COMMUNITY SPEAKS VOLUMES: An Arts Council of Princeton event on March 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. celebrates the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood through new and reissued books, and an open mic during which community members can perform their own pieces.
By Wendy Greenberg
What’s in a street name? wondered Arts Council of Princeton Executive Director Adam Welch. It turns out there can be nuance, history, and twists and turns, as Welch learned when he dove into the naming of Paul Robeson Place, an event that happened 50 years ago.
What he found is detailed in a new book, Paul Robeson Place: How a Street Got Its Name, a story about the history of Princeton, the resolve of the residents of the Witherspoon-Jackson community, and also, how streetscapes influence our lives.
That book, as well as a third volume and essays and poetry capturing the voices of Witherspoon-Jackson by the Rev. Gregory Smith, Reflections from a Vibrant Past, are being introduced on Sunday, March 15, at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Smith’s publication also includes art by Aaron Fisher, and contributions by Princeton’s Evelyn Turner-Counts. During the program, which begins with book signings, Smith, Turner-Counts, and Fisher will join in a conversation. Following the discussion, the community is invited to participate in an open mic session sharing pieces inspired by the spirit of the Witherspooon-Jackson neighborhood.
Smith had moved there as a youth from Long Beach, Calif., when his mother married the Rev. Leon Gipson, who served as pastor of Mount Pisgah AME Church in Princeton, and the community shaped his development, according to his biography on the ACP website. He graduated from Princeton High School in 1982, attended Rutgers University and Princeton Theological Seminary, and has served as pastor of several New Jersey congregations.
Smith’s volume is “a powerful and intimate tribute, this collection gives voice to Black Princetonians with honesty, pride, and deep emotional resonance,” said Fisher in an ACP press release.
Smith noted that the book “forced me to revisit stories and memories of people that lived on the edges of my mind for many years. I often wondered, ‘What purpose does it serve?’ Now I know. I hope this book inspires readers to reflect on their own life stories and the people who made it possible for them to become who they are today.”
In addition to the new volumes by Welch and Smith, publications being celebrated during the afternoon of community connection and reflection are Welch’s Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood: Revised and Expanded (which replaces the first zine, which sold out); Welch’s The Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood: How One Community Changed Princeton (the first edition sold out. This is the second, mostly unchanged); Smith’s Reflections from a Vibrant Past: The Poetry of the Witherspoon-Jackson Community, Volume 1; and Smith’s Reflections from a Vibrant Past: The Poetry of the Witherspoon-Jackson Community, Volume 2. The expanded zine, an updated primer on the neighborhood, is now twice the size, Welch pointed out.
Welch describes his book on the history of Paul Robeson Place as such: “Released in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Paul Robeson Place, this book tells the little-known story behind the naming of the street in honor of Paul Robeson — world-renowned artist, scholar, athlete, and activist.” The book uncovers the four decades of effort it took for the street to be built, the central role of the historic Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, and the political challenges and community advocacy that shaped the process, according to Welch. “Through careful research and storytelling, the book highlights the persistence, vision, and civic engagement that ultimately led to this historic designation.”
The new book is timely: it has been 50 years since Robeson died in 1976, and also since the street was named. Welch even noted that the municipal council meeting when the street was proposed was held on March 9, 1976, within the week of the open mic event, and that March 15, 1958, was the ribbon-cutting of Avalon Place.
His interest grew from a comment that his book, The Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood: How One Community Changed Princeton, carried some wrong information about the street naming. (However, he said, he got the information from an archival source). It was less than a paragraph, but it started him down a path where one piece of information led to another.
“The way I do history,” he said, “I don’t use interviews, but facts, in archived meeting notes and newspapers.” As he tried to confirm the information, he just started digging, and uncovered information about how the elite were able to adjust neighborhoods if there was a population they wanted to distance.
When Robeson died, he said, it was suggested that a street be named for him, and it was brought to the Borough Council (before the Borough had merged with Princeton Township.) An ordinance was created, and signatures were collected throughout the neighborhood. Welch found a lot of history related to creating a street that was parallel to Nassau Street, at least from Bayard Lane to Witherspoon Street. Although some residents opposed naming for Robeson, the Council voted unanimously to rename what was Avalon Street.
The tale is “fascinating,” he said. “You get handed down these stories and just assume they are right. You uncover information and you get a little more. It’s not a real page-turner unless you are interested in neighborhoods — there are things right in front of us we don’t pay attention to. How streets are organized determines who are our neighbors, how we live our lives.”
All proceeds from the book go to the ACP. The event is free and open to the public. Copies of all six books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Visit artscouncilofprinceton.org for more information.
To join the event as a performer, prepare a story, poem or spoken word piece up to three minutes in length, and related to the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. Arrive by 1:45 p.m. to add your name to the hat. No previous experience or pre-registration is necessary.