FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 20, 2015 Press Release Contact: Ellen Malavsky emalavsky@artscouncilofprinceton.org Phone: (609) 924-8777 x110

Photo caption: (left to right) ACP Executive Director, Jeff Nathanson, Princeton University’s Michelle Tuck-Ponder, Tommy Parker, Florence Broadway and Witherspoon-Jackson Historian, Shirley Satterfield, at The Arts Council of Princeton’s Witherspoon-Jackson Stories Project event on Feb 22.

Arts Council of Princeton Announces Second Event of the Witherspoon-Jackson Stories Project, Story Slam

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(Theater, Workshops, Community Events…) The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) developed a series of public programs focusing on the history and transition of the W-J neighborhood entitled, The Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Stories Project. The Story Slam is the second in the series of public events of the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Project. With the aim of providing an opportunity for further community engagement, all are invited to share a story, poem or song about the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood or Women’s History Month, along with invited speakers Dr. Cecelia Hodges, Princeton High School’s poetry group and several W-J neighborhood residents. Saturday, March 28 at 3pm, this event is FREE and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or

call (609) 924-8777. Parking is available in the Spring and Hulfish Street Garages and at metered parking spots along Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Place.

Press Release

Princeton, NJ – Recognizing the importance of preserving the rich cultural heritage of the historically African-American Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood in Princeton, NJ, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) developed a series of public programs focusing on the history and transition of the W-J neighborhood entitled, The Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Stories Project. The project’s purpose is to collect personal stories and create a permanent record and directory that will tie together photographic and historical collections currently housed by the Arts Council, the Princeton Public Library, Princeton University Center for African American Studies, Paul Robeson House and the Princeton Historical Society. The Story Slam is the second in the series of public events of the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Project. With the aim of providing an opportunity for further community engagement, all are invited to share a story, poem or song about the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood or Women’s History Month, along with invited speakers Dr. Cecelia Hodges, Princeton High School’s poetry group and several other neighborhood residents. Saturday, March 28 at 3pm, this event is FREE and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777. Parking is available in the Spring and Hulfish Street Garages and at metered parking spots along Witherspoon Street and Paul Robeson Place. The Arts Council of Princeton’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts is located in Princeton’s Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, a historically African-American community with a rich history dating back to the 18th century. Residents of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, which was named for its original boundary streets, were involved in the Civil Rights movement and social justice activism. Additionally, the house directly across the street from the Robeson Center was the birthplace of the renowned singer, actor, film star, and human rights activist Paul Robeson. As Princeton becomes more gentrified, residents fear that the rich cultural history of their neighborhood will be lost. Through the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Stories Project, the ACP aims to not only highlight, document and preserve the personal stories of longtime residents, but to also create an appreciation for the influence the neighborhood has on Princeton as a community. Witherspoon-Jackson Stories Project partners include the Arts Council of Princeton, Paul Robeson House and the Historical Society of Princeton. Funding for the Stories project is provided, in part, by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The Arts Council of Princeton, founded in 1967, is a non-profit organization with a mission of Building Community through the Arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, designed by architect Michael Graves, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in a wide range of media. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population of the greater Princeton region. Media, for more information, please contact Ellen Malavsky at emalavsky@artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777 x110.

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