The snow in Newark this February is more than a seasonal inconvenience; it is a physical barrier. Inside the Urban League of Essex County’s headquarters on Central Avenue, President and CEO Vivian Cox Fraser looks past the drifts. Fraser, who holds a Master’s in Economics from Yale, has led the League since 2004. She has just navigated a complex grant process with Congresswoman LaMonica McIver’s office—a partnership targeting the expansion of the League’s construction training.
“The purpose of the funding is really to support the expansion,” Fraser says. “Construction provides a pathway for folks to build skills. But we’re in a really small space. We sort of model one room, build it, and take it down with every class. A bigger space allows for more hands-on experience.”
The Remediation of History
In a city where most housing stock was built before the 1978 lead paint ban, renovation is public health. “If the house is pre-1975, it’s pretty much guaranteed to have lead,” Fraser explains. The League’s program doesn’t just train workers; it identifies homes for the Lead Remediation and Abatement Program (LRAP), addressing “irreversible impacts” on the city’s children.
The Ladder and the Hustle
Fraser is blunt about the “fire in the belly” required to succeed. “There’s no substitute for hustle. You look at that job as a rung on the ladder. It’s a stepping stone.” She recalls her father, who had a third-grade education: “He said knowledge—can’t nobody take that from you.”
The Stakeholders
Fraser views economic empowerment as civic defense. Quoting Whitney M. Young Jr.—”The hardest work in the world is being out of work”—she emphasizes that the League’s mission is about more than money. It’s about the “Tech House” recruitment, the upcoming literacy center at Fairmount Commons (opening Sept 2026), and the vote.
“Every safety net program is getting cut,” she warns. “My call to action is to be engaged. If they make it harder to vote, get your I.D.s now. Whatever the barrier is, we’re ready to knock it down.”
