Honoring Black History Month in Ewing
February is Black History Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions of Black Americans to our nation’s history, culture, and progress. In a community as richly diverse as Ewing, and in a state that reflects that same diversity, there are countless ways to honor this important month.
Throughout February, we’ll be highlighting events in Ewing and the surrounding region that showcase the achievements and impact of Black leaders, artists, educators, and trailblazers. If you have an event you’d like to share, we’d love to hear about it—just click the button below to submit your event.
Let’s come together to celebrate, learn, and uplift the stories that continue to shape our community and our country.
Mayor Bert H. Steinmann
|
Exploring Black History in Ewing
Throughout February, Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society (ETHPS) will share weekly educational slides in our Ewing Insights newsletter, highlighting the history of African Americans in Ewing Township. These features are based on their 2024 exhibit, Blacks in Ewing: From Slavery to the Civil War, which traces the presence of Black residents in Ewing from the early18th century through emancipation.
ETHPS’s mission includes developing a deeper understanding of history, and their extensive research has helped shed light on the lives of enslaved individuals and free Black residents who lived and worked in Ewing. Their exhibit, now permanently displayed at the Benjamin Temple House, provides important insight into this local history within the broader state and national context.
We invite you to discover this important part of Ewing’s past through these weekly features. To learn more, stop by the Benjamin Temple House or check out the ETHPS website at www.ethps.org.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Clifford Ward: I'LL MAKE ME A WORLD, prologue, Artworks Trenton
Through April 12
An exhibition that brings together selected works from multiple series of works by Ward, celebrating the intersection of Ward's artistic journey with the imaginative and forward-looking spirit of Afrofuturism. Curated by Addison Vincent, artistic director of Artworks, this exhibition represents a unique collaboration between Artworks Trenton and Grounds For Sculpture. The Artworks Trenton exhibition is a first look at select pieces to be featured in GFS' upcoming exhibition, "Clifford Ward: I'll Make Me a World," opening in May. On view through April 12. 19 Everett Alley, Trenton, 609-394-9436. www.artworkstrenton.org
New Jersey Free Black Man – Jacob Francis, Mercer County Library
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
The American Revolution's game changing events during December 1776 -- such as Washington's Crossing and the Battle of Trenton -- and the famous leaders in charge of them are known in some degree to most people. Those events take on new meaning when looked at through the actions and memories of the individuals who experienced them. This talk is the fascinating story of a New Jersey-born Free Black Man serving in a Massachusetts regiment of the Continental Army. Although just one man, what he suffered through, and contributed to, puts a human face on life at that important time. Francis' experiences laid the groundwork for a lifelong interest in promoting the ideals of the Revolution, including that all men are created equal and should have equal rights. Register for link to program. www.mcl.org
"Meet Hannah Till" - Live Performance, Mt. Zion AME Church
Friday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, central New Jersey's first dedicated Black history museum, is excited to announce a series of special events in honor of Black History Month this February.
Educator and historical reenactor Leslie Bramlett will portray Hannah Archer Till, George Washington's personal cook during the Revolutionary War, in an original one-woman show. The daughter of an enslaved African American woman and an Oneida Indian man, Hannah Till was born into slavery in 1721. In 1777, she was leased to General George Washington as his cook and servant. She and her husband purchased their freedom the next year but continued to work for Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette until the end of the war. She was present at every battle Washington fought during the Revolution. Tickets are available for $5/person and can be purchased at: https://www.ssaamuseum.org/hannah-till
A Black History Month Celebration: Songs of Hope, Unity, and Courage
Saturday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. The Trenton Children’s Chorus and Trenton Music Makers Chamber Orchestra, the performance groups of Capitol Harmony Works, will present in the Princeton Public Library Community Room.
Sunday, Feb. 9, 1:30 PM -2:15 PM
Ewing author, Katie Onitiri-Hageman will read her book, Super Feelings: Emotions Unmasked! Through the adventures of two brothers, Remi and Deji, children learn to embrace feelings like happiness, sadness, anger, and more—turning challenges into strengths. This book isn’t just a story; it’s a tool to foster emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and resilience in young readers. Ewing Branch Mercer County Library, 61 Scotch Road.
“Escaping From Enslavement by Water — The Other Underground Railroad”
Virtual lecture by history professor Timothy Walker on February 9 at 2 p.m. and “Four Centuries of African American Soldiers” on February 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., William Trent House Museum at 15 Market Street in Trenton. In the museum, a drop-in living history program including military artifacts, reenactors, and military veterans sharing their own personal stories. williamtrenthouse.org
Zora Neale Hurston has long been considered a literary giant of the Harlem Renaissance, but her anthropological and ethnographic endeavors were equally important and impactful. This is an in-depth biography of the influential author whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had long defined the field in the 19th century. Runtime: 112 mins. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, Ewing Branch Mercer County Library. Registration required. Saturday, February 8, 2025, 2 to 4 p.m., Ewing Room 2B, Ewing Branch. Register: https://events.mcl.org/event/13956237
Virtual program, Feb. 12
Donnetta Bishop Johnson will share an insightful look at farming and land ownership traditions of the African American community in the Sourlands on Wednesday, February 12, 7pm. Bishop-Johnson is the former executive director of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) in Skillman, described as “Central New Jersey’s first dedicated Black history museum.” Informed by her work with SSAAM, she will discuss the African American relationship to environmentalism and property conflict, including loss, across America and in the Sourlands.
