Friends of the Howe House Receives Prestigious Montclair NAACP Award
PRESS RELEASE // October 7, 2023 // Montclair, New Jersey
The community fighting to preserve Montclair’s first home owned by a freed slave received the prestigious Thurgood Marshall Freedom Fund Award at the annual Montclair NAACP awards ceremony last night. The award follows almost a year of efforts to rescue the Howe House from being sold to investors, raise funds to secure its sale, and fund-raising and awareness-raising to preserve its future.
Aminah Toler, chair of the Friends of the Howe House, received the award on behalf of the community group. “It’s almost a year to the day since we began our efforts to save the Howe House and preserve its legacy for future generations. Our community has always known the importance of the Howe House for Montclair, New Jersey, and America’s history. We hope our efforts can ensure that the Howe House can take a special place in that history as a center for learning and reflection. Receiving this award from Montclair’s NAACP acknowledges our efforts and calls people in Montclair and beyond to support us,” she said.
Reverend Anya Sammler-Michael said ongoing support for the House Howe was vital. “The Friends of the Howe House would like to thank Montclair’s NAACP for this great honor. It’s been a year of triumphs and hard work. Now is a great time to acknowledge those who helped us get to where we are today, such as the Montclair NAACP. But it is also an important time to remind people that the Howe House’s future is far from certain and that we need ongoing help and effort to preserve this important place for generations to come,” she said.
Kimberly Latortue, president of the Friends of the Howe House, said there was an important push on now to secure national historic status for the house. “This award further solidifies the importance of achieving our goal to win national historic status. This status will ensure the Howe House will be around for generations as a symbol of the African American experience in the U.S. and the unbreakable spirit of a community preserving our shared history. We urge our community and those beyond, including New Jersey's political representatives at federal, state, and local levels to continue to help us achieve this goal,” she said.
The keynote speech at the 107th annual Thurgood Marshall Freedom Fund Dinner and Awards Ceremony of the Montclair NAACP was by Dr. Lillie Johnson Edwards, who cited efforts to preserve the Howe House as an example of the enduring spirit of the civil rights movement. Attendees included Montclair’s Mayor Sean Spiller and Councillor-at-Large Robert Russo. Assemblyman John F McKeon, Congresswoman Mikie Sherril & Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill & David Cummings, 4th Ward Councilman sent their congratulations to the Friends of the Howe House.
The sale of the Howe House to the local community became official last December when a bid for the property was accepted, with the Friends of the Howe House receiving the keys to the property in February. Our first offer was rejected in late November 2022, we then put in another bid for the house in December 2022 and it was accepted.
Fundraising and awareness-raising events have included: an evening of fun and art at the One River Art School; an art auction at the Gallery at Berkshire Hathaway in Montclair; a party at the Montclair Brewery with the launch of a Howe House beer; a Devils Hockey night; a Silent Disco and Juneteenth Festival; and panel discussions on the history of the house. A Kwanzaa fundraiser festival is being planned for Dec 2023.
James Howe worked as an enslaved man for Major Nathanial Crane in the early 1800s. After years of slavery, Crane ended Howe’s enslavement and in his 1831 will, Crane left Howe the house, $400, and approximately six acres of land. Local groups involved in Friends of the Howe House include the Montclair African-American Heritage Foundation, Montclair Chapter of the NAACP, Montclair Mutual Aid, St. Marks Montclair, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair. Further events to support the Howe House’s future are being planned for the coming months and next year, including another art auction with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices, Montclair, and a potential gala night. Anyone keen to get involved in fund-raising, volunteering or donations in-kind are asked to reach out to info@friendsofthehowehouse.org.
