‘Bearing Witness’ Social Justice Discussion and Mingo Jack Memorial Soil Display on Wednesday, July 6th at the Long Branch Library

Jar of soil collected at the Eatontown site of Mr. Johnson’s (Mingo Jack) murder,

Please join the NJ Social Justice Remembrance Coalition for a program commemorating the 1886 racially-motivated murder of Samuel “Mingo Jack” Johnson of Eatontown, the victim of NJ’s only documented lynching. No one was ever held accountable. Reverend Kerwin Webb, president of the Red Bank Area NAACP will lead a discussion fostering meaningful dialogue about race and justice.

Samuel “Mingo Jack” Johnson was an African American resident of Eatontown, who was murdered on March 5, 1886, after being arrested on unsubstantiated charges of raping a white woman. He was dragged by a local mob from his cell and brutally beaten and hanged to death. This was the only known lynching in New Jersey.

Be sure to visit the special travelling exhibit of a memorial jar of soil collected at the Eatontown site of Mr. Johnson’s murder, located in the lobby at our Main Library. This display asks viewers to join in bearing witness to this personal and community tragedy, and to reflect on actions we can take today to end the legacy of racial violence and inequality.

In partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama, the NJSJRC asks viewers to join in bearing witness to this personal and community tragedy, and to reflect on actions we can take today to end the ongoing legacy of racial violence and inequality.
The Community Remembrance Collection Project gathers soil at lynching sites to display in exhibits bearing the victims’ names. The NJSJRC held a soil collection ceremony last October that attracted a large outpouring of community members from all sectors. The NJSJRC is linked with partnering communities nationwide to document and memorialize sites of enslavement, racial terror lynching, and segregation, for the purpose of fostering meaningful dialogue about race and justice today.

The NJSJRC is an interfaith, multi-ethnic group of individuals and organizations throughout the state who have come together to ensure that the residents of New Jersey are aware of historical incidents of racial bias. Learn more by going to www.njremembrance.org.
The Equal Justice Initiative website offers many useful and free resources, including lesson plans, films, oral histories, and informative articles. https://eji.org/reports/lynching-in-america/

Wednesday, July 6th at 7:00pm in-person at the Main Library. All are welcome to this free program but registration is requested. Please register at: bit.ly/mingojack

This program will also be streamed to Facebook Live @LBFPL.
Please contact Lisa Kelly with questions at Lkelly@longbranchlib.org or call 732-222-3900, Ext. 2350