Newark on TV
R-N history prof shares Newark's storied past, visions for future
Kristy Barry
Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
For some, Newark is merely a "battered city." Rutgers-Newark history professor Clement A. Price thinks otherwise - and he has a documentary on public television to prove why he's right.
His documentary, "The Once and Future Newark," serves as a walking tour through Newark and highlights the gifts the city has to offer. It aired for the first time on the New Jersey Network last week,
"In Newark you have to step back and see what's going on," Price said at the special R-N screening last Wednesday in Conklin Hall.
He cites the "grandeur of architecture" and the cultural importance of Penn Station, how Newark's golden era coincided with its "immigrant era." Price gave a brief history on Bears stadium, how it memorialized the teams that once played there..
The documentary explains the significance of the Newark Public Library, the Newark Museum and even, the importance of the museum lawn. "Most other green space at the time was gobbled up by factories," Price said. He tours parks as well as the outer suburb areas in Newark.
Price praises the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, built in 1997, as an attraction for people to come to Newark and then find their way to the Ironbound and other areas of Newark. "Many people believe NJPAC saved Newark," Price said.
Price commented on the tribulations of the Newark riots, known as the Revolution of 1967.
"How scary the riots were, [it's] remarkable the city survived," Price said. He shared a story of a 10-year-old girl who lived in a high rise building during the riots. The girl saw a man running with a mattress down the street and in her young mind, she simply thought, "There's a mattress sale."
He also noted how in Lincoln Park, park benches were pulled because drug dealers were stationed there. "What city pulls park benches? It broke my heart."
Even still, Price said he is optimistic on the future of Newark. He said the election of Mayor Cory Booker is a major asset. "Cory Booker is enormously popular with young people." And young people, Price said, are vital to the future of the city.
When asked what change he sees in store for Newark next, Price said, "We are amidst another demographic change. This will be a brown city. Hispanics, Equadorians, Brazilians, Haitians - this is an immigrant city."
Price, who began teaching in 1969, has been giving tours to his students for over two decades and feels that these tours "have been personal chronicles."
"I had no idea it would take on the legs it has," Price said.
Price would like to use the documentary for civics classes because he is surprised how many K-12 students know so little about their city. He believes citizens "didn't pass the civics baton of teaching history to future generations."
The documentary could also be a tool to encourage others to return and see the improvements the city has made, Price said.
His documentary, "The Once and Future Newark," serves as a walking tour through Newark and highlights the gifts the city has to offer. It aired for the first time on the New Jersey Network last week,
"In Newark you have to step back and see what's going on," Price said at the special R-N screening last Wednesday in Conklin Hall.
He cites the "grandeur of architecture" and the cultural importance of Penn Station, how Newark's golden era coincided with its "immigrant era." Price gave a brief history on Bears stadium, how it memorialized the teams that once played there..
The documentary explains the significance of the Newark Public Library, the Newark Museum and even, the importance of the museum lawn. "Most other green space at the time was gobbled up by factories," Price said. He tours parks as well as the outer suburb areas in Newark.
Price praises the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, built in 1997, as an attraction for people to come to Newark and then find their way to the Ironbound and other areas of Newark. "Many people believe NJPAC saved Newark," Price said.
Price commented on the tribulations of the Newark riots, known as the Revolution of 1967.
"How scary the riots were, [it's] remarkable the city survived," Price said. He shared a story of a 10-year-old girl who lived in a high rise building during the riots. The girl saw a man running with a mattress down the street and in her young mind, she simply thought, "There's a mattress sale."
He also noted how in Lincoln Park, park benches were pulled because drug dealers were stationed there. "What city pulls park benches? It broke my heart."
Even still, Price said he is optimistic on the future of Newark. He said the election of Mayor Cory Booker is a major asset. "Cory Booker is enormously popular with young people." And young people, Price said, are vital to the future of the city.
When asked what change he sees in store for Newark next, Price said, "We are amidst another demographic change. This will be a brown city. Hispanics, Equadorians, Brazilians, Haitians - this is an immigrant city."
Price, who began teaching in 1969, has been giving tours to his students for over two decades and feels that these tours "have been personal chronicles."
"I had no idea it would take on the legs it has," Price said.
Price would like to use the documentary for civics classes because he is surprised how many K-12 students know so little about their city. He believes citizens "didn't pass the civics baton of teaching history to future generations."
The documentary could also be a tool to encourage others to return and see the improvements the city has made, Price said.
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