Insider NJ Names 4 SJ Minority Leaders to 100 Rising Generation List
Quinton Law accepts oath for Moorestown council with father holding the Bible. Photo courtesy of Quinton Law.
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
ATLANTIC CITY — The country’s newest U.S. Senator, Cherry Hill’s Andy Kim, led the group of Insider NJ 100 Rising Generation List released last week, as Front Runner New Jersey highlights the South Jersey people of color who were highlighted.
Also named to the list was Camden city councilwoman Nohemi Soria-Perez at No. 35, New Jersey Young Democrats President Fatima Heyward at No. 78 and Moorestown Deputy Mayor Quinton Law at No. 82.
“The Rising Generation featured here are representatives of the younger side of New Jersey’s great movers and shakers but may also serve as role models for Gen Z and the youngest generation yet, Gen Alpha (both born 2012 and on) – the children of Millennials and elder Gen Z,” wrote Edward Edwards, of NJ Insider introducing the list. You can see the complete list here.
“Leadership opportunities are not, and ought not be, exclusive of young faces. Some have come into such positions on their own, by creating the businesses and roles they fund themselves captaining. Others have put their time, talent, and energy into contributing to entities and causes they believe in and champion.”
Kim has garnered the most national headlines of anyone in the group, becoming the first Asian American to represent New Jersey in the Senate and the first of Korean heritage to ever serve in the nation’s highest branch of legislators.
His political story has been well documented, upsetting a Republican incumbent in a formerly “Red” seat to win a seat as a U.S. Representative in 2018 and was the first to announce that he would challenge embattled Sen. Bob Menendez for his seat last year. He beat out a crowded field in the Democrat primary, including party favorite, NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy.
Soria-Perez made history in 2021 as the first Mexican American elected to Camden City Council in 2021. The chief of staff for powerful NJ Sen. Nilsa Cruz Perez, and Assemblymen William Spearman and Bill Moen, Soria-Perez is a board member of Latina Civic, which seeks to expand the involvement of Latinas in leadership positions.
Heyward, the co-founder of the South Jersey Young Democrats Black Caucus, became the first Black woman to be named president of the New Jersey Young Democrats in 2019. She was appointed by NJ Gov. Phil Murphy to the Amistad Commission in 2022.
Currently, Heyward is the director of National Corporate Partnerships at Teach For America. In her role, she manages external relationships and works closely with internal stakeholders to achieve the objectives of Teach for America through impactful programming. She was won numerous awards for her work and advocacy around diversity, education and women’s rights.
Law, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, made history thrice in Moorestown, first being elected as the first Black and young member ever to the township council and then the same when he rose to deputy mayor. He specializes in working with Veterans, the IRS and the Bureau of Prisons.
A former standout student athlete at Moorestown HS and Bryant University, Law’s outreach with mayors from across the state has given him an understanding of how municipalities can work with the federal government to get things done. He serves as the education chair for the Southern Burlington County NAACP and is also a founding member of the Moorestown Alumni for Racial Equity and Inclusion.
Other South Jersey residents of note who made the list include Atlantic County Democratic Party Chair Michael Suleiman, the founder of South Jersey Forward, at No. 37, Atlantic City councilman Jesse Kurtz at No. 38, Burlington County Commissioner Tyler Burell at No. 45 and Camden County’s Kyle Hanson, as the new mayor of Barrington and lead staffer for Assemblyman Bill Moen.
Soria-Perez was a member of Front Runner New Jersey’s 30 Under 35 Top Young Latinos of SJ Class of 2021. Heyward and Law were both Class of 2022 members of the Front Runner New Jersey’s 30 Under 35 Top Young African American Leaders of South Jersey.
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