In early 2020, right before lockdowns, I had the opportunity to present at the State Library of New Jersey in Trenton for Black History Month. My topic was Black cemeteries in New Jersey and what started out as research for a 45-minute presentation turned into something bigger than I could have ever imagined. It seemed that each time I learned about one cemetery, I would learn out about three more, and on and on it went.
This history deserves to be shared. This website is meant to share some of that history and catalog the cemeteries I’ve had the opportunity to learn about and also serve as a directory. Sadly, some Black cemeteries are lost to time, but others have yet to be discovered. This site will be updated as I learn about new cemeteries.
I am grateful for the work of libraries and librarians, archivists, colleges, historical societies, local historians and researchers, churches, newspapers, journalists, archaeologists, and various interest groups throughout the state of New Jersey that allowed me the opportunity to do this research by making this information available. Thank you, reader, for stopping by and welcome to Black Cemeteries of New Jersey.