Juneteenth: Lawnside Celebrates Juneteenth and 100 Years of Self-Governance with a Black Heritage Trail Marker Unveiling
Photo of those attending the Lawnside Black History Trail Marker celebration. Photo by Ashley Ward
BY ASHLEY WARD | For AC JosepH Media
LAWNSIDE – On Friday, June 19, the Borough of Lawnside and the New Jersey Historical Commission hosted a special Juneteenth celebration with the dedication and unveiling of an official New Jersey Black Heritage Trail marker commemorating Lawnside’s 100th Anniversary.
Lawnside was founded as a safe haven where free and formerly enslaved African Americans could build lives of freedom, opportunity, and self-determination.
One hundred years ago, on March 24, 1926, the New Jersey Legislature officially incorporated Lawnside, making it the first incorporated, self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Mayor Mary Wardlow, who is serving her final year in office after more than 40 years of public service to Lawnside, shared that the Black Heritage Trail marker will “serve as a permanent reminder to the residents, visitors, students and future generations that Lawnside occupies a unique and important place in the history of New Jersey and the United States.”
Having lived in Lawnside for more than 55 years and representing five generations of her family in the Borough, Wardlow said she is proud to have played a role in the town’s history as it celebrates its Centennial.
Photo of Mayor Mary Wardlow (in red) and her family. Photo by Ashley Ward.
The celebration, held on Juneteenth during Lawnside’s Centennial year, held special significance as it honored the strength and resilience African Americans have demonstrated in securing freedom, self-governance, and opportunity while preserving Lawnside’s rich history and legacy for future generations.
Synatra Smith speaking at the podium. Photo by Ashley Ward.
Project Manager of the Black Heritage Trail for the New Jersey Historical Commission, Dr. Synatra Smith, explained the significance of both Juneteenth and New Jersey’s complicated history with slavery, noting that “the last legally enslaved person in New Jersey was not emancipated until January 23, 1866.”
That was seven months after enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they had been freed under President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, the event now commemorated as Juneteenth.
Photo by Nolan Ward.
Many people came out in support of the celebration, including local residents, elected officials, historians, clergy, community organizations, and members of the media. Guest speakers included U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross, New Jersey General Assembly Majority Leader Louis D. Greenwald, Councilwoman Dawn Wright-McLeod, Past Grand Master Michael A. Wiggins of Hiram Lodge No. 5, Lawnside Historical Society President Lynda Shockley, Black Heritage Trail Advisory Committee member Dolly Marshall, and Smith.
Throughout the ceremony, speakers reflected on Lawnside’s history, the importance of preserving Black history, and the responsibility of passing that legacy on to future generations.
Norcross stressed that preserving history requires active participation from every generation and warned that important stories can be lost if they are not shared, stating, “When somebody says, ‘Is history important?’ You’re damn right it is.”
U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross speaking at the podium. Photo by Ashley Ward.
Sharon Whitaker, a Lawnside resident of more than 40 years and president of the Lawnside Scholarship Club, called the unveiling “absolutely lovely.”
“It’s been a long time coming,” Whitaker said. “I’m so proud to see it happen.”
As Lawnside enters its centennial year, the newly unveiled New Jersey Black Heritage Trail marker will stand as a permanent reminder of the Borough’s legacy.
The marker unveiling. Photo by Ashley Ward
Reflecting on the significance of the marker, Dr. Synatra Smith stated, “You can do whatever you want to do in terms of excluding history from public libraries, through banned books, from education, from public education, but you can’t exclude a historical marker.
“It’s big, it’s permanent, it stands out, and it’s in front of Borough Hall. So, no matter what other attempts there are to erase the history, that is gonna remain here.”
Ashley Ward is a South Jersey freelance reporter. She is a student at Rowan College of South Jersey, where she is a member of the school’s golf team and helps with her family’s company Creative Content on Demand in Clayton. She can be reached at Ashley.ward7251@gmail.com.
?
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. You can reach Editor Clyde Hughes at chughes@acjosephmedia.com. Thank you for reading!
About Author
