NAACP, National Action Network, and Faith Leaders Condemn Board President’s Comment at Jersey City School Board Meeting

Charles Mainor, president of the Jersey City NAACP, along with local clergy and civil rights advocates, publicly criticized Board of Education President Noemí Velázquez following remarks made during a recent Jersey City school board meeting about Trustee Lorenzo Richardson’s attire.

During the meeting, Velázquez said Richardson looked like someone in the movie “Coming to America.” Richardson was offended by the comment.

“Do I believe she was trying to make a joke? It’s a possibility that she was,” Mainor said. “But what bothers me is the half-hearted apology.”

He said the apology concluded with the statement, “well, if you can’t take a joke, oh well,” and criticized the wording, stating she “wanted to apologize for Mr. Richardson not understanding or accepting this as a joke.”

“Dissect that. I’m going to apologize because you didn’t understand what I was doing, not because you said something that insulted me,” he said. “What’s right right here is that that was an insult.”

Mainor said the NAACP stands with Richardson and called for a direct apology. “When you disrespect one of us, you disrespect all of us,” he said.

Jonnel Green, senior pastor of Bethesda Baptist Church of Jersey City, also addressed the remarks.

“As a faith leader and a servant of the Jersey City community, I am deeply concerned and disappointed by the recent comments made by Noemi Velazquez the President of the Jersey City Board of Education,” Green said. “The recent remark comparing a trustee Deacon Lorenzo Richardson attire to ‘Coming to America’ was not humorous or harmless. It was culturally dismissive and deeply troubling, particularly in a city as diverse as Jersey City and during a time meant to honor Black history and heritage.”

“Our students are watching,” Green added. “Leadership requires cultural humility, respect, and awareness.”

Pastor Gloria Walton, president of the Jersey City National Action Network, also issued a statement.

“The Jersey City National Action Network strongly denounces the recent racist remark made by School Board President Noemí Velázquez toward Trustee Lorenzo Richardson,” Walton said. “This was more than a careless comment. It reflected a harmful stereotype rooted in disrespect toward Black culture and appearance.”

“An apology does not erase impact,” she added. “We demand not only an apology but also corrective action and a demonstrated commitment to anti-racism and cultural respect within the Board of Education. Our children deserve leadership that sees them, values them, and respects who they are.”