Many of the major problems currently afflicting the population of this planet have been accurately attributed to "a failure in leadership" by those observers in a position to know.

In refreshing contrast is the legacy of Glenn D Cunningham (1943 - 2004), the first African-American Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.

There are some striking parallels between three pioneering African-American mayors who left us way too soon.

They are Mayors Glenn Cunningham (Jersey City), Harold Washington (Chicago) and Maynard Jackson (Atlanta).

The primary common threads that the Editor has observed are the commitment and concern that each mayor had for his own community and for all of the people of the entire metropolis, and the massive opposition that each mayor had to contend with, from within and without his own community.

Over the many years that the Editor has known Glenn Cunningham (when he was on the police force, in the City Council, and our Mayor and State Senator), the Editor has only observed consistent concern for the community, the highest standards of professionalism and sincere responsiveness to the concerns expressed by the citizenry.

The  public outpouring of grief and remembrance by tens of thousands of citizens from all of the city's diverse communities - each person having individual accounts of good deeds and service by Mr Cunningham - gave testimony. The Abrahamic Scriptures of the "People of the Book" in our Judeo-Christian-Islamic community confirm the record in Proverbs 29:2 and Luke 22:25-26 and in other passages of the Torah, Bible and Quran.

Thanks to the example of Glenn Cunningham, many people are now able to see the light. 

Jersey City is unique not only in its diversity, but in the fact that its citizens live in such close proximity with each other. The children met and learned from each other, even when their parents did not.

That has prevented the kinds of isolation that can occur in such nearby diverse cities as New York City (where ethnic communities are large enough to allow those who do not wish to have contact with "outsiders" to do so). Isolation, and resulting misunderstandings, have often resulted in horrible and tragic consequences.

Mayor Glenn Cunningham reached out to, and was able to draw on the strengths of, the entire community. That was a major key to the transformation of the city that occurred during his administration. 

Parallels between three mayors (Harold Washington, Maynard Jackson and Glenn Cunningham from Chicago, Atlanta and Jersey City) may be summarized in an e-mail message from a colleague of the Editor. Part of that message follows:

"All three of these men were under tremendous pressure to make great things happen for people of color while operating a very large metropolitan city."

"Each had to deal with the political infighting and back biting. All three were very popular and outgoing."

"They each put in twice the amount of time of white Mayors and attended many more functions. The Black Man must always be twice as good just to be considered average."

Mayor Glenn Cunningham had great concern for and interest in young people and their education. The contents of these Web pages are in tribute to and in grateful memory of him.

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