W'field Library and MLK Assoc. partner to present Black History Events

The Westfield Memorial Library and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Westfield are partnering to present six Black History Month Events at the library. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

On Saturday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m., the panel discussion “Our Westfield: The Black Experience,” will be presented and moderated by Library Director Allen McGinley.

A panel of Westfield elders will share insights and experiences that span almost a century in Westfield. The panelists include Mary Withers, Wallace Brown, Gladys Edwards and Joyce Pretlow.

Mary Withers, a longtime resident of Westfield, was one of the founders of the Westfield Neighborhood Council (WNC) in 1967 and is presently on its Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Westfield Historical Society. Ms. Withers is the former owner of Blackberry’s Catering in Plainfield, which she established in Westfield as a caterer specializing in Southern foods.

Wallace Brown, a Korean War veteran, was born in Westfield in 1931. He was the first African American Special Agent in the Criminal Investigation Division in New Jersey and served on the Secret Service Presidential Detail. He has been a longtime member of the Centennial Elks Lodge and has served as president and trustee of the Westfield Community Center.

Gladys Edwards celebrated her 100th birthday in August 2023 and has lived in Westfield for over 60 years. She served on the Board of Directors of the Westfield Community Center, was the Secretary of the Negro History Club, volunteered at the McKinley School Library, was a cub scout den mother, and has been a member of the MLK Association of Westfield for many decades.

Joyce Pretlow is a lifelong Westfield resident. She has served with the Westfield Community Center for over 40 years as its former President of the Board of Directors and current trustee. She is a member of the Westfield Historical Society, including the Westfield 300 African American History subcomittee, and a longtime member of Bethel Baptist Church.

On Monday, February 5 at 6:00 p.m., the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Westfield will unveil its engaging and informative exhibit: “African American History in Westfield - 1720 to the Present.” The exhibit features a timeline of events that takes visitors on a historical journey from slavery and colonial times through the present day, including an exhibit on the excellence of Black athletes in Westfield and a specially commissioned quilt highlighting the history.

“Artful Stitches: A Mosaic of Black Fiber Artists” will be presented by local fiber artist Lisa Shepard Stewart on Thursday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m. Ms. Shepard Stewart will exhibit her quilts, wall hangings and accessories created with ankara prints, mud cloth, korhogo fabrics, Ghanaian batiks and more.

On Thursday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a book discussion of "Zora & Langston: A Story of Friendship & Betrayal" by Yuval Taylor. Participants will explore the intimate and abiding friendship between Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Did Charlotte Osgood Mason, their wealthy patron, undermine their artistic collaboration, or was Westfield too small for the both of them? Library Director Allen McGinley will moderate the discussion.

“Before it became a Park, it was a Neighborhood” will be presented by Rob Lombard on Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. A mostly African American neighborhood grew around Turkey Swamp in the "Big Woods" area of Westfield between 1905 and 1960. Many residents were part of the "Great Migration" to the Northern States by African Americans in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. This is the story of their lives, families, and the events that led to the demise of their neighborhood.

Donnell Carr will present “The Spirituals: Songs from an Enslaved People” on Tuesday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m. Audience members will have a chance to learn the language of spirituals while participating in song. The African American spiritual is widely recognized as a singular and vitally important form of American folksong. A glossary of terms and phrases will be provided to illuminate the messages embedded in the lyrics.

Mr. Carr has lived in Westfield, NJ for 42 years. He was born in Nashville, TN where he grew up surrounded by music, especially the Blues, Gospel and the African American Spirituals. Donnell lived just a few blocks from the famous giver of the Spirituals to the world, Fisk (then college) University. He attended Pearl High School in Nashville, a then all-black school, separated by legal - albeit unconstitutional -segregation, that was known for outstanding academics and athletics. It was also known for its music program that performed the spirituals adopted from Fisk. Donnell was immersed in and enriched by this music of the enslaved, and on occasions over the years has performed it as a soloist.

Visit the library’s website at https://wmlnj.org/ to register, sign up for a library card, or learn more about the library’s resources. Currently library hours are Monday - Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.