Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Ceremonial Street Designation
Honoree: Paulette Jones
Date(s): Friday, June 6, 2025
Official Street Name(s): Intersection of Ridgewood Avenue and West Bigelow Street
Ceremonial Intersection Name: “Paulette Jones Legacy Lane”
Sponsor: Patrick O. Council, Council-Member, South Ward
Additional Information:
Ceremonial Street Dedication will be held 5:00 P.M. Friday, June 6, 2025, at the corner of Ridgewood Avenue and West Bigelow Street
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WHEREAS, Paulette Jones is a trailblazing cultural strategist and entertainment executive whose career spans over four decades, seamlessly bridging the worlds of music, media, and community empowerment. As the Founding Partner and CEO of Urban F.A.M.E Media Group Inc., Paulette has been instrumental in launching and managing talent, producing youth-centered media, and forging partnerships that amplify underrepresented voices; and
WHEREAS, her journey in the entertainment industry began at the age of 15, managing her cousin’s band, The Young Gents, who opened for icons like Otis Redding and James Brown. This early exposure laid the foundation for a career marked by innovation and impact. Under her leadership, Urban F.A.M.E Media Group merged with Reality Dance to form Reality FAME TV, a youth-focused network promoting positive entertainment. Paulette’s talent management credits include the success of artists like KC Flight and BB Jaye, securing deals with BMG and Jive/Harrell Records; and
WHEREAS, a proud Newark, NJ native, Paulette served for 13 years as the South Ward District Leader, advocating for civic engagement, voter awareness, and community development in the very neighborhoods that shaped her. Beyond civic service, she has been a dedicated advisor to the FP Youth Out Cry Foundation (The HUBB Arts & Trauma Center), helping to empower and mentor Newark’s youth; and
WHEREAS, Paulette's dedication to civic engagement is further exemplified by her involvement with the Safe Routes to School initiative, where she contributed to developing travel plans for schools like Ivy Hill Elementary, enhancing student safety and promoting active transportation. Paulette’s leadership also extends to the PTA, where she helped establish over a dozen chapters across Newark and served on both the New Jersey State PTA Board and as a National PTA Emerging Minority Leader. Her work has not gone unnoticed; she has received numerous accolades, including the FP YouthOutCry/HUBB Community Award and a Newark Proclamation honoring her as the first National PTA Emerging Leader for Minority; and
WHEREAS, Paulette holds an Associate Degree in Communications and Media and recently earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a Focus in Broadcast and New Media, continuing her lifelong commitment to learning and storytelling. She also holds certification as a COVID-19 Compliance Officer; and
WHEREAS, whether in boardrooms, classrooms, or creative spaces, Paulette Jones continues to build bridges between people, purpose, and possibility, cementing her legacy as a powerful voice for culture, community, and change.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Municipal Council does hereby authorize the honorary and ceremonial renaming of the intersection of Ridgewood Avenue and West Bigelow Street as “Paulette Jones Legacy Lane”.
2. The official name of said streets shall remain as Ridgewood Avenue and West Bigelow Street in its entirety.
STATEMENT
This Resolution authorizes the naming of the intersection of Ridgewood Avenue and West Bigelow Street as “Paulette Jones Legacy Lane”, for honorary and ceremonial purposes.