Public Invited to CCA Exhibit Panel Discussion

CAPE MAY – The public is invited to celebrate Black History Month during a panel discussion on the exhibit, “The Way We Were…Cape May County’s Once Thriving Black Business Communities.”
Join representatives from the Center for Community Arts (CCA) and the local community at the Carriage House Gallery at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Feb. 16 at 4 p.m., and hear discussion on the exhibit’s theme: how black-owned businesses thrived in the region during the first half of the 20th century. Light refreshments will be served and admission is free.
The panelists will include William “Bill” Cottman, Vera Smith, Willie Hicks, Emily Dempsey and Lois Smith. The discussion and exhibit are sponsored by the Center for Community Arts (CCA) in association with Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC).
From the early 20th century to the 1960s, the African American community in Cape May City prospered, with more than 60 businesses located in what is now called Historic Cape May. Hotels, pubs, pool halls, an opera house, bakeries, barber shops and hair salons were among the many types of businesses that flourished during the first half of the last century. Other African American communities in lower Cape May County had similar success during this time, as black-owned businesses boomed — many catering to both black and white customers. In the 1960s, urban renewal programs, part of the Great Society’s goal of removing substandard housing (and constructing adequate public housing), had the unintended consequence of eliminating businesses and homes that were in their path. The 25 years between 1945 and 1970 saw a decline in Cape May’s black population that resulted in less patronage of black businesses, as well. Hidden in plain sight are the remains of the many successful black businesses that exist no more.
The exhibit is open Saturdays through March 22, Sun., Feb. 16, Mon., Feb. 17 and daily, March 28 through April 13. Admission is free and gallery hours vary. For information on hours, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278. For information on the exhibit, call 609-884-7525 or see www.CenterforCommunityArts.org.
The Center for Community Arts is a multicultural educational non-profit organization whose arts and humanities programs foster creativity, community building, and appreciation for the rich diversity of our world. The Center’s Community History Program is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and celebrating Cape May’s African American heritage through exhibits, tours, and its John and Janet Nash African American History Archive. The Center is currently rehabilitating the Franklin Street School, a Cape May African American Historic Site, to house a community cultural center, runs youth arts programs and operates WCFA-LP 101.5 FM, a community radio station. For further information, call 609-884-7525 or access CCA’s web site at www.CenterforCommunityArts.org.
The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org.