Newark Remembers James ‘Library’ Brown With Poetry, Art

NEWARK, NJ — The memory of James “Library” Brown – and all he did for the Brick City – recently echoed through the newly renovated room at the Newark Public Library that bears his name.

More than 200 people attended a grand opening event to celebrate the renovations at the James Brown African American Room last week, which honors the late, longtime librarian, who dedicated his professional life to curating and expanding the library’s collection of resources on the African American experience.

According to a statement from event organizers, Brown was a librarian at the Library for 29 years, and held the titles of principal librarian and head of the African American Room. He was especially committed to Newark’s youth, urging them to pursue their educations and understand the importance of the library’s role in their academic growth.

After his death at the age of 53 in 1991, the African American Room was renamed in his honor.

The gala – which counted Mayor Ras Baraka and City Council President Mildred Crump among the attendees – included performances from Newark-native and nationally acclaimed poet Jasmine Mans, as well as live music by Return To The Source, led by Junius Williams. In addition, Newark artist Gregg Banks gifted the library a painting of Brown.

“The James Brown African American Room serves as an enduring testament to Mr. Brown's tireless devotion,” Newark Public Library Director Jeffrey Trzeciak said. “We are proud to re-dedicate this space to celebrate James' contributions to the library and the people of Newark.”

Mayor Baraka said that Brown made an “immense contribution” to youth academics in Newark.

“In his 29 years with The Newark Public Library, James Brown empowered creativity and the arts, by founding the Library’s Lorraine Hansberry Lecture Series, the pre-Kwanzaa Festival, the Urban Voices poet’s collective, and was a senior member of the Newark Black Film Festival Committee,” Baraka said.

“The renovation of the James Brown Room will honor the vision and maintain the legacy of one of Newark’s great educators, activists, and cultural leaders,” Baraka added.

Linda Caldwell Epps, a member of the Friends of the James Brown African American Room Executive Committee, said that Brown was “a product of southern Jim Crow, northern oppression and the Vietnam War.”

“His belief in the need for educated change was unshakeable,” Epps said. “It is an honor to have this room dedicated to his memory. It is the intent of the Friends of the James Brown African American Room and the Newark Public Library to have this room as a space for learning — but more importantly, a space that rings true to African American culture and embodies the spirit of activist culture that has infected all people with the needed strength to keep the struggle for freedom and justice for all alive.”

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Photos courtesy of Newark Pubic Library/Friends of the James Brown African American Room/ Maxim Ryazansky