Today is the 50th anniversary of the start of the Newark Riots

Certainly an event that shaped Newark, Essex County and NJ up to this day. 

http://www.nj.com/essex/index....

Just read a good article in the NY Times. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/0...

I moved to Maplewood & began work in Newark ten years ago, just before the 40th anniversary. That year, Maplewood's own Brad Parks wrote a brilliant 4-part series for the Star Ledger about the riot/insurrection. I'm hoping to track the series down to read it again, as the coverage of the 50th in the S/L left much to be desired. (I will click the NYT link above, though. Thanks.)

The Star Ledger had a great series of articles in 2007 for the 40th anniversary of the riots in Newark.

http://blog.nj.com/ledgernewar...

There is also this documentary "Revolution '67".   I haven't watched the entire updated version yet.http://www.pbs.org/pov/revolut...

 In my opinion, we have yet to find someone to step into the void left by the late Rutgers Newark historian Clement Price.  He was both a scholar of Newark's history and an advocate for its future.

Harriet - Junius Williams

Cramer - I should have phrased it differently, I meant someone from a younger generation.  Junius Williams has been fighting for civil rights since the 1960s.  Someone once referred to those who were part of the civil rights movement of the 1960s as "the greatest generation who fought for democracy at home."  

I can remember standing in front of my house which is near Ridgewood Rd in Maplewood and hearing the gunfire in Newark. It was very frightening.

I am from Newark.  I saw the tanks rolling down Roseville avenue on their way to the Roseville Avenue armory.   Another day I was waiting for a bus on Broad Street to take me back to my apartment on  Summer Avenue.  An unmarked patrol car sped down the hill There were possibly a dozen of us waiting.  I was the only white person in the group.  As the car approached us three shot guns appeared from the windows.

They were pointed straight at us

Everyone hit the dirt but me.  I gave them the one finger salute.  Suddenly the nearest fellow next to me

grabbed and pulled me down. He said "brother live to fight another day"

I remember.  I remember