Panel Discussion: Baldwin in New Jersey

An Immersive Humanistic Experience

A conversation with community-based experts invites attendees to reflect on James Baldwin's legacy in Mercer County. Featured in the Baldwin Circles project and the Being Human Festival (US).

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.

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 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 Being Human Festival (US).

Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Community Room Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Assistive listening system compatible with personal T-coil-enabled devices (compatible headphones also available for use during programs)
• English-language subtitles for films (when available)
• If there is an accommodation that you need or would like so that you can fully enjoy library programs, please visit our Accommodations Request Form.

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