Celebrating Black History Month
The Montclair History Center celebrates Black History this month, and every month. Explore the below programs, virtual histories, and resources available to learn about the stories and contributions of the African American community to Montclair and New Jersey.

Programs & Tours this Month

THE HISTORY OF THE HOWE HOUSE: A PANEL DISCUSSION

Wednesday, February 8th at 6:30 pm at the Montclair Public Library

Find out about the first Black-owned home in Montclair dating back to the 18th century, learn about local history, and hear about the plans for this historic structure. This hybrid program is co-presented by The Montclair Public Library Foundation, The Friends of Howe House, The Montclair History Center, The Montclair African American Heritage Society, and St. Mark's United Methodist Church of Montclair (The Mark). LEARN MORE

GUIDED HOUSE TOUR: EYEWITNESS TO BLACK HISTORY

Sunday, February 19th at 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2 pm at 110 Orange Road

Explore 200 years of Black history in Montclair and New Jersey through rare first-hand accounts, primary and secondary source documents at the Crane House & Historic YWCA. Artifacts include a bill of sale for an enslaved person in the household, an 1800s newspaper, an 1840s New York Knickerbocker magazine, census data, personal letters, oral histories, and mid-century Jet and Ebony magazines. These artifacts provide a springboard for discussion about race in both the past and present day. LEARN MORE

FREE RENTY SCREENING & DISCUSSION

Wednesday, February 22nd at 7 pm at Montclair Film’s Cinema 505

Free Renty tells the story of Tamara Lanier, an African American woman determined to force Harvard University to cede possession of daguerreotypes of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The images remain emblematic of America’s failure to acknowledge the cruelty of slavery, the racist science that supported it and the white supremacy that continues to infect our society today. Screenings and discussion will be led by scholars Leslie Wilson, PhD and Khemani Gibson, PhD. This series is in partnership with Montclair Film, The Mark Montclair (the church), The Mark Cares, Inc. (the not-for-profit), Race Amity, and AAPI Montclair. This event is sponsored by The Tamima Team and made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Screenings will be available as a hybrid event for online participation through zoom here and free to the public. LEARN MORE

History at Home Programs (Pre-recorded)

Our Schools, Our Town: A Short History of the Magnet School System. Masiel Rodriquez-Vars discusses more recent history of the Montclair Public Schools, specifically the creation of the district’s magnet school system. A viewing and discussion of her 2009 documentary, Our Schools, Our Town, about the history of the magnet school system in Montclair.

Race, Redlining, and Rebellion. Partial screening of the Montclair History Center's documentary, "A Place to Become: Montclair through the Eyes of the Glenridge Avenue YWCA Women," where women who grew up in Montclair in the early to mid 20th share their experiences. This program is moderated by Jane Eliasof, Jennifer Rittner, and Davida Lindsay Harewood, PhD. This program was first aired on June 25, 2020.

The Hooe Family. Betty Holloway shares her research about the Alice Hooe Foster, the first African American graduate from Montclair High School, and her family. Her parents were among the first African American families to move to Montclair in the Great Migration, back in the 1870s. This History at Home program aired on September 10, 2020.

Black Soldiers in the Revolutionary Battle of Red Bank. On October 21, 1777, 500 Patriots defended Fort Mercer from an attack by 2,000 Hessian troops. It was a victory against all odds. Absent from the history books is the role Black troops played at the battle. In 2019, thanks to a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, historians at the Red Bank Battlefield Park and Whitall House in Gloucester County began digging into this missing history.

Black Suffragists. The Nubian Heritage Quilters Guild members share the stories of some of the Black women who fought for suffrage. Their stories may be less well-known than Susan B. Anthony or Lucy Stone, but they are equally, even more in some cases, remarkable. This History at Home program was originally shown on June 24, 2021.

The Women of Montclair’s YWCA.  For 45 years, the former home of the Crane family served as a YWCA for Montclair’s Black women and girls. This history at home talks about the factors in town that led to its founding, the women who were part of its founding, the role it played for women of color in the first half of the 20th century, and its legacy.

