizens of his city, his neighbors in the projects and friends working in the warehouses. He holds monthly office hours where citizens of Newark have the opportunity to speak with him face-to-face about issues plaguing them.
‘I was surprised at how genuine and in touch with the real issues a politician could be,’ said Laura Leigh Neville ’11.
Recently, Oprah Winfrey, a Booker supporter, donated more than $1.5 million to five non-profits schools and organizations in the Newark area, including St. Benedict’s Prep of Newark and Newark Now, founded by Booker.
Student audience member Kwadwo Asante ’10, a St. Benedict’s Prep alumnus, knows first hand the positive changes Booker has implemented in Newark.
‘My mom was really hesitant for me to go to school in Newark with all of the crime,’ said Asante. ‘But now, when I go back there, it’s a new world. There are actually tourists, actually attractions.
‘I can go to see the Devils play at the Prudential Center and go to a nice restaurant and not feel afraid,’ Asante said. ‘This is only my third year away at college, but in those three years Booker’s completely rebuilt my city.’
At the end of the night, the roaring cheer and standing ovation from the audience of students, faculty, and community members seemed to indicate that they too, as King had said, were hooked on Booker. With all that he has accomplished in his short tenure as mayor of Newark, the future looks very bright for Cory Booker.
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