Ntozake Shange’s legacy is cemented in Trenton with a historical marker
The city of Trenton has produced some amazing artists, and Ntozake Shange is among the greatest of them all. Raised in the “Capital City” in a progressive, influential, politically active household, Shange went on to become a trailblazing playwright and poet. As a seminal and foundational figure of the Black Arts Movement, in 1975, she released her masterpiece, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, which made her only the second Black woman to have a play produced on Broadway.
Almost eight years after her passing in 2018, the New Jersey Historical Commission paid tribute to the monumental legacy of Shange with a dedicated historical marker on the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail. Located at 159 North Clinton Avenue, the marker celebrates the birthplace and early roots of the visionary, for her fierce advocacy and her indelible contributions to the Black Arts Movement remain deeply anchored in the history of her hometown.
Held at the Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School, where Shange went to elementary school, and hosted by Yina Moore, the unveiling was attended by several dignitaries from across the state. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson, Noelle Williams of the NJ Historical Commission, Senator Shirley K. Tucker, Mary Ellen Balady, Councilwoman Jennifer Williams, Dr. Synatra Smith, Project manager for the Black Heritage Trail, Georgoy Odey, Assistant Project Manager for Black Heritage Trail, and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, were all in attendance.
The Rev. Dr. Darrell Armstrong, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, in his invocation said that “God gave Ntozake the words to be a prophetess to the nation.”
During the ceremony, the Grant School Choir, Grant School Strings, and Grant School Girls in Charge gave incredible performances paying tribute to Shange’s work.
Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, who helped pass legislation for the New Jersey Historical Commission to establish the Black Heritage Trail, said that Shange’s historical marker couldn’t have happened without the support of the people.
“You can’t do anything without a partnership. When the people have a vision, and we’re able to fight to keep Black history alive and real,” Reynolds-Jackson told the Trenton-Journal.
“You hear about the Black history trail, and how far it goes from the top of the state all the way down to the bottom of the state, and there’s more to come,” Reynolds-Jackson added. “There were 800 at the first meeting, and that’s amazing. And for us to highlight Ntozake Shange in the “Capital City, for students to hear and see her legacy is amazing.
Also in attendance were Shange’s siblings, Paul Williams, Ifa Bayeza, and Bisa Williams, who expressed their pride and excitement about their sister’s tremendous honor.
“I’m honored that the folks in New Jersey and the folks in Trenton, the Black History Trail people put this effort together in the first place to get Black History out here in the open, so people can see it, understand it, and respond to it,” Paul said.
“She devoted her life to writing so that other people would both understand where they were, where they came from, how to appreciate who they were, and that they deserved everything that they could want in life, without exception,” Paul continued. “Her fierceness in advocating for and speaking to women’s issues and women’s state of mind and living was especially inspirational to so many women. She really set this country on the path, on the path to correct itself in so many ways, when it comes to gender equality and everything else.
Bisa noted just how honored she was that her sister would be recognized in the city where she first cultivated her love of the language of Black people.
“We always think about the big moments in a person’s life. But I think it’s really important that you recognize where it all started. She was just a little girl here, and I think it’s important for other little children to ask, ‘How does ordinary life start? What then is possible?, Bisa shared. “That’s why this is really, really great. At Barnard, where she went to college, they’ve got lots of stuff, she’s got honorary degrees from all kinds of places, but I think to have Ntozake honored in Trenton is really very special.”
Bayeza spoke about how their parent’s example of excellence, service, and love for Black people was the standard they expected to live up to, and Shange embodied that standard with her life and art.
“It’s wonderful, it’s gratifying, and in a certain respect, it was expected of us by our parents,” Bayeza explained. “Not with the pressure of ‘you must do this.’ We were blessed with many gifts, and it was always our responsibility to use them in the service of our people.”
“Our parents said you can be a servant, but you must serve your people,” Bayeza continued. “And that’s what Ntozake was all about.”
