From April 27 to May 4, 2025, the city of Newark will be the site of numerous events in Newark “Honoring Cudjo Banquante,” an enslaved African noble who became a Revolutionary War soldier and the city’s first Black business person. This will be an amazing week of informative and entertaining events at arts and culture institutions across the city, including a special Grand Opening event and exhibit at the The Newark Museum of Art, a Genealogy workshop at the Newark Public Library, documentaries on NJ’s enslaved people and the 1967 Newark rebellion, jazz performances at Bethany Baptist Church, an Opera by Trilogy:aoc, a marker dedication at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), ongoing student enrichment from the NJ Amistad Commission, and church services.

These events and more are being offered by a wide range of organizations including The New Jersey Historical Society, Newark History Society, Newark Public Library, Morristown Chapter - Daughters of the American Revolution, @1804 Consultants, Rutgers University, NJ Amistad Commission, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Greater Newark Conservancy, artist John Phillip Osborne, composer Courtney Bryan, and Sophia Inclusive Community.