The Trenton Project Remembers April 9, 1968

For the last three years, we have worked with students and community partners to document Trenton in the 1960s and the civil unrest of April 1968.

April 9th marks the 50th anniversary of what many people call a watershed in  Trenton’s history. It was the day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s funeral, and in Trenton it turned into a night of broken windows, arrests and fires.  It was also the night when one young man, Harlan Bruce Joseph, tragically lost his life.  For several years we have looked at these events from many angles, gathered public records and collected private memories.  We have been asking: What happened that night? What did the news reporting get right — and what did it get wrong?  What caused the unrest on the streets? And what are its repercussions today?

We invite you to come hear the details we have uncovered – some may surprise you — compare them to your own recollections, and add your stories and responses.  We will share  interview clips from our forthcoming documentary film, discuss our findings, and ask for your continued input into this reframing of Trenton’s history.

We are eager to collect tangible records of the times — photos, home movies clippings, diaries and memorabilia — to share with other Trenton institutions like Trentoniana at the Trenton Free Public Library and the Conservatory Mansion.  If you have treasures you’d like to scan and share, we encourage you to bring them with you for scanning.  We hope you can join us.

Purcell Carson & Alison Isenberg

Part of the 1968/2018 Cities on the Edge series, co-sponsored with the Humanities Council.