NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill into law Wednesday establishing a Black Heritage Trail in New Jersey which will highlight the achievements and legacies of the state’s notable African-American figures.
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“Celebrating and commemorating Black history is not something that we should relegate to only the month of February or to Juneteenth.,” Murphy said. “Black history is New Jersey history. It must be honored every day of the year.”
The bipartisan bill, A2677, comes after the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism launched the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail in Jan. 2021 with downloadable itineraries and maps. Under the new bill, $1 million was allocated to place historical markers at sites.
Special consideration for markers will be given to sites that are geographically close, thematically linked by surrounding arts and other tourism destinations or recommended by the New Jersey Black Cultural and Heritage Initiative Foundation.
“The Black Heritage Trail will highlight major historical contributions of Black Americans and the events that helped shape our state,” said U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne. “There are many stories in New Jersey’s Black culture that need to be told. New Jersey played a significant role in the Underground Railroad that helped enslaved Blacks in the southern U.S. escape to freedom in the north. In addition, many Blacks became permanent residents of the state during the Great Migration of southern Blacks into northern cities after World War I. I applaud Governor Murphy for signing the bill to create this trail and focusing more attention on the significant contributions of Blacks to New Jersey’s history.”
The primary sponsors of the bill are Assemblyman McClellan, Assemblywoman Reynolds Jackson, Assemblywoman Sumter, Senator Singleton, and Senator Testa.
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