The Black Women’s Mural Project lands NJCH action grant

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundationʼs (NNJCF) ArtsBergen initiative announces the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) awarded an Action Grant.

The grant supports the project Beyond the Wall: Developing Digital Content Illuminating The Black Womenʼs Mural to develop an educational, inspirational website expounding on the meaning, significance and process of the creation of this public art found on the Womenʼs Rights Information Centerʼs building, 108 West Palisade Ave. downtown.

The NNJCF, a nonprofit,

501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization based in Hackensack observing its 25th anniversary this year, is one of 22 organizations in the state to receive a NJCH Incubation or Action Grant.

These grants help organizations implement a wide array of humanities-based projects, including public programs, exhibitions, installations, tours and discussion groups.

Beyond the Wall Highlights The Black Womenʼs Mural Beginning in mid-September, the NNJCF plans to partner with a digital designer/web creator and a humanities scholar/poet to research and write the content about The Black Womenʼs Mural for an interactive website. The website will serve as an educational archive and resource for viewers of the mural and also detail the histories, stories, and biographies of each of the six historic and living Black women represented.

Two products will be created: postcards about the mural and a sign with the website link to be installed at the mural.

In 2022, the NNJCFʼs Art-

A new grant supports the project Beyond the Wall: Developing Digital Content Illuminating The Black Women’s Mural at the Women’s Rights Information Center’s building. Photos by Sam sBergen worked with community partners and oversaw the creation and painting of The Black Womenʼs Mural: Celebrating Black Suffragists and Black Women in Englewood on the Womenʼs Rights Information Centerʼs building.

Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh painted the mural incorporating design input from Black women in the city and the larger community. The mural celebrated Black womenʼs voices, raised awareness about Black suffragists, and encouraged civil discourse within the community.

This sparked pride recognizing and honoring the Black communityʼs contributions through a large-scale public artwork located in the center of one of the busiest downtowns in Bergen County that was revealed on Nov. 14, 2022 in an outdoor ceremony.

Danielle DeLaurentis, associate director of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, said in a statement shared with Northern Valley Press, “The NJCH grant allows us to expand upon the important work accomplished in creating the Black Womenʼs Mural in Englewood. This web-based resource provides both educational and inspirational aspects, bringing to life the 2-D faces on the mural surface by humanizing them with stores about who they are and why they are significant.”