Black History Month Activities Abound in New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Black History Month in New Jersey offers a wealth of activities celebrating African-American culture and contributions -- from music, film and the arts to the state's important role in the Underground Railroad -- making for a great reason to put together a Garden State Getaway.

"You don't have to look far to find compelling activities celebrating Black History Month in New Jersey," notes Nancy Byrne, executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism, Department of State. "With riveting museum exhibits, captivating performances and meaningful artwork spanning the state, you'll find our rich African-American history in every direction."

In Camden, check out The Camden County Historical Society's exhibit curated by the Delaware Valley Folklife Center, "Lullaby for Dreamland: The Dreamland Cafe in Lawnside." This photographic exhibit documents life at the Dreamland Cafe, a jazz club that was located in Lawnside, the first incorporated African-American town north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The cafe offered food, drink and music between 1930 and 1980, and many famous musicians played there, including Ella Fitzgerald, Erskine Hawkins and Sarah Vaughn. The exhibit, running through April 20, provides a unique glimpse into African-American middle-class life in South Jersey during this period. For more information, visit http://www.cchsnj.com.

Black History Month provides a great reason to check out the newly expanded and revamped Liberty Science Center (http://www.lsc.org), where the exhibit RACE: Are We So Different? brings together the everyday experience of living with race, its history as an idea, the role of science in that history, and the findings of contemporary science that are challenging its foundations. Interactive exhibit components, historical artifacts, iconic objects, compelling photographs, multimedia presentations, and attractive graphic displays offer visitors to RACE an eye-opening look at its important subject matter.

The Newark Museum is also celebrating the nation's African-American culture with Black History Month: Lasting Legacies, a series of lectures, demonstrations and performances. Adults will enjoy a lecture and demonstration on the life of Max Roach, founder of modern jazz, who rewrote the rules of drumming in the 1940s and spent the rest of his career breaking musical barriers and defying listeners' expectations. Parents can introduce their kids to classic jazz at Swingin' at Duke's Place, where Jazz pianist Eric Reed will dive into Duke Ellington's vast musical catalog by demonstrating how Ellington incorporated the sounds of the world into his compositions. For more information, visit www.newarkmuseum.org.

Beyond the musical arts, African-Americans have contributed greatly to the visual arts in this country, and one of the finest collections can be found at The New Jersey State Museum in Trenton, on view through March 20. The museum's wonderful collection now numbers nearly 170 objects, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints, and photography. Among the works included in this exhibition are paintings by Frank Bowling, Alma Thomas, Hale Woodruff, Benny Andrews, Rex Goreleigh, and Hughie Lee-Smith; prints by Jacob Lawrence and Emma Amos; collages by Romare Bearden; photographs by Gordon Parks, Milton J. Hinton and Chuck Stewart; and sculpture by Mel Edwards and Selma Hortense Burke. For more information, visit http://www.state.nj.us/state/museum/.

For more compelling artistic works by African-Americans, spend a cool day at the Shore by visiting the Atlantic City Art Center, on Garden Pier overlooking the famous Atlantic City Beach and Boardwalk. Stroll this intimate venue, enjoy the artwork of Asa Zuberi, Joan Reeves, Donnie Hill, Lois Smith, Khaliah Barnes, and Peachie Lee (http://www.acartcenter.org/), and then head over to see Soulive -- a funky organ trio ranging stylistically from jazz to hip-hop -- at the House of Blues at Showboat on February 8.

The City of Burlington Historic District provides another great reason to get out and enjoy the crisp February air, with a walking tour of the town's Underground Railroad sites. The tour includes the Oliver Cromwell House, the final residence of African-American Revolutionary War soldier Oliver Cromwell, one of the approximately 5,000 who served. Decorated for serving during the entire conflict, Cromwell crossed the Delaware with General George Washington on December 25, 1776, and later had his discharge papers personally signed by the future president. For more information on the tour, visit http://www.tourburlington.org/TourUGRR.html.

Cape May examines the military angle for Black History Month, too, as the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts offers "Proudly We Serve: Our African- American Military Experience, from the Civil War Forward" -- a review of Americans of African heritage and their invaluable military contributions. Visit www.capemaymac.org.

For additional information on planning a New Jersey vacation, and to order brochures, including the comprehensive New Jersey African-American Visitors Guide, go to www.visitnj.org.

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