Culture of Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey has many ethnicities living in the neighborhood and city. The town's citizens have undergone racial struggles and have lived to tell their stories. They have gone on to make businesses, music, art, and more to ensure that they honor their heritage. There would be holidays like Cinco de Mayo and Juneteenth that are celebrated once a year.

Black culture[edit]

In the 1960s, black and Puerto Rican students at Rutgers University-Camden started a rebellion due to the segregation they received.^[1] They witnessed police brutality and a lack of diversity on campus, so they had to find black lawyers to help bring change to the school when white lawyers were brought on the white students. At the same time, not only did protests begin to build within the campus but conflicts spawned with other colleges such as Rutgers-Newark, Cornell University, and Howard University. A historian, Martha Biondi, witnessed the event and called it "the black revolution on campus." In the early 1970s, the event caught so much attention that college leadership changed, thus Edward Bloustein stepped in and met their demands and allowed blacks and Puerto Ricans to set foot on campus. Years later, the impact of the event made way for future students. Many clubs and organizations in the university have been formed to keep their respective heritages alive. Most importantly, they get to decide on how they do it. At the same time, many flags of the world's countries are seen at the Campus Center to commemorate unity and peace. A census in 2021 calculated a population of 39.3% blacks in Camden with 28.5 thousand people (1.37k), making them the largest ethnicity in Camden.^[2]

Hispanic and Latino culture[edit]

It was the same for Hispanics and Latinos, albeit a political matter. In 1995, the Concerned Leaders of Camden City and Camden County was formed by its executive director Roy Jones when learning that no blacks or Latinos were seen in Camden Hall. In his words, he wanted to bring representation in a white-centered government. He even envisioned more jobs for blacks and one head as Hispanic.^[3] However, despite this, the council did not follow through with his demands until years later. Religion-wise, Sister Linda Stilling took a visit there for herself. She views it as a place of communion and enjoys her time there. Stilling even mentions the Holy Name Church in North Camden assists by any means of service they can. She calls the town her Camelot and looks forward to going there again. Two censuses made a growth with their data: one in 2010 calculated 47% Hispanic citizens in the city and 15% in the county^[4] and another in 2021 with 22.4 thousand (1.72k) with a calculation of 31%, making them the second largest.^[2] It is still growing by the day and will continue by 2050.^[5] Some restaurants such as Old San Juan Restaurant and Freddy's Restaurant pay homage to the culture by having decorations and cooking traditional foods.

Arts and entertainment[edit]

People have made various pieces throughout the town to represent themselves and their heritage. They even do it to pay tribute to their neighborhood and city. They even do it to pay tribute to their neighborhood and city. The City Invincible mural, now named Camden Invincible, was made and installed at the intersection of 16th Street and Admiral Wilson Boulevard in 2017.^[6] It was inspired by Walt Whitman who created the poem “I'd Dream in a Dream” in 1867. The mural was painted by five local artists: Terina Nicole Hill, Priscilla Rios, Breiner Garcia, Donald T. Williams, and Erik James Montgomery with help from the Camden Community Partnership. They even showed remorse rather than anger when it got vandalized, but thankfully the Invincible mural was cleaned up to its original state. Another mural was recently made by a group of artists called We Live Here Artists Collective of Camden. It was installed on the Bush Refrigeration building on Admiral Wilson Boulevard at 17th Street, next to the City Invincible mural. This was done to commemorate the accomplishments of those who lived in Camden such as Reverend Robert "Father Bob" McDermott, running back Mike Rozier, and activist Rosa Ramirez in addition to the town's scenery.^[7]

Additionally, many festivals have been created for everyone to learn about them. One, particularly, is the annual South Jersey Caribbean Festival, founded by Nkem Tshombe, which celebrates Caribbean culture, traditions, and heritage.^[10] Another is the Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission Host Grant Award Breakfast, which brings together 20 cultural organizations for the community.^[11] Both of these events have benefited the town financially and socially. Not only that, but they brought together many citizens originating from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures to have a good time.

Music has helped bring unity to the city. They do it to release a sense of peace and harmony. The most common place they go to is the Camden Waterfront, which is currently home to the Adventure Aquarium and Rutgers University-Camden's new athletic complex installed in 2022 to replace the former Campbell's Field.^[12] It has been designated for concerts that have taken place for bands and musicians to perform, such as Aimee Mann, Sheila E., Hootie and the Blowfish, and many more.^[13]

Philanthropy[edit]

A local business called Camden Fashion Week was created in 2019 and has held events every year since. It was made to let children with disabilities create clothing using their imagination. Tawanda Jones, who organized the business, says she envisioned doing something that lets kids be who they desire to be.^[14] Despite having no sponsors, the company runs successfully and has shows once a year. Other businesses include the Camden County Historical Society, which has documented every event in town. It was built in 1899 as a place for those who find anything that links to one's heritage and for other educational purposes.^[15] The Heart of Camden, known as the city's landmark, has hosted many festivities. They even helped provide townspeople a place to spend time with their friends and families.

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