(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and PSEG'S True Diversity Film Series present: The Forgotten Story of New Jersey's Enslaved People with a panel discussion. This is a FREE event that will take place in NJPAC’s Chase Room on Monday, June 19, 2023 at 6:00pm.
While Juneteenth is a celebration of the emancipation of all enslaved people, it is also a time to consider the brutal history of slavery and its legacy. Unpaid labor underpinned the economic prosperity of New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries and its location along the coast facilitated the slave trade. The people who built the state, and their descendants, never received compensation and today’s Black community in New Jersey continues to experience harms such as high rates of infant mortality, incarceration and one of the highest racial wealth gaps in the country.
This month’s PSEG True Diversity Film Series selection, The Forgotten Story of New Jersey’s Enslaved People, preserves the legacy of slavery in New Jersey and how it prevented Black property ownership and access to other resources. It raises important questions such as what types of government policies can repair generations of inequality? And how should slavery and its impact be taught in schools?
To register visit njpac.org or click here.
Preceding the conversation, NJPAC’s African American Employee Resource Group is hosting a Juneteenth celebration in Harriet Tubman Square featuring drumming, dance, poetry and jazz. A spirited parade will lead celebrants to NJPAC for the Standing in Solidarity conversation and a Juneteenth Marketplace — with live music and other surprises — will follow in the Prudential Hall lobby from 7:30pm – 10:00pm. RSVP here.
How to participate:
1) Register here.
2) Watch the two-part series The Forgotten Story of New Jersey’s Enslaved People at home: Part 1. Part 2.
3) Join them for an in-person discussion at NJPAC on Monday, June 19, at 6:00pm. This event will not be hosted through Zoom.
This month’s Standing in Solidarity panel is curated by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and is part of NJPAC’s Juneteenth celebrations. The panel will be moderated by Jean-Pierre Brutus, Senior Counsel in the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
Panelists include: Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills, Authors, If These Stones Could Talk; Linda Caldwell Epps, President and CEO, 1804 Consultants; Damon Jones, Associate Professor, University of Chicago; and Tomas Varela Jr., Executive Director, New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition.
Generous support provided by ADP, official Community Engagement Partner of NJPAC
Generous support for Standing in Solidarity provided by PSEG Foundation
Additional support provided by Verizon and Women@NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located at One Center Street in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, which have reached almost 2 million children, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
