ASSEMBLY HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 214

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 22, 2021

      The Assembly Human Services Committee reports favorably Assembly Resolution No. 214.

     This resolution urges support and protection for African-American women.

     On the night of December 4, 2020 at approximately 8:30 p.m., 36-year-old Aieshia McFadden was found outside a liquor store in Jersey City with a fatal gunshot wound to her torso.  It has been reported that the Hudson County prosecutor identified the man arrested and charged in the suspected murder of Aieshia McFadden, as Thaddues Williams, 37, of East Orange. 

     Ms. McFadden was an African-American woman and a mother to four children.  She was described as a woman who loved, and was devoted to, her children.  Ms. McFadden was a cafeteria worker at Lincoln High School.  According to the principal, she had a great relationship with the kids in the building and was a part of the school and its culture.  It has been reported that Ms. McFadden was touched inappropriately by a man in the liquor store prior to being shot.

     According to Now.org, for African American women such as Ms. McFadden, sexual assault and violence are pervasive issues that routinely go unreported and under-addressed.  Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper for this House to issue a call to action to protect and support African-American women who stand up and advocate for themselves in the face of violence, injustice, and persecution.