Brookdale Will Host Symposium Exploring the History of Slavery in Monmouth County

Brookdale Community College will host the Brookdale Slavery Project Symposium 2026 on Friday, October 23, for a day of learning, discussion and discovery focused on the history of slavery in Monmouth County.

Free and open to the public, the symposium will bring together historians, archaeologists, educators, researchers, students and community members to examine local history through research, education and shared conversation. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Navesink Rooms of the Warner Student Life Center on Brookdale’s Lincroft campus, 765 Newman Springs Road. Registration is required and will be open until October 16th.

The multidisciplinary event will examine the history of slavery in Monmouth County through historical and archaeological research, local historic sites, primary sources and archival records. Sessions will also provide educators with strategies for teaching local slavery history and introduce participants to resources for conducting their own research.

The symposium is presented by The Brookdale Slavery Project (BSP), an initiative created in 2022 to research, preserve, study and share historical information connected to slavery in Monmouth County. The project seeks to create an accessible community of learning where students, educators, researchers, and lifelong learners can collectively examine and discuss this important part of local history.

“The history of slavery is not something that happened only in distant places; it is part of Monmouth County’s history,” said Professor Jennifer Kaminski-Scrabis, director of The Brookdale Slavery Project. “Through this symposium and the 10,000 Names in Monmouth project, we are working to bring greater visibility to the people who were enslaved here, preserve their names and stories, and help our community better understand this important part of our shared history. We also want people to know that they can be part of this work. Students, educators, researchers and community members all have an opportunity to help uncover and preserve these stories for future generations.”

Kaminski-Scrabis will open the symposium with an introduction to BSP and its 10,000 Names in Monmouth digital archive, an ambitious effort to identify and preserve the names and stories of the estimated 10,000 people who were enslaved in Monmouth County during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

The day’s program will include an overview of slavery in New Jersey and Monmouth County by Brookdale History Professor Jess Le Vine, followed by a panel examining “The Archaeology of the Black Experience in Monmouth County.” The panel will explore how archaeology can expand our understanding of Black history in New Jersey and will feature researchers from Brookdale Community College, Monmouth University and other organizations.

Breakout sessions will explore historic sites throughout Monmouth County associated with slavery; the rise of T. Thomas Fortune and the Black Press; the life and 1784 murder of an enslaved woman known as Wench Betty in Upper Freehold; ways educators can use primary sources to help students better understand the lives and experiences of enslaved people; and where and how you can find these primary documents in the Monmouth County and New Jersey State Archives.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the day in the Warner Student Life Center cafeteria.

For more information about The Brookdale Slavery Project or to become involved, email thebrookdaleslaveryproject@brookdalecc.edu, visit the website  or call 732-223-2028.