Nat Turner Uprising Still Puts Fire In Hearts Of Newark Activists

NEWARK, NJ — It’s been 190 years since Nat Turner led a landmark uprising against U.S. slavery in Virginia. But almost two centuries later, the events of that rebellion – and the bloodshed that came with it – are still remembered … even as far north as New Jersey.

On Saturday, Aug. 21 at noon, the People’s Organization for Progress (POP) and the Friends of Nat Turner Park will host the 12th annual commemoration of the Nat Turner uprising in Newark.

The event takes place at Nat Turner Park, 189 Muhammad Ali Avenue. The entrance to the park is located at the intersection of Muhammad Ali Avenue and Jeliff Avenue.

Among those expecting to participate are South Jersey-based activist, Blair Silver, a descendant of Nat Turner, and artist-author-performer Queen Mother Imakhu, who is a descendant of Billy Artis, a participant in the uprising.

The legacy that Turner inspired is complex. A charismatic and fiery preacher, he led an insurrection against the family that enslaved him in 1831, eventually rallying dozens of others in an uprising that resulted in the murder of an estimated 55 white people. After hiding for weeks, Turner was later found, convicted and hanged.

In the aftermath, white mobs and militias murdered anywhere from 100 to 200 Black people, many of whom had nothing to do with the uprising. The state also executed 56 enslaved people accused of being part of the insurrection.

According to History.com:

“The incident put fear in the heart of Southerners, ended the organized emancipation movement in that region, resulted in even harsher laws against enslaved people, and deepened the schism between slave-holders and free-soilers (an anti-slavery political party whose slogan was ‘free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men’) that would culminate in the Civil War.”

“Nat Turner’s rebellion put an end to the white Southern myth that slaves were either contented with their lot or too servile to mount an armed revolt,” Britannica.com states.

“Turner’s Rebellion is considered a turning point in the long quest to end slavery in the United States,” the POP stated in a news release about Saturday’s commemoration in Newark.

“Although it was militarily put down and triggered a wave of even more draconian laws reinforcing and protecting slavery, it sharpened the debate on whether it can continue to be managed,” the POP said.

• See related article: Newark Remembers 1967 Uprising: 'Not A Riot, A Rebellion'

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