&ldquo\;The Franklin Park Tragedy\, A Forg otten Story of Racial Injustice in New Jersey&rdquo\; (The History Press) provides a detailed account of the Franklin Park Tragedy murders of March 1\, 1894\, when Lucretia Baker and her daughter\, Gertrude\, were murdered in their home and her husband\, Moore Baker\, fought off the two African American attackers and killed them. The second part of the tragedy involve s the group blame of the African American residents of the area and the ex pulsion of some of those residents by the Franklin Park vigilante society called the Mutual Endeavor Society. Lynchings\, expulsions\, and sundown t own designations\, which are normally associated with southern states duri ng this era\, are shown to have been contemplated by Franklin Park\, New J ersey residents.
\nAuthor Brian Armstrong used surviving historical records\, land records\, and personal stories to demonstrate how the Great Migration of African American families from the South in the twentieth ce ntury\, with the help of a new group of white farmers\, changed the &ldquo \;sundown town&rdquo\; designation for the Franklin Park area. This commun ity change began with the arrival of the Colemans and other families in th e 1920s which was the beginning of the transformation of Franklin Park int o the diverse place that it is today. Armstrong will also discuss prominen t African American citizens of the Franklin Park area who worked on the fa rms and in some cases owned land during the 1800s\, the role of the media in the racial issues of this era.
\nThis event is co-sponosered by t he Meadows Foundation\, https://themeadowsfoundation.org/
\nRegistra tion is required.
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