Freedom Summer

2200 Fairmount Avenue,Atlantic City NJ 08401

29 August, 2021

Description

Panel Discussion: Atlantic CIty's Role in the Pivotal Civil Rights Movement Freedom Summer was a historic turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and one of the most significant events took place in Atlantic City on August 22. Fannie Lou Hamer led Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party delegates in challenging the right of mainstream Democratic Party delegates to represent their state. Atlantic City was in the national spotlight as Hamer’s party shared the tactics used to prevent black people from voting in Mississippi on national TV and demonstrators marched in support outside Convention Hall. The AAHMSNJ Freedom Summer panel will include the museum’s founder and president Ralph Hunter, Atlantic City Councilman and NAACP President Kaleem Shabazz, Dr. Donnetrice Allison, Program Chair for Africana Studies at Stockton University, and Stockton University Special Collections Librarian Heather Perez. Panelists will discuss the national and local significance of a period that is still relevant in today’s fight for equality and justice. There will also be a special limited showing of AAHMSNJ’s “A Time for Change” exhibit which, through photos and narrative, takes the viewer back in time to the events of 1964. Pieces from the museum’s Freedom Summer Traveling Museum collection will also be on display. We encourage local residents who were part of or who remember that summer to join us as we revisit a pivotal period in local and national history. MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED. Admission is FREE, but donations are encouraged. The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey showcases the accomplishments and impact of African Americans in South Jersey and around the country. The museum has two facilities — Atlantic City and Newtonville, New Jersey — where new and permanent exhibits attract people from throughout the region and beyond.  For more information, visit aahmsnj.org or call (609) 350-6662.