THE PEOPLES ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS (POP)
PO BOX 22505
NEWARK, NJ 07101
973 801-0001
www.njpop.org

AUGUST 21, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

NAT TURNER SLAVE REBELLION OBSERVANCE TODAY

The 14th annual observance of the Nat Turner Slave Rebellion will be held today, Monday, August 21, 2023, 5:00 pm at Nat Turner Park, 171 Muhammad Ali Avenue in Newark, New Jersey.

It is sponsored by the The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) and the Friends of Nat Turner Park.

“We hold this observance of Nat Turner’s Rebellion every year because we believe it is extremely important to remember those people among the enslaved who resisted and fought not only to free themselves but sought to overthrow and destroy the evil system of slavery in the United States,” stated Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress.

“This is absolutely necessary because failure to do this helps to perpetuate the lie that the enslaved accepted their condition and that slavery was a benign system that was beneficial to black people,” Hamm stated.

“Black people’s resistance to slavery is often omitted, glossed over, or minimized. However, it is an essential part of the historical record that must be taught. Those who refuse to do this are refusing to teach the truth,” he said.

“We fought back against slavery. We fought back in Africa, we fought back on the slave ships, and we fought back on plantations throughout the United States and the western hemisphere,” he said.

“Nat Turner fought back and so did many other heroic black men and women. The history of their resistance is a source of inspiration for our continuing struggle for liberation,” he said.

The entrance to the park is located at the intersection of Muhammad Ali Avenue and Jeliff Avenue. The event is free and open to the public.

Nat Turner Park was officially opened in July of 2009. It is the largest city owned park.

Sunday will mark the 192st anniversary of the Nat Turner Rebellion, also known as the Southampton Insurrection which began on August 21,1831 in Southampton County, Virginia.

It is one of the most well known slave rebellions in the history of the United States. Scores of enslaved and free black people participated in the rebellion.

During the rebellion as many as 65 whites may have been killed, and possibly 200 blacks. In the aftermath of the uprising Nat Turner was hanged and 56 other slaves were executed for their participation.

“Nat Turner’s Rebellion and the hundreds of other slave uprisings in the United States inspired and gave momentum to the abolitionist movement, led to the Civil War, and helped bring about the end of slavery in this country,” Hamm stated.

“We must never forget those who had the courage to rebel and fight against slavery. They gave their lives so that we could be free,” he said.

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