'When King Came to Clinton Hill': March Energizes Newark Neighbors

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Clinton Hill Community Action. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Clinton Hill Community Action (CHCA) proudly hosted “When King Came to Clinton Hill: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington and “I Have a Dream” Speech this last Sunday, August 27 in Clinton Hill. This historic event was sponsored by the New Jersey Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.

The day began with CHCA Executive Director Khaatim Sherrer El welcoming an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 150 people at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, one of the places Dr. King visited during his last visit to Newark in 1968, only a week before his assassination.

New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne Jr. shared remarks about the significance of honoring Dr. King’s legacy and work on this momentous anniversary. Newark City Council Members at Large Louise Scott-Rountree and C. Lawrence Crump spoke about the impact of Dr. King’s 1968 visit to Newark.

Councilwoman Rountree elicited strong applause when she proclaimed that the “mighty South Ward is leading the way” in working to continue Dr. King’s legacy of fighting for justice and freedom for all.

Chanting “No Justice, No Peace” and “Stop the Violence, Stop the Hate,” marchers made their way through the streets of Clinton Hill, stopping on Clinton Avenue and Hedden Terrace. In front of King’s Family Restaurant, South Ward Councilman Patrick Council urged those in the crowd to continue to work towards fulfilling Dr. King’s Legacy.

The honorable Mayor Ras J. Baraka also took time to address the marchers. He emphasized Dr. King’s message of unity and encouraged Newarkers to be united, to be civically engaged, and to vote.

From there, the march continued up Clinton Avenue, accompanied by a float transporting senior citizens in the August heat, and came to another stop at Deliverance Temple, formerly B’Nai Abraham Synagogue. This, another of Dr. King’s stops in 1968, provided a backdrop as the audience was captivated by several special performances.

Singer and songwriter Seychelle Elise regaled the crowd with her rendition of an Aretha Franklin gospel song, followed by Joshua Nelson performing a number by Mahalia Jackson, who famously shouted to Dr. King during his “I Have a Dream Speech” in 1963. “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin,” she yelled, prompting Dr. King to go off script and enthrall the audience with his most famous speech. It was 14-year-old Newark student Selasie Amemasor who tackled the job of reciting the “I Have a Dream Speech,” and did so with great enthusiasm and grace.

From there, buses transported everyone to Malcolm X. Shabazz High School, where they were greeted by the Shabazz Marching Band upon arrival. During his 1968 visit to Newark, Dr. King spoke to a captivated crowd at what was then called South Side High School. It was fitting then, that on this day, the crowd there in 2023 heard from some of Newark’s community leaders who are working to continue the labor of ensuring freedom and equality for all.

Dr. Marion A. Bolden, Chairperson of the Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Society and Chair of the Essex County College Board of Trustees, hosted a conversation with members of the Class of 1968 and other individuals about their experiences during Dr. King’s final visit to the city.

Newark NAACP President Deborah Smith-Gregory then moderated a panel discussion with community leaders in Newark, including: Larry Hamm, Executive Director of the People’s Organization for Progress; Asia Norton, Esq., President of the Newark Board of Education; A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, Chair of the New Jersey Democratic Women’s Caucus and a member of the Newark Board of Education; and Shakur Gibson, Program Manager for Community Building at CHCA.

Each spoke of continuing the work of those who came before us and encouraged the audience to become more involved and to vote. Gibson, one the panel’s youngest members, gave an empassioned plea to the young people in the audience to not sit idly by and to get into the fight for freedom and equality, reminding them that the work of the great civil rights leaders is far from over.

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