NEWARK -- Their voices emanate from the walls of the remodeled Hahne & Co. building and one by one tell the story of this city -- a story of resilience and hope.
There's Natasha Rogers, born to a heroin-addicted mom, who worked her way to Goldman Sachs and has come back to help Newark rebuild.
There's Debi Hall-Dean who helps her neighbors with no address stay warm on cold nights. And Al-Tarik Onque, who is trying to end senseless gun violence on the streets.
They are all part of the "100 People of Newark" project that photographed and interviewed 100 Newark residents who represent the city. Each person's picture and story is displayed along the walls of the Hahne building.
"The thing that rose to the surface immediately for me was this kind of scrappy, we're going to fix it, we're Newarkers but we're really proud of it," said Carolyn Jones, founder of the 100 People Foundation that put together the exhibit. "There's something about Newark that draws people back."
The PSEG Foundation funded the project as a gift to Newark for the city's 350th anniversary.
"You can't view the 100 pictures and read the stories behind them without being struck by the breadth and depth of talent here," PSEG chairman Ralph Izzo said in a statement.
The project began more than a year ago after the foundation reached out to community groups and leaders seeking nominations for the 100 people who would represent the city.
In selecting the finalists, Jones, 59, said they made sure Newark's demographics were proportionately represented -- by age, race, gender and ward of residence. Jones said they also picked people who embodied some of the city's most pressing issues.
"These are all change agents," Jones said. "I found the people really vibrant and determined and absolutely committed to making Newark what they believe it could be."
On a recent day on the ground floor of the Hahne building, people frequently stopped to stare at the portraits. Some looked through a few and moved on; others took the time to stop at each frame and read each person's story.
"My dream is that we can look at people differently, that we can be less judgmental, that we could read something about someone that we never would have thought that person did that," Jones said. "These are the people that keep the wheels of the city turning."
The photographs along with video interviews are also on display online at www.100people.org/newark.
If Newark were 100 People, this would be the breakdown:
- 51 women, 49 men
- 74 adults (9 of whom are 65 and older), 26 children
- 52 African Americans, 34 Hispanics, 11 European or white Americans, 2 Asian Americans, 1 Native American
- 20 from the Central Ward, 19 from the West Ward, 20 from the South Ward, 21 from the East Ward, 20 from the North Ward
Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yior on Facebook.
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