Black History Month Gets Local

Francine Still Hicks, an author, artist and the great-grand-niece of underground railroad pioneer and author William Still, will make an appearance today at the Barnegat Library in a free event organized by Mt. Zion Baptist Church to celebrate black history month.

Accompanying Hicks will be music from the group Strategy, which will perform songs written by Hicks in a jazz fusion experience.

The event will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the library's main level and will showcase paintings by Hicks as well as a presentation about her family legacy, history of African Americans in Barnegat and the historical significance of her family’s involvement in the underground railroad.

Hicks is also the great granddaughter of Dr. James Hicks, who is consideredthe "black doctor of the pines," a local historical fixture of southern New Jersey.

Hicks has painted for over 35 years and in 2005 organized and painted the cover for the reissue of her great-grand-uncle's historical book “The Underground Railroad” (first published in 1872), a historical collection of slave narratives and first-hand accounts of freedom.

Anybody interested in art as well as historical storytelling will find this event both fulfillingand educational.

There is no cost to attend. The event will take place at the Barnegat Branch, main level: 112 Burr St., Barnegat.

Information on the web can be found on the County Library's calendar page.