Jim Crow in New Jersey – A Sankofa Collaborative Workshop

NJCH is proud to sponsor the Sankofa Collaborative’s continuing series of workshops on the complex and difficult issues in the history and current experiences of African American citizens of New Jersey.

The next event in the series will be an all-day workshop at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ on Friday, July 19, 2024, from 9 am to 4 pm.

The theme of the Collaborative’s 2024 workshops is “Jim Crow in New Jersey – Policies, Regulations, and Practices Supporting Discrimination and Segregation in the Garden State.” Registration is required at https://sankofacollaborative.org/upcoming-programs. The $75 registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, all-day beverage service, and admission to the Grounds For Sculpture.

Event Program

The workshop’s keynote speaker is Dr. Spencer Crew, Clarence J. Robinson Professor in the Honors College at George Mason University. Dr. Crew has worked in public history institutions for more than twenty-five years. He served as president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for six years and at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution for twenty years, including nine years as NMAH director.

The workshop’s panels will address New Jersey’s history of residential and education segregation, discrimination in access to recreational amenities, and disparities in the location of environmental hazards. Panelists will discuss the policies, regulations, and practices supporting these realities and describe successful efforts to avert or overcome their consequences.

Workshop attendees will hear the music of Mari Green whose performances spanning opera, spirituals, and musical theater are outlined at her website marigreen.me. Attendees will also preview a trailer for an upcoming film on the Great Migration to New Jersey.

About the Sankofa Collaborative

The Sankofa Collaborative was formed in January 2017 by 1804 Consultants, Grounds For Sculpture, New Jersey Historical Society, Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, and William Trent House Museum. These organizations share a commitment to the vision of a well-informed NJ citizenry that acknowledges the role of African Americans in NJ’s history and their continuing contribution to the vitality of the state. The Collaborative publishes a resource e-newsletter weekly and maintains an archive of resources and program materials at https://sankofacollaborative.org.

The Collaborative’s in-person and virtual workshops feature keynote speakers who connect the workshop theme with the broader historical context and panels of representatives from public history institutions and historic sites who share their specific role in New Jersey’s history, innovative strategies they use to engage visitors in learning that history, and insights about topics that need deeper research and presentation