Former Newark Mayor Ken Gibson: Barack's broad shoulders

April 6, 1:57 PMNewark City Buzz ExaminerWalter H. Allen

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His honor (right) and the writer at the Bergen Street
IHOP two years ago. The mayor talks and the writer
listens, as usual.

When I heard "Earth, Wind and Fire" were playing the White House earlier this year, I thought, "What!?" I wondered if I'd ever heard that before. I still can't remember. But after it happened (in the same week Stevie Wonder was honored at the White House), my admiration for Barack and Michele Obama multiplied. "These folks," I thought, "really are 'Black and Proud,'" as James Brown once declared.

Mr. Obama is fond of recounting the fact that he stands on the shoulders of centuries of black folk. Something about that EWF performance got me to thinking seriously about who's specific shoulders I stand on. The first person I thought of was Ken Gibson. And I think our 44th president would agree that no shoulders are broader than those of the man who ran Newark from 1970 to 1986.

I often think of the first press conference I ever covered as a reporter coming out of Livingston College. It was in Mayor Gibson's office. When it was over, I hung around a little, partly to be nosey, partly to see if I could get some advice from the man who legend had saving the city following the 1967 riots. Pete Rodino and Harrison Williams were huge figures in the state, and so was Ken Gibson. After Cleveland and Gary, Indiana, Newark had elected a black man, just under two years after Dr. King had been assasinated.

I was just getting a rythym in broadcasting, and frankly, a little bit in awe. The conversation somehow turned to being a black reporter in an otherwise white industry. I'll never forget what the mayor and his erstwhile press secretary, Bernard Cannon Moore, told me. "Walter," they demaned, "don't worry about being a good black reporter. And don't be in awe of politicians like me. Concentrate on being the best news reporter you can and you'll have a long career." I thought of that just about every day for the next 25 or so years.

Today, the man Bernie refered to as "The Boss" is still around, keeping his head down and his spirits up. There have been bumps, and brusies. He sports "the zipper" on his chest, but he's still a player in town. I can safely say he's working on some things, though now is not the time to say what. But when I think about all the great black people that Barack Obama, and Walter Allen, owe a debt of gratitude to, no one stands out bolder than Ken Gibson.