County College of Morris (CCM) Celebrates Black History Month

If These Stones Could Talk – A Conversation about New Jersey’s African American History

RANDOLPH, NJ: Cemeteries have stories to tell, voices to unearth and lessons from the past. In celebration of Black History Month, County College of Morris (CCM) is offering an online discussion with local historians Beverly Mills and Sharon Elaine Buck who will talk about their book “If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain, and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey.”

The talk takes place via a live Zoom event on Tuesday, February 22, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Mills and Buck serve as trustees of the Stoutsburg Cemetery Association, a historic cemetery for people of African descent nestled in the Sourland Mountains in Hopewell, NJ. The duo are the founding members of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum.

According to Kirkus Reviews, the book is “a stunningly thorough and poignant study of African Americans.” The review notes, “At the heart of this moving chronicle is the authors’ impassioned desire to ‘break the cycle of America’s historical omissions’ regarding its black citizens, whose significant contributions have often been consigned to oblivion.”

To participate in the event, email legacy@ccm.edu for the Zoom link. This event is co-sponsored by the Office of Special Events, the Legacy Project’s Signature Series and the Legacy Project’s Commemoration Committee at CCM. It will premiere on the CCM YouTube channel starting Friday, February 25, at 7:30 p.m. To learn more about CCM, visit www.ccm.edu.

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Photo: Beverly Mills and Sharon Elaine Buck. Co-authors of the book, “If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain, and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey.” Photo Credit: Jackie Fay