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Preserving and Sharing the History of Slavery in Monmouth County

The Brookdale Slavery Project is dedicated to researching, preserving, studying and sharing historical information connected to slavery in Monmouth County, NJ.

In 2022, The Brookdale Slavery Project (BSP) was created to build a community of higher-learning that is open and easily accessible to students, educators, and life-long learners. In this central space, we will collectively navigate, process, and discuss this important historical information.

The Brookdale Slavery Project Symposium 2026 will take place on Friday, October 23, 2026, in the Warner Student Life Center — Navesink Rooms, at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ. from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The symposium will be a multi-disciplinary college and community-wide event about the history of slavery in Monmouth County.

Presenting:

  1. Historical and archeological research done on slavery in Monmouth County
  2. How to teach about slavery in Monmouth County (middle school, high school and college)
  3. How and where to do research in Monmouth County
  4. The rise of T. Thomas Fortune and the Black Press, and the legal case of ‘Wench Betty’
  5. How to contribute to the 10,000 Names in Monmouth digital archive

The symposium is open and free for everyone! — Brookdale educators, local educators, NJ educators, Brookdale students, local students, “Lifelong Learners,” the Brookdale Community, and the general public.

Food and drinks are available for purchase in our cafeteria throughout the day.

FAQ

What is 10,000 Names in Monmouth?

10,000 Names in Monmouth is a digital archive being built by students and community members to name the estimated 10,000 souls enslaved in Monmouth County during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

How can I participate in the 10,000 Names in Monmouth archive project?

Anyone can participate in the 10,000 Names in Monmouth Project! Many volunteers are needed to find new people to include, and to transfer names into the archives from existing smaller collections, databases and archives.

For more detailed instructions on what to do, visit: 10,000 Names: The Brookdale Slavery Project

How can I join The Brookdale Slavery Project team?

To join the team and participate, email thebrookdaleslaveryproject@brookdalecc.edu or call 732-223-2028.

Questions? Email:

Brookdale Slavery Project Symposium Agenda

All break-out session room locations will be included in the symposium program on the day of the event.

  1. 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

    Welcome and Check-In!
    Greetings and a chance to look at the exhibit tables.

    • Location: Navesink Conference Room — Warner Student Life Center

  2. 9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.

    Opening Comments
    A brief introduction about The Brookdale Slavery Project (BSP), 10,000 Names in Monmouth Digital Archive, and the day’s symposium.

    • Speaker: Professor Jennifer Kaminski-Scrabis, The Brookdale Slavery Project Director
    • Location: Navesink Conference Room — Warner Student Life Center

  3. 9:20 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

    An Overview of Slavery in New Jersey and Monmouth County
    A brief introduction about The Brookdale Slavery Project (BSP), 10,000 Names in Monmouth Digital Archive, and the day’s symposium.

    • Presenter: Professor Jess Le Vine, Brookdale History Department
    • Location: Navesink Conference Room — Warner Student Life Center

  4. 9:50 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

    The Archaeology of the Black Experience in Monmouth County
    This panel will demonstrate the role of archaeology in expanding our understanding of Black history in New Jersey. Each participant will provide a presentation regarding their research related to the Black experience in Monmouth County or, more broadly, New Jersey. After the presentations, there will be a panel discussion regarding archaeology and education related to slavery and the black experience. If time, Q and A will follow.

    • Presenters:

      • Dr. Matthew Kalos; Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Brookdale Community College Department Chair of Anthropology, Sociology, and Human Geography
      • Dr. Rich Veit, Monmouth University
      • Dr. Christopher Barton, Heritage Management
      • Michael Gall, Richard Grubb and Associates
    • Location: TBA — Warner Student Life Center

  5. 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

    Breakout Session I Choices:

    1. Historic Sites in Monmouth
      This presentation explores sites across Monmouth County associated with the history of slavery, from the colonial era through emancipation. Participants will learn about publicly accessible historic houses, churches, burial grounds, and other significant places that offer a deeper understanding of slavery’s role in shaping Monmouth County’s history.

