Stockton Names A.C. Event Room in Honor of Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer’s work as a voting and civil rights activist brought her from her home state of Mississippi to Atlantic City in 1964 where she galvanized the nation with her speech at the Democratic National Convention, talking about the beatings she had endured in her fight for the right to vote, and famously noting she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Her dynamic speech, and her story, are now permanently a part of Atlantic City and Stockton University. On Nov. 1, 2018, Stockton University named the Event Room in the new Stockton University Atlantic City Academic Center, in honor of Hamer.

Hamer’s connection with Stockton began 15 years ago, when then N.J. Secretary of State Regina Thomas proposed an event at Stockton recognizing her work. Stockton Distinguished Professor of Social Work and Africana Studies Patricia Reid-Merritt said for the first two years the state subsidized the cost of the annual Fannie Lou Hamer Human and Civil Rights Symposium, but when the state funding stopped, Stockton continued the event.

“Stockton stepped up to the plate,” said Reid-Merritt who later also served on a committee to raise funds for a statue of Hamer in her hometown of Ruleville, Mississippi. That statue recognizes Stockton’s contributions.

“Stockton has played a role in preserving her legacy,” Reid-Merritt said.

Hamer’s granddaughter, Jacqueline Hamer Flakes, sent a video message thanking the University. The video was made by Joe Davenport, who is making a documentary on Hamer and attended the 2017 symposium at Stockton.

“My mother would have loved to be there for this occasion,” Flakes said. “She didn’t have the opportunity to get an education afforded to young people these days.”

A large wall plaque with Hamer’s photo from the convention and her story hang outside the Event Room.

Professor of Communication and Africana Studies Donnetrice Allison, who moderated the event and organizes the annual Hamer symposium, said the naming will allow many who had never heard of Hamer to learn more about her crucial role in the civil rights movement.

“We are doing what no other university is doing,” she said. “We are very proud of that.”

Inaugural Coast Day Offers a Look at Life Above and Below the Jersey Shore

From a virtual trip to an offshore wind turbine, to an example of how oysters grow, visitors to Stockton University’s first Coast Day at the Stockton University Atlantic City Academic Center got both a bird’s eye and a fish eye view of science along the Jersey Shore.

About a dozen exhibitors lined the Fannie Lou Hamer Event Room, which also hosted educational talks about the status of New Jersey’s beaches by Kim McKenna of the Coastal Research Center at Stockton, and maritime history by Stephen Nagiewicz.  Dr. Levi Fox, performing as politician Nucky Johnson, provided an entertaining history of Atlantic City.

“We wanted to plant a seed this year,” said Susanne Moskalski, associate professor of Marine Science, who coordinated the family event, which is modeled after her alma mater, the University of Delaware’s Coast Day. “We hope to get bigger each year.”

Learn more about the second annual Coast Day, being held on Sunday, Oct. 13 here. 

 

Maritime History Uncovered in Stone Harbor

In December 2018, the ocean uncovered hidden history. What remains of an old wooden ship is now visibly resting on the beach at Stone Harbor Point in the intertidal zone. As the ocean recedes, sturdy oak timbers forming the ship’s ribs jut out from the sand until they are covered again by the high tide.

Stephen Nagiewicz, a marine archaeologist who teaches underwater science and exploration at Stockton, explained what he observed at the now-visible shipwreck and the scientific detective work that goes into telling a ship’s story long after its days of working on the water.

An attempt to confirm the wreck’s identity would require an archaeological group to claim ownership of the remains and take them apart to study the intricacies of the frame work and unique structural design. “It could be a jolly boat from a sailing ship, a whaling boat, a lifeboat from one of the nearby lifesaving stations or a piece of a much larger vessel like the D.H. Ingraham,” he said.

Learn more about this shipwreck by viewing our photo story.

 

University Earns Third HEED Diversity Award

Stockton University has again received a 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity publication in higher education.

This is the third year in a row that Stockton has received the award. The Tech Trek summer camp for middle school girls at Stockton also earned a “2018 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award” from INSIGHT Into Diversity.

Stockton was recognized for programs in three areas: Community Outreach, Social Justice and Activism and Campus Climate.

 

Stockton Hosts First Humanitarian Fair

Stockton University’s inaugural Humanitarian Fair brought Stockton students and area high school students together to learn about social issues both at home and across the world.

“We want to create dialogue for people who belong in different identity groups as well as create advocacy work to end genocides,” said David Estrin about his organization, Together We Remember.

As a grandson of four Holocaust survivors, Estrin has made it his life’s mission to remember and recognize victims of genocide and atrocities through the power of social media.

The program began with a conversation among adjunct professors Mary Johnson, Patricia Chappine and Sarah Albertson about how students could get more involved with local and global issues.

The Humanitarian Fair was sponsored by the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy and the School of General Studies at Stockton.