On Friday, January 2nd, the New Jersey State Museum will be hosting a virtual author talk with Dr. Walter Greason, Ph.D., professor and author of more than one hundred academic articles and essays. This conversation, “The Path to Freedom: Black Families in New Jersey”, will illuminate the struggle for Black freedom in the 20th century and how this fight manifested itself in the local region. The conversation will take place from 12pm to 1pm on Zoom. The author talk is free to attend, although advanced registration will be required. If you plan on attending, please register on Zoom, linked here NJSL – Zoom.

In honor of Black History Month, this compelling conversation will focus on three Black families from New Jersey and how their stories of struggle and success shines a light on the lived experiences of the Black community in the 20th century. Throughout the fight for a truly free society in the United States, these families exemplified the principles of grit, self-determination, and strength on their journey to freedom and equality. By examining the lives and experiences of these three families, we can better understand and more fully appreciate the sacrifices, obstacles, and triumphs of those who valiantly stood against oppression and tirelessly fought for a more equitable society.

Dr. Walter Greason, Ph.D., DeWitt Wallace Professor in the Department of History at Macalester College is the preeminent historian of Afrofuturism, the Black Speculative Arts, and digital economies in the world today. Named one of “Today’s Black History Makers” by The Philadelphia Daily News, Dr. Greason has written more than one hundred academic articles and essays. His work has appeared on Huffington Post, National Public Radio, and The Atlantic among other popular, professional and scholarly journals. He is also the author, editor, and contributor to eighteen books, including Suburban Erasure, The Land Speaks, Cities Imagined, Illmatic Consequences, and The Black Reparations Project.

From 2007 ­­– 2012, Dr. Greason was an advisor to Building One America, the coalition that designed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009). He also served as the Founding President of the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation, an organization that saved the National Historic Landmark dedicated to the leading, militant journalist of the nineteenth century. Dr. Greason is currently serving as a special consultant to the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

If you have any questions or would like any help registering to attend, please contact the New Jersey State Library at (609) 278-2640 for additional details. For more information and this and other events coming up at the NJSL, please check out their website, linked here: NJSL – Home. An inspiring and enlightening afternoon of conversation awaits, so be sure to register today!

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