Created by the Scarlet and Black Research Center at the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice at Rutgers University, the Scarlet and Black Digital Archive is a publicly accessible educational resource that features primary sources documenting African American history in New Jersey.
Learn more about this digital archive and check out our latest news.
To explore oral histories, see our companion tool Black Voices at Rutgers.
Launching in September 2022: New Jersey Slavery Records — our new project to document the history of slavery in our communities through digital archival sources and linked open data.
Recently Added Items
Ku Klux Klan application, lecture invitation, and miscellaneous documents
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
1920s

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.
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
1926

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.
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
1925

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
Middlesex County Clerk
1810-05-17

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
Clark, Joseph
1811-09-08

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…
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...