Jamaica Flag Raising Event In Newark Unites Local Community Members

NEWARK, NJ — A flag raising ceremony for Jamaica took place in Newark earlier this week, bringing community members together under the banner of “United In Celebrating Resilience.”

The event was held at Newark City Hall on Monday. It was spearheaded by the City of Newark Caribbean Commission in partnership with the JON-J Essex Chapter and the Rutgers Newark Alumni Association.

Organizers honored six “remarkable pillars of the Jamaican-American community” for their contributions to the city. The 2026 honorees included the late Rev. Alfred B. Johnson, youth athletics scholar and Princeton commit Justin Tafari Parris, the late Consul General Alsion Roach Wilson, aviation leader Anthony Thomas, nonprofit visionary Kareem K. M. Willis, and the late attorney and entrepreneur Deirdresha Sasha-Gaye Wint-Eversley.

The ceremony featured a keynote address by sociologist and author Janice Johnson Dias, in addition to music and dance performances.

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