COMMUNITY HISTORY
Exploring, Documenting, and Sharing Cape May's Diverse History
CCA’s Community History Program is dedicated to discovering, preserving and presenting the African American history of Cape May County.
The Program creates annual exhibits and panel discussions in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, presents African American Heritage Walking Tours during Cape May’s tourist season and by appointment, and administers the growing John T. and Janet D. Nash Archives of African American History.
The Community History Program presents events and exhibits, such as our permanent exhibit at the Cape May County Museum in Cape May Court House.
RECOGNITION
The Center for Community Arts recently received The New Jersey Historical Commission Award of Recognition for the publication of “Black Voices of Cape May/A Feeling of Community.” The award recognizes contributions to and the preservation of New Jersey History.
The Program has the following accomplishments to its credit:
Won NJ African American Historic Site designation for Cape May’s Franklin Street School
Established the John and Janet Nash African American History Archives now preserving over 5,000 artifacts, oral histories and photographs of African American life in Cape May County.
Researched, scripted and now promote and offers the African American Walking Tour of Cape May.
CCA’s multi-award-winning community history program was recently cited by the New Jersey Historical Commission for an Award of Recognition for our publication of “Black Voices of Cape May/A Feeling of Community.” The award recognizes contributions to and the preservation of New Jersey History. In 2021, CCA was given a Champion of Diversity award jointly by the Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (one of three made to Southern New Jersey organizations) and received a Library Champion award from the New Jersey Library Association for our work in saving and restoring the Franklin Street School, and its repurposing as a branch of the Cape May County Library.
Pictured from left to right: Izzy Gordon, Barbara Dreyfuss, Wanda Evelyn, Yvonne Wright-Gary, Rachel Dolhanczyk, Emily Dempsey, Hope Gaines, and Susan Tischler.
UPCOMING CCA HISTORY SHOWS ON WCFA
July Show
Join us on Voices of History on Tuesday, July 21 at 11:00 for two fascinating stories focused on sport.
First we welcome Kyle Anderson, Sr. for a conversation about family, sports, and preserving history. We’ll hear the story of three generations of athletic achievement—from his father, Clifton "Doc" Anderson, to Kyle's own journey in sports, and to his son, Kyle Anderson, Jr., who is making his mark in the NBA. Kyle will also share his family story about preserving his mother’s home, the historic Ruthe Anderson House, one of the few that survived urban renewal, ensuring that an important piece of our community's history lives on.
Then, we will welcome back Tom DiGiovanni to continue the discussion from last month about his current research on surfing, whiteness, and the fear of adolescent freedom at the Jersey Shore during the 1960s. He is a Master’s student in the history program at Rutgers University-Camden. He is also interning at Center for Community Arts Nash African American History Archives as part of Rutgers - Camden involvement in a statewide initiative to help digitalize collections in small repositories.
Don't miss this inspiring conversation where sports, family legacy, and local history come together.
Listen live on Tuesday, July 21st, at 11:00 a.m. on WCFA 101.5 FM—The Radio Station of the Center for Community Arts.
August Show
Join us on Tuesday, August 18, at 11:00 a.m. when Voices of History welcomes Philippa Campbell, who will discuss New Jersey's Black Heritage Trail historical marker program, the significance of Allen AME Church's designation, and why preserving historic buildings through adaptive reuse helps keep community stories alive for future generations.
Then, Allen AME Legacy Committee Co-Chairs Pamela Harris Young and Janis Washington White will preview the exciting "Allen AME: Our Stories, Our Space, Our Legacy" celebration taking place on Saturday, September 19. Learn about the keynote speaker, inspiring panel discussion, live music, historical exhibits, and the community stories that celebrate Allen AME Church's enduring legacy of faith, learning, advocacy, and belonging. Whether you're passionate about local history or simply love Cape May's rich heritage, you won't want to miss this conversation. Listen live on Tuesday, August 18, at 11:00 a.m. on WCFA 101.5 FM—The radio Station of the Center for Community Arts.
History Committee checking out the Black history tour sites
Ribbon cutting at 720 Franklin ST School
Emily Dempsey Giving a talk at the library
Green Book display at MAC
Current Projects
Black History of New Jersey Archival Project with Rutgers University and Princeton University
This summer Rutgers University Camden is helping to digitalize CCA’s Nash African American History Archives as part of a statewide initiative called Truth and Repair. Dr. Kendra Boyd, an Associate Professor in the Department of History; Tom DiGiovanni, Masters student in the History Program at Rutgers Camden; and Dr. Jesse Bayker, Assistant Teaching Professor of History and Associate Director of the Digital Studies Center and Jake Kaplan Undergraduate student in the History Program will be directing and executing this project with the assistance of Rachel Dolhanczyk, CCA Historian.
Dr. Kendra Boyd and Dr. Jesse working on archiving NASH history archives documents.
Dr. Jesse and a Rutgers student scanning in vintage slides for archives.
Winter 2027 at MAC
In collaboration with MAC, the CCA History Committee is planning an exhibit to celebrate the African American women’s contribution to the history of Cape May and the founding mothers of CCA and their role in the development of the rich cultural history of Cape May. Expected opening on or around Martin Luther King Day 2027 through April 2027.