Friday, Feb. 14, 3 to 4 p.m., Hopewell Community Room, Hopewell Branch.
Hopewell Branch Mercer County Library. Celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglass, in partnership with Hope Rises Up! Teens are invited to participate in a variety of ways:
- Perform pieces they wrote or recite their favorite poems; or
- Submit either artwork or a written essay for display with a chance to win a prize. (Please note: Art work and essays are due by Monday, February 10 to the Hopewell Branch Library.)
All are welcome to join us for the exhibit as others share their thoughts and experiences. Light refreshments served.
Registration is requested.
Black History Month Program
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m., Trenton War Memorial (George Washington Ballroom). $10.
Event Description: The Trenton Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in partnership with the Trenton Fortitude Corporation presents their annual Black History Month Program entitled: "Motown Magic: A Legacy of Rhythm and Revolution."
Ticket Purchase Link: https://tinyurl.com/TACBLACKHISTORY2025
Wednesday, Feb. 19, Virtual program. 7 p.m. The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. They were the first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces. Trained on five airfields surrounding Tuskegee University in Alabama, their training was the first desegregated training to take place within a segregated U.S. military. It became the first dramatic move forward to racial and social equality within America. This presentation will cover the history of the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen, the unit’s wartime accomplishments and the unit’s overall affect on American society. Presented by Paul E. Zigo, a history professor, author and military historian is the founder and director, of the World War II Era Studies Institute.
|
Art Exhibit - When They Were Here: the African American Experience During Slavery
Local Artist Beverly Keese-Kelley: Thursday, Feb. 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m.
Ms. Keese-Kelley is on the Trenton Museum Society's Board of Trustees and is also Chair of the Ewing Arts Commission. She is a volunteer at the 1719 William Trent House and the Princeton University Museum of Art, and has received a Proclamation of Honor for her art from the Mercer County Board of Commissioners.
NJ Slavery and the Underground Railroad, Lawrence Branch
Thursday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m. 2751 Brunswick Pike Lawrenceville. 609-883-8292
Celebrate Black History Month with Richard Moody, an enthusiastic amateur historian, as he deepens our understanding of slavery and the Underground Railroad (UGRR) in New Jersey. His presentation delves into the origins of the slave trade, the harrowing Middle Passage, and the gradual abolition of slavery in New Jersey and neighboring states. Moody highlights the crucial roles of "Conductors" and "Safe Houses" in aiding escaping slaves, featuring notable figures like Harriet Tubman and William Still. He also details the routes taken by escaping slaves through New Jersey, emphasizing the significance of various locations and individuals in the Underground Railroad network.
Heart & Soul: Slide into better health!
Thursday, February 20, 6 to 8 p.m., RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center (3100 Quakerbridge Rd, Hamilton)
Cost: $10 (Registration to be completed online; payment will be collected at the door)
Event Description: Join the Physical & Mental Health Committee of TAC, as they partner with Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health-Hamilton and NCBW- Central New Jersey Chapter, for our 3rd Annual "Heart & Soul" event! There will be health screenings, heart health resources, zumba, line dancing and light refreshments will be provided.
Registration Link: https://www.rwjbh.org/events/event/?event=47209&fbclid=IwY2xjawIF_55leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHY9gwnzcyYlF5hVrE7dh1A0upsJPn4a1ZnIP01_cKl57CZXiNF-OZsPY1g_aem_PvViVn_x3eHIyz87YbeNsw
MLK Silhouette Craft
Sunday, February 23, 2 to 3 p.m., Ewing Branch, Mercer County Library
Join us to celebrate and learn about Martin Luther King Jr. Children ages 5 and up are invited to create their own MLK Jr. silhouette craft. Materials will provide by the Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Ewing Library.
The Underground Railroad in New Jersey
Sunday, Feb. 23, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Rick Geffken presents the 2nd annual Ruth Barringer Lecture for the Lawrence Historical Society, Lawrence High School, 2525 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville.
Enslaved people had run away from their owners for years before their methods and routes became known as the Underground Railroad. The most travelled route through New Jersey for runaways paralleled the Delaware River from Salem County to Trenton. From there, the escapees cut across the narrow part of New Jersey as they headed for New York. Black and white people supported runaways on their perilous journeys to freedom. This illustrated presentation will look at the history of enslavement in New Jersey, the Quakers who lobbied for manumission, and people involved in the Underground Railroad.
Cadwalader Lecture Series: Black Soldiers in America’s Wars with John Rees, Morven Museum & Garden
Thursday, Feb. 27, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS) and Morven Museum & Garden are pleased to host the 2nd Cadwalader Lecture featuring local author and historian John Rees. Rees will discuss the largely unknown and under-appreciated role Black soldiers played in the fight for Independence at Princeton and the American Revolution.
Rees is the author of the newly released Don Troiani’s Black Soldiers in America’s Wars, 1754-1865, written with prominent military artist Don Troiani. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing by the author. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and refreshments followed by the talk at 7:00 p.m.
Click here for more information
Vendors wanted for 2025 Black Biz Expo
|
