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The Asbury Park African American Music Heritage Project, launched by the Asbury Park Public Library, will be featured at this year’s New Jersey History Forum and at the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference, city officials announced Tuesday.  

The ongoing project aims to shine a light on Asbury Park’s African American music heritage, specifically on the history of Springwood Avenue, Communications Director Sonia Spina said. It is creating accessible resources that document Asbury Park’s African American music heritage for the City and give voice to the stories of the African American community.

The project is administered in conjunction with the City of Asbury Park, AP Historical Society, and the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.  

“There are challenges with documenting history that’s not recorded in conventional ways but preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of Springwood Avenue is essential to inspiring future generations,” Asbury Park Library Trustee Jennifer Souder said in a written statement. “We look forward to sharing our community’s stories with others who are also looking to record important history.”

Greetings from New Jersey: Popular Culture & the Garden State is the theme of the History Forum, being held Nov 2 at Monmouth University by the State’s Historical Commission. The forum will highlight the importance of studying and sharing local history and helps facilitate greater public awareness of the state’s history, Spina said.

Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton will join Souder on the New Jersey Rocks, Rolls and Swings: Documenting Musical Spaces Around the State panel to highlight the city’s African American Music Heritage Project. The panel also features projects by the New Brunswick Music Scene Archives and the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, Newark campus.

“Jennifer and I are proud to be representing the Asbury Park African American Music Heritage Project,” Clayton said. “We’ve learned a great deal from the musicians and community members who have shared their stories and contributed to the vibrant culture of Asbury Park. Sharing our learnings at these esteemed conferences is a great honor.”

Clayton and Souder will team up again for the participation the PastForward themed National Trust for Historic Preservation, being held from Nov 13 to 16 in San Francisco.

The annual conference is an educational and networking event for ‘those in the business of saving places,’ Spina said. The pair will  present the AP African American Music Heritage Project as part of the Learning Lab: Jimi, Billie, and the Dead: Sites of Creativity, a session that includes projects from Woodstock and Haight-Ashbury; all communities working to preserve our Nation’s intangible creative heritage.

Below find a project film by Nate McAllister and Melissa Keeling, thanks to APTV:

For more information on the 2018 NJ History Forum, Greetings from New Jersey: Popular Culture & the Garden State, on November 2, 2018,  click here.

For more information on the 2018 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference, PastForward on November 13-16, 2018, click here.

For information on the Asbury Park Public Library, visit asburyparklibrary.org.

For more information on the City of Asbury Park, visit cityofasburypark.com.

[Equation Photos and project video courtesy of APAAMHP]

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