*Actress and hip-hop icon Queen Latifah traveled back to her hometown of Newark, NJ, to help break ground on a new housing development project.
“I’m a little bit emotional that we got walls up, we got windows,” said the artist, born Dana Owens, at the ceremony on Tuesday.
As reported by northjersey.com, the South Ward development project was revealed publicly in 2016 and is being spearheaded by BlueSugar Corp., of which Latifah is co-president. Construction was supposed to begin two years ago but was stalled by several hurdles.
“It took a while, but we stayed with it and it changed and it morphed, and we stayed with what we needed to do, and the timing is right right now for this place to rise,” Latifah said.
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Latifah’s mother served as an inspiration for the real estate development project called RISE Living. Its acronym, “Rita is Still Everywhere,” is a tribute to Latifah’s mother, Rita, who was a Newark schoolteacher.
“I’m proud to be from here,” Latifah said who was joined at the ceremony by New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, builders Life Assets Development, and GonSosa Development as well as other city leaders.
“I grew up around here playing in West Side Park, a block away,” Latifah said. “My grandfather’s hardware store was blocks from here. I drove past this block. I saw what was needed on this block, houses that weren’t lived in. Some were really dilapidated, and so I thought, ‘Why not here?’ ”
Queen Latifah held the construction ceremony for her future affordable housing development in her hometown of Newark, NJ today! ???? pic.twitter.com/07k6gpBiJ7
— Female Rap Room (@FemaleRapRoom) April 26, 2022
The new affordable housing will be situated along Springfield Avenue outside of the city’s downtown. Per the report, “the 76-unit mixed-use project will include 20 three-family townhomes at market rate prices, with rents starting at $1,800 a month.”
Latifah said she is cooking up several new developments, including senior housing and LEED-certified buildings, according to the report.
“[We want to] really continue to bring us into the future and give the youth an opportunity to stay right here and create and grow,” Latifah said.
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