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Remember, New Jersey

@remembernewjersey

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Black history blooms in every corner.

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spent some time at the @burlcohistsoc to do some research and left with even more than i anticipated. all it took was a brief conversation with the staff for them to cover my workspace with original documents from the 1700s, news articles that haven’t been digitized and aren’t available online, books that are out of print, pamphlets from legendary events/ceremonies, and so much more. here’s look at some of the Black history i saw.thank you so much to the good people over at @burlcohistsoc for all of your help and all of the work you do to preserve our history. i encourage everyone to spend a few hours at their local historical society, you never know what you may learn about the place you live in. by @remembernewjersey

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8 days ago

known as the “rosa parks of affordable housing,” mount laurel resident and teacher ethel lawrence was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that led to a landmark ruling that stated all new jersey municipalities had to adjust their zoning codes to provide their “fair share” of affordable housing. by @remembernewjersey

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3 months ago

y’all won’t believe what i found in my house last week! long story short, i was doing some research on willingboro, new jersey, a town that means a lot to my family and i. at one point it time, it was a “levittown.” not sure if you know much about the history of levittowns in america, but they were built in the 1950s as suburban housing developments for white vets and their families. if you weren’t white you couldn’t live there. the deed restrictions literally prevented it. in 1958, reverend willie r. james sr. was an army officer stationed at fort dix who wanted to move into the levittown in new jersey. he was denied, of course, due to those racist deed restrictions that didn’t allow Black people to buy a house there. and guess what he did? he filed a discrimination suit that made it all the way to the new jersey supreme court. and won. willie went on the become head of the burlington county chapter of the naacp and continued to fight for civil rights.today, willingboro (formerly levittown) is predominantly Black, and it’s a place that my family has built businesses in, learned from, educated in, and more. it’s also where i attended pre-school, kindergarten, and summer camp-shout out to primary colors learning center! for this project i’ve been working on i’ve been trying to find as many pictures as i can of the Black people who shaped willingboro, and ultimately new jersey as a whole. and when i tell you i could only find four photos of rev. willie after searching for hours?! that was it. just those four photos.or at least, that’s what i thought.last friday i randomly decided to go through some of the cabinets at home to collect some magazines i’ve been wanting to scan. and guess what i found when i opened one of them? a picture in a frame, of my pop-pop and reverend willie james sr. standing in front of pennypacker elementary school. the school was renamed in willie’s honor and my pop-pop was the principal there for years. two men who stood up for Black people in everything they did. there’s so much history in our homes and in our families. talk to your people and go through your cabinets, you never know what you may find! i’m so happy i did. by @remembernewjersey

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6 months ago

if there’s one thing you should do this #BlackHistoryMonth, it’s look into the history hiding in your own backyard-your town, your county, your state. there are so many stories of people, places, and things just waiting to be shared with with new eyes and ears. this is how we keep our history alive. this gallery has some of my favorite moments from nj, song is by jersey’s own as well 🫶🏾1. the shirelles, a groundbreaking Black girl group from passaic, new jersey, was one of the first Black girl groups to top the billboard chart and were inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame in 1996 (via google)2. sarah spencer washington, a Black entrepreneur, beauty mogul, and one of the first Black millionaires, who founded the apex news and hair company in atlantic city and built an empire (via atlantic city free public library heritage collection)3. a copy of washington’s apex news, a newspaper dedicated to serving the Black community in atlantic city (via sswmovie.com)4. house in camden, nj, was where dr. martin luther king jr. lived for three years, from 1948 to 1951, while attending crozer theological seminary (via google)5. club harlem in atlantic city, opened in the 1930s, was a legendary nightclub where big-name Black artists like sarah vaughan, sammy davis jr., and count basie performed (via philly jazz)6. james still, one of the first Black doctors in new jersey, known for founding the still family health center in berlin, which provided medical care to underserved communities7. 1925 photo of members of the shady rest golf club in scotch plains, the first Black-owned and operated golf course in the united states (via cpcrs)8. marion thompson wright, newark native who was the first Black woman in the us to earn a phd in history and whose research on race and education helped shape the arguments used in brown v. board of ed (moorland-spingarn research center) 9. within our gates (1920), directed by oscar micheaux-the first major Black filmmaker in the us-was filmed in fort lee (via senscritique)10. the elfra court motel was the first Black motel in wildwood (via wildwood sun by the sea mag) by @remembernewjersey

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a year ago

from 1950 to 1975, ella and frank foster ran the elfra court motel—a name that came straight from their own: ella + frank. it was more than just a place to stay; the elfra was the first black-owned motel in wildwood, nj, making history right on the shore. by @remembernewjersey

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2 years ago

it’s #BlackHistoryMonth 365 days a year for us. read all about lena francis edwards, a new jersey physician who received the presidential medal of freedom in 1964 🤎✨ by @remembernewjersey

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3 years ago

cover of apex news company, the monthly publication founded by sara spencer washington, one of the first Black millionaires, in atlantic city new jersey. she also founded apex hair company, expanding her one-room salon into an empire of beauty companies, schools and products. by @remembernewjersey

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4 years ago

six women working at the sweet potato pie company in paterson, nj wrapping cooked pies with plastic wrap. (1994) c/o @librarycongress by @remembernewjersey

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4 years ago

fun phillies fact as we look towards tomorrow’s #worldseries game. the team's owner at the time, bob carpenter, wanted to build a new park in jersey. sen. cowgill proposed a park in del. twp. philly already lost 2 teams (athletics and warriors) to other states, so voters approved building of veterans stadium. by @remembernewjersey

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4 years ago

a group of women hanging out in newark in the 1960s. photo via @njdotcom by @remembernewjersey

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4 years ago

atlantic city, nj, was home to club harlem, a venue that welcomed some of our biggest black stars. leroy “pop” williams and his brother clifton founded it in 1935, and hosted ella fitzgerald, billie holiday, sammy davis jr., aretha franklin, sam cooke, james brown and more. by @remembernewjersey

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4 years ago

look what we found in the library today! you know we checked it out 📚 by @remembernewjersey

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4 years ago