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About the Celebration

Newark Celebration 350 (NC 350) was a year-long jubilee of unique events and festivities commemorating the 350th anniversary of the city of Newark's founding. With its distinct history, Newark has come to embody the aspirations of many people: A bold vision of what it means to be an urban center in America charting a pathway into the future. NC350 was the vision of the late Dr. Clement A. Price, Newark's foremost historian and tireless booster of the city and its people. In his eyes, this momentous mark in time was an opportunity to take stock in ourselves and benefit from the wisdom and experience of our collective narrative.

Over the course of 2016, NC350 sponsored over 250 events that commemorated the people, history and cultures of Newark. This exhibit provides a glimpse into the programs and events highlighting the city's commemorative year.

Mission

The mission of Newark Celebration 350 was to commemorate the City of Newark's rich 350-year history by celebrating the talents of its citizenry and its remarkable accomplishments. The goals and vision of Newark Celebration 350 are to:

The goals and vision of Newark Celebration 350 are to:

  • Focus the attention of the city and nation on the rich history of Newark, NJ
  • Engage people of all ages who live, work and play in the city in celebrating its rebirth and revitalization
  • Inculcate pride in identity through celebrating Newark's history in each ward and neighborhood of Newark
  • Focus and direct the energy of Newark's residents in continued rebirth and regeneration
  • Use the historical evolution of neighborhoods in the context of immigration both old and new, to demonstrate how Newark has become one city with many voices
  • Study and document periods of conflict, and derive lessons for growth and reconciliation to enable future generations to avoid the mistakes of the past
  • Identify and celebrate the great musical, artistic, and intellectual contributions Newark has bestowed upon its people in town, throughout the nation, and around the world
  • Present the history of Newark as a beacon of hope and a blueprint for change for similarly-situated cities all over the nation
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Attendees of the celbration

NC 350 Committee & Staff

NC350 Committee Officers

Junius Williams, Chairman
Marcia Wilson Brown, Vice Chair
Ralph Izzo, Vice Chair
Victor Parsonnet, Vice Chair
Wilma Grey, Secretary
Gina D. Nisbeth, Treasurer
Irene Cooper-Basch, Fundraising Chair
Shané Harris, Public Relations Chairperson
John Schreiber, Programming Chair
John W. Johnson, Jr., Executive Director

Trustees 

Hon. Ras J. Baraka
Linda Bowden
Nancy Cantor
Hon. Mildred Crump
Robert Curvin (deceased)
Elizabeth Del Tufo
Steven Kern
Roger Leon
Gwen Moten
Jonathan Pearson
Paul Profeta
Hon. Luis Quintana
Hon. M. Teresa Ruiz
Nancy Zak

Honorary Members

Marc Berson
Joel Bloom
Hon. Cory Booker
Gloria Hopkins Buck
Raymond Chambers
Tim Crist
Hon. Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr.
Curtis Farrow
Patrick Foye
Gale Gibson
Hon. Kenneth Gibson
Lawrence Hamm
Rashon Hasan
Rev. William Howard
Hon. Sharpe James
Pastor David Jefferson
Robert Johnson
Barbara Kukla
Father Edwin Leahy
Monsignor William Linder
Robert Marino
Mary Sue Sweeney Price
A. Zachary Yamba

NC350 Pro Bono Staff

Legal Counsel:
Bob Pickett

Administrators:
Carol Warren 
Joyce Lanier
Laura Troiano

NC350 Staff 

Junius Williams, Chairman
John Johnson Jr., Executive Director
Jackie Harris, NC350 Producer
Mozell Miley-Bailey, Director of Marketing & Communication 
Isaiah A. Little, Director of Outreach & Administration 
Katryna Peart, Marketing & Communication Coordinator
Justine Hunter, Marketing & Communication Coordinator 
Danielle Vauters, Administrative & Production Coordinators

NC350 Archive Project

Kalaivani Ananthan
Repository Applications Manager
RUL Integrated Information Systems
Guidance for ingestion of resources into the repository.
Isaiah Beard
Digital Data Curator for RUcore
Provides guidance and sets best practices for long-term preservation of digital assets stored in the repository, to ensure their longevity.collection resources.
Mary Ann Koruth
Web/Graphic Designer
RUL Integrated Information Systems
Visualization and design of website; coordination of internal website development effort.
Rhonda Marker
Repository Collection Manager
Consultation on all aspects of the project.
Sam McDonald
Web Developer
RUL Integrated Information Systems
Website architecture, coding and implementation.
Chad Mills
Digital Library Architect and Application Developer for the Rutgers Community Repository; RUcore
Contributions for this project include access and retrieval of interviews.
Krista White, MLIS
Project Manager/Digital Humanities and Digital Library Services

Krista White is the Digital Humanities Librarian at the John Cotton Dana Library. As the Project Manager for Digital and Humanities and Digital Library Services for the Krueger Scott African-American Oral History Project, she coordinated and managed efforts with the Rutgers University Libraries at all stages, working closely with Project Manager Samantha Boardman and CMGC Director Tim Raphael. White oversaw the digital file stewardship efforts of the Krueger-Scott collection, verifying compliance with national preservation standards. She worked to identify, develop and normalize collection metadata according to Library of Congress and METS standards, assisting with metadata cleanup and portal implementation quality control testing.