The African American presence in the Newark region began in 1804, preceding Newark’s date founded in 1836. Members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church founded a church in 1822 and an anti-slavery society. Only 18 miles from New York City, the population would grow as an industrial suburb. State Street public school, constructed in 1845 and still standing, as one of the oldest buildings in Newark. Newark was also impacted by the 1863 Draft Riot of New York City, where European Americans who did not want to be drafted into the Civil War, which helped free people of color, terrorized African Americans.

    After the Civil War, African Americans from the South rapidly increased their migration to Newark to work as laborers. They quickly found themselves going to segregated schools. State Street school was home to most black students and James Baxter Jr., the first black principle in Newark. African Americans weren’t allowed to go to secondary schools until 1872, when the city passed an ordinance to end that racist practice. One historic fact was that Newark had two African Americans who integrated the Newark Little Giants of Major League Baseball in the 1880s, before Black ball players were banned until 1947.

    The black population grew to 10,000 by 1910, as even more people came seeking industrial jobs in the city. But most would be disappointed since these jobs were either off limits or least favorable, since most labor unions were off limits to African Americans. In response to this situation at least one African American, Prosper Brewer, formed his own labor union. Newark emerged as a center of Negro Leagues Baseball in the first half of the 20th century with several teams – Browns, Dodgers, Stars and the championship teams of the Newark Eagles.

    Similar to Chicago, industrialists saw an opportunity to exploit African Americans as strikebreakers to weaken labor unions. Hungry for any work and any job progress at work, African Americans did what any group of people would do on the outside looking in due to discrimination—they took jobs and skilled labor promotions. Furthermore, most African Americans who volunteered to serve during World War I were rejected because European American politicians feared arming and exposing too many of them to greater civil rights in Europe. That could be trouble when they returned home. Furthermore, they served in Colored Troops that seldom interacted with European American compatriots in combat. In fact, most of them served with the French. Absent an understanding of why so few seemed to serve in combat and absent war-time interaction with those who did serve, the average European American harbored a misinformed view that African Americans enjoyed the fruits of their bloodshed in the great war. Understandably, strikebreaking and African American progress at home during WW I, created a great deal of ill will by European Americans towards African Americans. As a major industrial base after WWI, Newark saw its share of fall-out from that ill will.

    It would take World War II, for the industrial job market to open up for blacks. Between 1940 and 1960, the black community tripled its size to 34 percent, but this growth and redlining housing triggered white flight—weakening the economic base. When African Americans sought to move beyond redlined district and were repelled, it led to the formation of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which fought housing discrimination. Newark has prominent role in the history of the black power movement. It was the site of the National Conference of black power in the 1960’s, which was led by Black Nationalist playwright Amiri Baraka, a Newark native. In July of 1967, Newark exploded in a 4-day riot that left 23 people dead and damaged more than $10 million in property. That of course triggered even more white flight.

    The conditions were ripe for Newark to elect its first Black mayor, Kenneth Gibson, in 1970. He held that position for 16 years, losing to Sharpe James in 1986. While blacks held power, in 1983 nearly one quarter of black families lived in poverty. The poverty and crime rates are higher than the national average, but the outlook is brighter. Newark is seeing a boom in real estate as more middle-income people move from New York seeking affordable housing. This middle-class immigration of African Americans is quite noticeable in Orange, South Orange, East Orange and Montclair, NJ. This pleasant development is sparking a resurgence of African American culture in the region.

    Newark has always maintained a sense of quiet dignity. In Newark you can find seven parks with more cherry blossom trees than Washington DC and a safer streets than New York, but you won’t find in calendars of those parks for sale or here the national (New York) media proclaim the police chief’s crime-fighting success. Such has been the life of an efficiency second-tier city that only attracts national publicity when the occasional bad event happens.

    Newark today is increasing status a regional hub or national headquarters for major corporations. Newark is features the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. As a result, downtown revitalization is underway and hundreds of small to medium sized businesses are completing the ecosystem.