The Scarlet and Black Digital Archive features primary sources documenting African American history at Rutgers University and in our surrounding communities. This archive serves as a companion to our three Scarlet and Black books, which trace the history of race at Rutgers from slavery to Black Lives Matter.
Looking for slavery documents? Check out our new searchable database:
New Jersey Slavery Records.
For oral histories, see our companion site Black Voices at Rutgers.
These digital projects are created and maintained by the research team at the Scarlet and Black Research Center, an arm of the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
Recently Added Items
Ku Klux Klan application, lecture invitation, and miscellaneous documents
1920s
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
A copy packet of documents pertaining to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, including: an invitation to a lecture on the principles, aims…
Ku Klux Klan membership card for William F. Rommel issued in N.B. N.J.
1926
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) membership card for William F. Rommel. The card was issued in New Jersey circa 1926, with the expiration date listed as September…
Ku Klux Klan membership card for William F. Rommel issued in N.J.
1925
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) membership card for William F. Rommel, a resident of Fords, NJ. The card was issued in the Klan realm of New Jersey circa 1925,…
James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw obituary
1775-10-02
Obituary reporting the death of Ukawsaw Gronniosaw also known as James Albert. He died on September 28, 1775, in Chester, England.
Birth record for Hannah, daughter of Dinah, reported by slaveholder Charity Dean
1810-05-17
Middlesex County Clerk
Slaveholder Charity Dean reports that Dinah, an enslaved woman, gave birth to daughter Hannah on March 30, 1809. The birth certificate was recorded by…
Marriage record for Ambo and Mark Harris
1811-09-08
Clark, Joseph
Marriage record for Mark and Ambo dated September 8, 1811. The record indicates that Mark was a black man enslaved to Captain (Benjamin) Taylor, and…
Edward H. Lawson, career diplomat, dies
1996-08-29
Ryan, Patty
Obituary for Edward H. Lawson Jr. RC1933.
On the Inside of Democracy at Work
1942-12
Article about Edward H. Lawson Jr. RC1933 in the Rutgers Alumni Monthly of December 1942, highlighting Lawson's work with the War Manpower Commission.…
Edward Lawson Heads Fair Employment Office
1943-09-06
Newspaper clipping announcing that Edward H. Lawson Jr. RC1933 has been appointed director of the regional office of the President's Committee on Fair…
People Who Push Others Around: Anti-Negro Ad Okay with 'Time,' The NAM and the U.S.C. of C.
1940-12-17
O'Connor, Tom
Newspaper clipping mentioning the work of Edward H. Lawson Jr. RC1933 to address racial discrimination in employment opportunities. Lawson is the…
Black Observer (Camden, NJ) newspaper issue
1969 approx.
Complete issue of the Black Observer newspaper from Camden, circa fall 1969. The precise date is not printed on the issue. Rutgers-Camden students…
A Plan for an Urban Studies at a Small Urban College
1969
Chaka, Malik
A proposal for creating an Urban Studies program at the College of South Jersey (Rutgers-Camden), prepared for the Black Student Unity Movement by…
Featured Collection
Slaveholders: Letters, Sale Receipts, and Related Documents
This collection consists of letters and slave sale receipts that document slaveholding among Rutgers officers and benefactors. These manuscript…
Featured Exhibit
NAACP in New Brunswick: Saving Silas Parmore
This exhibit sheds light on the forgotten history of the New Brunswick branch of the NAACP in the 1920s. The...