Cudjo Banquante’s story continues to resonate across New Jersey.
An enslaved man who enlisted in Washington’s Army, gained his freedom, and became Newark’s first documented Black business owner, Banquante was the focus of Honoring Cudjo Banquante!, a weeklong series of events and exhibitions held in spring 2025. Supported by a $15,000 NJCH Action Grant, the project was recognized earlier this month with NJCH’s Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in Public Humanities.
In a new feature story from NJ.com, the state’s largest news outlet, project organizers Kofi Ayim, Bobbi Bailey, and Linda Caldwell Epps share insights into Banquante’s extraordinary life and the community effort to honor his legacy — including the installation of a historical marker near the site where he was buried in 1823.
