For public officials and residents of Jersey City, Shirley A. Tolentino wasn’t just another judge. She was a girl from the ‘hood who made it good. For this reason, people far and wide gathered on Dec. 8 to re-name the Martin Luther King Drive post office in her honor.
“This is something my father first attempted to do,” said Rep. Donald Payne Jr., referring to Rep. Donald Payne Sr. “All I did as a good son was to carry it over the finish line.”
Payne followed in his father’s footsteps and got the legislation passed this year, first in the House of Representatives in March, and the later in the U.S. Senate in July. President Barack Obama signed the legislation in July.
“This is not an easy accomplishment,” said Mayor Steven Fulop at the ceremony. “The post office is under scrutiny to cut.”
For most of those gathered in a large tent for the ceremony, Tolentino serves as an example of what can be done by someone who rises out of the most impoverished areas of the city.
“She shows that you can make it; this woman showed that it can be done.” – Sen. Sandra Cunningham.
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Payne, Cunningham, Fulop, Councilwoman Diane Coleman, and other officials were among the hundreds who came to pay tribute to a woman who had risen out of the poorest part of Jersey City to become a fierce supporter of public justice and a staunch advocate for the community.
“She was a tough judge,” said Coleman. “People said ‘Don’t go to her court with trash, because she’ll put it out on the curb for pick up.’ ”
A prestigious career
Tolentino died in November 2010, but left behind a legacy as the first African American woman in her class at Seton Hall University Law School, Jersey City municipal judge (and only second black woman municipal judge in the state) and the first African American woman Superior Court judge. She also served as a state deputy attorney general.
A graduate of St. Patrick’s Elementary and Snyder High School, Tolentino went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Latin from the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown. She taught Latin and English to make her living while earned her law degree from Seton Hall in 1971. She later got her master’s degree in Criminal Justice from New York University in 1980.
She worked as a deputy attorney general from 1973 until 1976, then was appointed municipal judge, and became residing judge in 1981.
“Gov. Thomas Kean nominated her to the Superior Court in January 1984,” Payne said. “She also served on the Supreme Court Task Force on Minorities and was a member of the National Association of Women Judges, serving as president in 1996.”
Payne said she was deeply involved the community, and was a dedicated public servant they could all be proud of.
Fulop praised her also.
“We are recognizing her as a pillar of the community,” Fulop said. “She blazed a trail that paved the way for future generations. It is fitting that she should have a post office on Martin Luther King Drive named after her. Martin Luther King once said that you are never gone until you’re forgotten. With the naming of this post office after her, she will never be gone from Jersey City.”
Coleman said honoring Tolentino was a honor for her.
“When a black female recognizes the work of another black female, that’s significant,” she said. “This is a graduate from Snyder High School. People say things about our public education system. But this proves that you can do it. She is an example that it can be done.”
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.