T. Thomas Fortune and the Art of Social Justice
Date: 6/16/2021
Time: 11:30 am EDT
Location: Zoom
Join Chhange for our June Lunch and Learn featuring Gilda Rogers. Ms. Rogers will discuss the life and legacy of T. Thomas Fortune, one of the greatest Black journalists and newspaper editors of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into slavery, Fortune became a courageous social justice advocate who helped usher in Civil Rights reforms throughout the United States. Referred to as "the bridge to the modern-day Civil Rights Movement," his writing and advocacy on behalf of Black Americans made him the most prominent Black journalist of the time.
Fortune also spent part of his life in Red Bank, New Jersey, where his home has been preserved as part of the State Register of Historic Places. Ms. Rogers will talk about efforts to preserve Fortune's legacy and her role in developing his home into the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, a haven for history, art, and civic engagement.
Gilda Rogers is an award-winning journalist, author, playwright, and educator. She is Co-Chairwoman of the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation Board, and she led the grassroots organization to save and preserve the T. Thomas Fortune House, a National Historic Landmark. Gilda was named the 2017 “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Monmouth County Human Relations Commission. The American Association of University Women named Gilda as one of the honorees of its first-ever, “Women of Achievement” award in 2018. She also teaches history as an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College.