Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill on Wednesday officially establishing a Black Heritage Trail in New Jersey. The state’s Division of Travel and Tourism will create a tour identifying significant locations and events, including historical markers that feature Black leaders who helped propel both New Jersey and the United States in the arts, education and sciences. It will focus especially on those whose roles were overlooked.
The effort to create the heritage trail began last year with a bipartisan group of state lawmakers who argued New Jersey was long overdue in recognizing and celebrating those leaders’ contributions. The bill’s sponsors say it’ll ensure New Jersey’s Black history and culture will be properly documented and appreciated for future generations. The state will maintain a website with information on the sites, like the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May and the Hinchliffe baseball stadium in Newark. It will also feature vacation itineraries based on the trail to get people to surrounding attractions and restaurants.
