New Jersey Marks Major Black History Anniversaries in 2026
Image by Microsoft CoPilot AI.
AC JosepH Media
New Jersey will mark several major Black History anniversaries in 2026, a year already carrying historic weight as the United States celebrates its 250th birthday. While the nation reflects on its founding, New Jersey institutions, scholars, and community groups are preparing to spotlight the state’s deep and often overlooked African American history — from abolitionist activism to cultural milestones that shaped the modern state.
The commemorations align with the 2026 national Black History Month theme, announced by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH): “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” The theme marks 100 years since Dr. Carter G. Woodson launched the first national observance of Negro History Week in 1926, the precursor to today’s Black History Month.
A Century of Black History Month: Honoring Woodson’s Legacy ASALH’s centennial theme encourages communities to explore how Black Americans have used history — and the act of commemorating it — as a tool for empowerment, identity, and justice. Woodson’s original vision was not simply to celebrate the past, but to reshape how Black people saw themselves and how the nation understood their contributions.
New Jersey institutions are expected to incorporate this theme into lectures, museum exhibits, school programs, and community events throughout February.
New Jersey’s Role in the Nation’s 250th Anniversary
While the semiquincentennial focuses on 1776, New Jersey historians are using the moment to highlight the state’s Black presence during the Revolutionary era — including free and enslaved Africans who fought, labored, and resisted during the war.
The state’s official 2026 anniversary list includes major milestones in New Jersey history, many of which intersect with Black life and civil rights. According to reporting from NorthJersey.com, the year will spotlight key events from 1776, 1876, and 1926 that shaped the state’s identity.
Revolutionary War Era (1776)
- The Battles of Trenton and Princeton — pivotal turning points in the war — included Black soldiers fighting for the Continental Army.
Centennial Era (1876)
- Thomas Edison opened his Menlo Park laboratory in 1876, a site where Black inventors and laborers contributed to early industrial innovation, though often uncredited.
- The era also marked the rise of Black civic organizations in New Jersey’s growing urban centers.
Sesquicentennial Era (1926)
- The opening of the Delaware River Bridge (now the Benjamin Franklin Bridge) in 1926 transformed regional mobility for Black workers and families traveling between Camden and Philadelphia.
- The same year, Woodson launched Negro History Week — a milestone now being celebrated nationwide in 2026.
Local Museums and Cultural Sites Prepare Exhibits
Several New Jersey cultural institutions are expected to anchor the year’s commemorations:
- Cape May’s Emlen Physick Estate is preparing expanded programming on the city’s Black abolitionist and civil rights history, including figures such as Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson.
- Newark and Jersey City museums are planning exhibits on Black migration, labor, and political leadership.
- South Jersey historical societies are developing programs on Underground Railroad routes, Black Civil War veterans, and the legacy of segregated schools.
A Year of Reflection and Recognition
As New Jersey steps into 2026, historians say the convergence of the nation’s 250th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of Black History Month offers a rare opportunity: a chance to tell a fuller, more honest story of the state’s past.
From Revolutionary battlefields to modern cultural institutions, New Jersey’s Black history will take center stage — not just as a sidebar to the nation’s founding, but as a central force in shaping the state and the country.
Follow Us Today On:
Note from AC JosepH Media: If you like this story and others posted on Front Runner New Jersey.com, lend us a hand so we can keep producing articles like these for New Jersey and the world to see. Click on SUPPORT FRNJ and make a contribution that will go directly in making more stories like this available. Thank you for reading!
About Author