      • Presenter: Joe Zemla, Monmouth County Historical Association
      • Location: TBA — Warner Student Life Center
    2. How Research Changes History and Why Wench Betty’s Life Matters: A N.J. Enslaved Woman Murdered by Her Enslaver in 1784

      Historian Sue Kozel will present on the 1784 murder and the subsequent court proceeding of an enslaved woman, “Wench Betty,” by her enslaver in Upper Freehold, N.J.

      How does exploring her murder today provide insight into the lives of enslaved African Americans during the early American Republic? Often, the lives of enslaved people in this period are disregarded. This talk will educate participants about the state of slavery in New Jersey at the time of Wench Betty’s death and provide an opportunity to explore the powerful Revolutionary War ideas of freedom and liberty at a time when slavery still existed in the state’s history. Through an examination of court documents and slave records, participants will more deeply understand Wench Betty’s life and all the ways it mattered and learn how to read and analyze records. To illustrate the historical complexities of living in enslavement in a Northern state, Historian Sue Kozel will draw on findings from her grant funded and expanded research. Betty’s life and death in the context of 2,864 African Americans, enslaved and free, named and unnamed recorded in various records from 1770-1839 living in Upper Freehold and Allentown, N.J.

      • Presenter: Sue Kozel; Public Historian, Professor, Researcher, Founder of Say Our Names Project — African Americans, Enslaved and Free Black, Named and Unnamed in Upper Freehold, Allentown and other villages, 1770-1839
      • Location: TBA — Warner Student Life Center

  6. 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

    Lunch on Your Own
    Food and drinks are available for purchase in the Warner Student Life Cafeteria, right next to Navesink Conference Rooms. During this time, feel free to eat in the conference room and/or visit the exhibit tables.

  7. 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

    Breakout Session II Choices:

    1. Beyond the Documents: Teaching Slavery Through Primary Source Analysis (for educators teaching Middle School, High School and College)
      This presentation explores practical tools for teaching the history of slavery through primary sources, with a focus on learning how to engage critically with the experiences of enslaved people. Using the stories of the enslaved residents of Marlpit Hall as a case study, participants will examine how historical documents can illuminate individual lives while also revealing the broader systems of slavery. The presentation will include primary source analyses designed to give educators and students practical strategies for interpreting, questioning, and bringing historical documents to life.

      • Presenter: Dana Howell — Monmouth County Historical Association
      • Location: TBA — Warner Student Life Center
    2. Reclaiming My Time: The Rise of T. Thomas Fortune from Slavery to a Monmouth County Historic Landmark
      History in your backyard is an apt description of what you’ll discover upon visiting the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center in Red Bank. T. Thomas Fortune was born into slavery in Marianna, Florida. However, he resided in the home he called “Maple Hall,” from 1901-1910 that stands today as a National Historic Landmark in Monmouth County. From exhibits like “Pioneers of The Black Press,” you learn how newspapers like Fortune’s “New York Age,” helped change the landscape of the nation, by shaping a progressive Black cultural narrative, born from the injustices of slavery and discrimination. Formerly enslaved people such as T. Thomas Fortune, and Ida B. Wells, whose gallery at the Fortune Cultural Center, tell the story of determination resistance and equality for women.

      • Presenter: Gilda Rogers — Brookdale Community College Adjunct Professor, Director of the T. Thomas Fortune Center in Red Bank, NJ
      • Location: TBA — Warner Student Life Center
    3. Navigating Local Research Resources: MC Archives and NJ Archives
      Presenters will discuss what resources are available at the Monmouth County Archives and the NJ Archives when researching slavery in Monmouth County.

      • Presenters:

        • Mary Hussy, Monmouth County Archives
        • Kate Gulick-Tuers, Archivist NJ State Archives
      • Location: TBA — Warner Student Life Center

Register for the Symposium

Space is limited. Registration is open through October 16.