Jersey Proud

Tired of the Jersey jokes? Sick of reality TV? Bored with the demeaning stereotypes? It’s time to FIGHT BACK New Jersey!

New Jerseyans are not some gaggle of tanning-machined, over-indulgent party animals with pea brains and big hair. No, we are proud residents of the state of Einstein and Edison, Sinatra and Springsteen, Toni Morrison and Philip Roth; Aldrin and Schirra, Berra and Doby, Woodrow Wilson and (get ready America!) Chris Christie.

We are the state where the tide turned in 1776, cradle of the American industrial revolution, crucial stop on the Underground Railroad, great melting pot of immigrants, fertile ground for the finest produce, incubator of innovation, pathway to the future.

So what happened? Why did our stock fall and our value to the reality-show mills rise? Perhaps everyone else is just jealous. Jersey has enough genius, inventiveness, talent, personality, vitality, and character to outshine the other 49 states combined.

And we’ve got attitude. So let’s use it. Pride is powerful—and no one has a right to more pride of place than a Jerseyan.

In this issue, we’ve asked some of Jersey’s favorite daughters and sons to share the stories of their pride in New Jersey. Now, roll up your sleeves, put those shoulders back, chest out, chin up, and let the world know you too are JERSEY PROUD.

Click on the links below to read our jersey proud stories:

We All Walked Together
East Orange native Dionne Warwick grew up with music all around her.

‘We Are a Confused But Noble Race…’
At his 2008 New Jersey Hall of Fame induction, native son Bruce Springsteen mused about the profound influence the Garden State has had on his music.

Everybody’s Exit
Joe Piscopo’s Jersey-centric shtick on Saturday Night Live helped cement our place on the nation’s pop culture map.

Safe at Home
Comedian Richard Lewis relates his rich New Jersey memories…from amusement parks to diners, and beyond.

Of Writers and Rocks
Pulitzer-Prize winning author and Princeton resident John McPhee talks about the spectacularly varied state he has long known as home.

Supreme Confidence
A Jersey education put Samuel Alito on track for the nation’s highest court.

Summers at the Beach
Vice President Joe Biden’s wife Jill spent fond hours at her grandparents’ home in Hammonton.

The Happy Agitator
Publishing scion Steve Forbes extols the simple joys of life in tony Bedminster.

A Compact, Complicated Place
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz returns to the vivid New Jersey landscapes of his youth to inform his art.

Not Far from Everything Nearby
Yogi Berra, a veritable New Jersey institution, has seen it all in this state—and loves to talk about it.

No Getting Away From NJ
Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson attempts to elucidate the definitive quality of New Jersey.

Warming Up to Hoboken
It didn’t take long for Zach Parise, a native Minnesotan, to learn to love his adopted state.

Good Neighbor Policy
Canadian-born hockey legend Bobby Clarke feels right at home in Haddonfield.

Motherlode of Invention
Leave it to the Garden State to make everyone’s life better.

 

Readers tell us what makes them Jersey Proud.

Click here to tell us YOUR Jersey Proud stories.

JRZ Proud Companies

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