Hundreds pay final respects for Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver in Trenton
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Hundreds of people gathered in Trenton to pay their final respects to New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver.
Oliver was the first Black Lt. Gov. in the Garden State's history.
With her casket draped in an American flag, New Jersey State Troopers guided Lt. Gov. Oliver's body inside the State House Rotunda, where Gov. Phil Murphy and members of Oliver's family held a private visitation service before the public paid its final respects.
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Assemblyman Reginald Atkins delivered a prayer, calling Oliver a wonderful woman.
"And we pray god for this family who have endured such a tremendous loss as we bare our hearts to theirs," Atkins said.
Outside the State House, Hundreds of people lined up to honor Oliver's life, including Racha Barlow, who met the Lt. Gov. while working at Trenton City Hall.
"Her being one of the first Black women to hold that position, she inspired me to wanna do so much more when coming into my position, and I just wanted to come and say thank you and just be a comfort to the family if I could be," Barlow said.
Leaders from all across the state drove here to offer comfort to the family, including Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen and a handful of Camden County police officers.
"She was always full of wisdom in the times I've been around her, just giving you good nuggets of food for thought on leadership and local government so we're going to miss her," Carstarphen said.
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New Jersey Redevelopment Authority's President and CEO Leslie Anderson worked extensively with Oliver and says her shattering of glass ceilings for Black women will forever make her an inspiration.
"And as a Black woman who stands in state government, she opened many doors for me and created opportunities for me, but more importantly, she spoke on my behalf in rooms I wasn't even in," Anderson said.