A Place to Become: Montclair through the Eyes of the Glenridge Avenue YWCA Women (1920-1965) features a 55-minute documentary that tells the stories of the eight women who attended the YWCA during the first half of the 20th century, when Montclair was grappling with issues of integration and Civil Rights.

Collections & Resources for Research

African American History Collection prepared by historian and archivist Elizabeth Shepard. This is a compilation of various collections on African American history found in the archives including but not limited to the African American Oral History Project (2012-2013), the African American YMCA (1909-1998), and African American Churches (1939-2006).

Dr. Carole Willis and Courtney Washington: A Family Legacy To Achieve Equity and Integration Through Education. Montclair Neighbors. May 2022. By Valentina Di Donato. Learn the story behind Montclair’s Magnet School System.

'Latecomers to Freedom'. Article on slavery in Essex County by Mike Farrelly and George Musser in Glen Ridge Historical Society's The Gaslamp.

Many Voices of Montclair Oral History Project. In honor of the 150th anniversary of Montclair and thanks to funding from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities), the Montclair History Center (MHC) compiled oral histories from people who grew up in Montclair and/or lived here prior to 1960. The project recorded the stories of people who grew up in Montclair in a wide variety of neighborhoods and decades, creating a multifaceted snapshot of Montclair in the early to mid 20th century.

Redlining Maps. The Home Owners' Loan Corporation staff members, using data and evaluations organized by local real estate professionals in each city, assigned grades to residential neighborhoods that reflected their "mortgage security" that would then be visualized on color-coded maps. The neighborhood's quality of housing, the recent history of sale and rent values, and, crucially, the racial and ethnic identity and class of residents served as the basis of the neighborhood's grade.

“Steal Away Steal Away”: A Guide to New Jersey’s Underground Railroad. Published by the NJ Historical Commission, this guide provides detailed information on the history of the Underground Railroad and the sites in New Jersey that enslaved individuals used on their way to freedom.

The NY Historical Society’s digital collection of The Negro Motorist Green-Book

The Scarlet and Black Project is a historical exploration of the experiences of two disenfranchised populations, African Americans and Native Americans, at Rutgers University. The digital archives includes original newspaper articles, birth records of enslaved children, and manumission records.

Wiggin Collection. This Collection includes images, newspaper articles, deeds, and  genealogy related to the Howe family.

Furthering Our Mission

Project Plans

The Montclair History Center is one of 14 organizations in New Jersey to receive the inaugural round of awards for the New Jersey Historical Commission’s Inclusive History Grant Program. Read more about the Montclair History Center's plans for this grant to undergo research, community outreach, and collaboration for an inclusive reinterpretation plan for the upper level of the museum bringing the entire history of the site to completion. Claudia B. Ocello, President & CEO of Museum Partners Consulting, spearheaded the 2014 reinterpretation of the first level of the Crane House & Historic YWCA and will again be working with the Montclair History Center for this project. Read the Press Release.

Work of Our Board of Trustees

Dr. Davida Lindsay-Harewood, a Trustee of the Montclair History Center and a Montclair High School teacher, was honored this February at the Black Educators Summit at Montclair State University for her achievements in designing and promoting instruction related to the state's Amistad curriculum. Congratulations, Dr. Lindsay-Harewood, on this well-deserved recognition. Read the article here.

Scholarships

Hortense Tate was a pivotal figure in the Glenridge Avenue YWCA from the time she moved to Montclair from Kansas to become a Girl Reserve Secretary in 1921 and throughout the 20th century, continuing the YWCA mission to establish an educational center and safe haven for African American women and girls in Montclair.  Mrs. Tate inspired countless young women at the YWCA by creating a positive environment, fostering cultural pride, and encouraging African American young women to pursue higher educational degrees.  This scholarship will be awarded in her spirit!Learn More Here.