Racist Graffiti Condemned In Historically Black Camden Co. Community

LAWNSIDE, NJ — Racist graffiti was left at a Lawnside home, prompting condemnation as authorities and members of the historically Black community seek answers.

The graffiti was found Thursday on a resident's back fence. It contained an anti-Black slur and sexual imagery, which could be seen from the often-busy Evesham Road.

Dawn Hines, who has lived in the house for 20 years, called the incident on her property a hate crime.

"We've never gotten anything like this before," Hines told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Police are investigating the incident.

Crews worked to remove the graffiti last weekend. Members of AFSCME, the labor union that led the cleanup, expressed support for Hines.

"It's 2024, and it's still a reality that we have to confront racism, sexism, and bigotry," said Rafiq Golphin, an AFSCME member and public works supervisor. "As a crew, we weren’t really hurt or surprised by the words — we just didn’t want our youth to see them. We know they’ll face racism someday in some form. We just didn’t want it to be that day, on that property, in this town we love, Lawnside."

Several elected leaders have spoken out about the incident.

"Now more than ever, it is crucial for all of us to come together to stop racist hate in our communities," Camden County Commissioners Jonathan Young and Al Dyer said in a joint statement. "We need to stand together and denounce this deplorable behavior as it is only used to foment hate and divide us as neighbors."

Rep. Donald Norcross, whose congressional district includes Lawnside, said he is "glad the police are investigating this act of vandalism as a hate crime. Hate has no place here."

Lawnside was the nation's first independent, self-governing African American community north of the Mason-Dixon Line. It was a stop along the Underground Railroad and a refuge for former slaves.

During the 1960s, Lawnside youth led sit-ins and protests against the discrimination they faced at Haddon Heights High School. Days after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, Lawnside civic leaders became the nation's first government entity to declare his birthday a holiday.