Baldwin in New Jersey
Thu, 4/17 · 7:00 pm—8:30 pm · Princeton Public Library (Community Room)
Program for Community Engaged Scholarship; Princeton Public Library; Humanities Council
“Baldwin in New Jersey”: An Immersive Humanistic Experience
In 1942, James Baldwin relocated to central New Jersey to work at the Belle Mead defense plant. It was in New Jersey that he first became conscious of directly experiencing Jim Crow racism. During this special event, led by community-based experts, attendees are invited to reflect on Baldwin’s life and legacy in Mercer County. Registration requested.
This conversation will feature:
- Historians Beverly Mills and Elaine Buck, co-founders of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, central New Jersey’s first Black history museum. Together, they will provide historical context of Baldwin’s time in Princeton, Trenton, and Belle Meade based on their research and historical memory and help the audience unlearn inaccurate and incomplete historical narratives.
- Darren “Freedom” Green, one of Trenton’s most prominent activists and thought leaders, who will facilitate the experience, guiding us between historical context and primary text. The program will open with Green giving a reading of excerpts from “Notes of a Native Son”– in which Baldwin describes the significance of his time in New Jersey.
- Musician and producer Wise Intelligent, a member of the Trenton-based hip hop group The Poor Righteous Teachers. He will discuss his lived experience growing up and creating art in Trenton.
This conversation is free and open to the public; it is organized by the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) at Princeton University and the Princeton Public Library, and is sponsored by the Humanities Council, as part of the yearlong Baldwin Circles project. The event is also featured as part of the 2025 Being Human Festival (US).
