News
RB Library Hosts Exhibit On T. Thomas Fortune
By Caitlin MacNeal
THE RED BANK Public Library is displaying an exhibit, "Hidden Black History in Red Bank: Introducing the Legacy of T. Thomas Fortune," now through September 19th. The exhibit features the life and work of the civil rights activist who lived in Red Bank for part of his life.
Sarah Klepner, Little Silver, created the exhibit with samples of Fortune's work. For about a year and a half, she gathered Fortune's published work from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, and consolidated select pieces for the display at the library. The exhibit mainly features Fortune's work, but also includes an introduction about Fortune and his life as well as some background information on Reconstruction.
"I consider justice for the descendants of African slaves a major social question," said Klepner. "The work [Fortune] did to show the failure of Reconstruction is illuminating."
T. Thomas Fortune was born during the Civil War and grew up during Reconstruction in the South. He became a well-known journalist in New York and founded three newspapers: the Globe, the Freeman, and the New York Age. The New York Age was a vastly popular Black newspaper and published scathing editorials and work by other famous civil rights activists such as Ida B. Wells.
He later moved on to be an editor at Negro World, which had international circulation. He used his newspapers to expose the failure of Reconstruction and covered relative news topics like the overturning of the civil Rights Act of 1871.
Fortune also published several books in addition to his journalistic work. His first book was titled Black and White: Land, Labor, and Politics in the South. He later published The Kind of Education the Afro-American Most Needs and a collection of poems, Dreams of Life.
Fortune was also the co-founder of the National Afro-American League, which became known as the National Afro-American Council. Fortune strongly supported the term "Afro-American" for his people. He moved to Red Bank in 1901 and lived there with his family until 1907.
The Red Bank Register reported on T. Thomas Fortune, according to old editions found by Red Bank reference librarian Jane Eigenrauch. Fortune was reported to host Booker T. Washington in Red Bank.
His house, "Maple Hill," is located on Dr. James Parker Boulevard and was named a New Jersey and National historic site in the 1970s. Preservation New Jersey named Maple Hill one of the top ten most endangered historic sites in New Jersey. Klepner is involved in an effort to preserve Maple Hill, and she hopes to gain community support for the cause.
"My hope is that the exhibit and the program will inspire people to help with the preservation of [Fortune's] house," said Klepner.
Klepner and the Red Bank Library are hosting a reception in connection with the Fortune exhibit on Wednesday August 19th at the library. The reception will feature guest speakers. Dr. Henry Taylor from the Center for Urban Studies at SUNY Buffalo, who will be speaking about the time period in which Fortune lived and worked. Professor Clair Serant of the School of Journalism at St. John's University in Queens will be speaking about Fortune and his work. George Bowden, a local historian and chair of the Historic Preservation Commission in Red Bank, will speak about Fortune's influence on local history. See the library Web site, www. lmxac.org/redbankfor more details on the reception.
