Revealing Our Past

Capturing Somerville’s (NJ) African American History, One Correction At a Time This article is part 2,  in a series of posts, which explores the challenges of using local publications to research your community. The Publication: Somerville As it Re ally Is (1909) is a trade publication describing the industry, educational institutions,  amenities, and history of Somerville. The publication  is relied upon as a foundational history of Somerville's growth. The inclusion of the African American community is limited to two photos of Colored School and St. Thomas AME.  The Omission The article, on the educational institutions, referenced the segregated Somerville Colored Public School, No. 3, as one of the "three school buildings". The caption labeled the African American School photograph as the "Colored School'.  The Clarification A fuller history includes the advocacy and activism of the African American community which initially created its own educational instit