The New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, with the NJ Historical Commission

REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Come learn about New Jersey's Black History with the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail!

Since September 2022, the New Jersey Historical Commission has approved 77 sites with seven in Union County, two of which are right here in Plainfield! Dr. Synatra Smith, Project Manager, will also discuss the Black Heritage Trail nomination and decision process.

This program is cohosted with the Historical Society of Plainfield / Drake House Museum. 

Our programs are funded in part by a generous donation from the Genealogical Society of the West Fields, operating support grants from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State - additionally through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Department of Parks and Recreation; and by a HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grants from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.

Dr. Synatra Smith (Project Manager for the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail, New Jersey Historical Commission) is a cultural anthropologist exploring extended reality (XR) and other digital tools to enhance special collections and archival records featuring African American art, history, and culture with the specific intention of documenting workflows that can be shared with students, cultural heritage workers, and scholars interested in building digital projects without relying on a large budget or team. She sits at the intersection of researcher; gallery, library, archives, and museum (GLAM) professional; and digital humanities practitioner. Storytelling and narrative-building are central to that experience and her goal is to identify ways to engage target user communities throughout the life of these projects through more inclusive means that integrate feedback loops and myriad learning styles.