SCR127

A Concurrent Resolution urging the Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to place the former Martin Luther King, Jr. home located in Camden, New Jersey on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.

Whereas, The mission statement of the Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection is to enhance “the quality of life for the residents of New Jersey through the preservation and appreciation of our collective past”; and

Whereas, The recognition and preservation of historic sites in the State of New Jersey improves the cultural quality of life for all of the residents of New Jersey; and

Whereas, Historic sites serve as a physical link between generations of the past, present, and future, ensuring that all generations of New Jersey residents are aware of New Jersey’s storied history; and

Whereas, An important piece of New Jersey’s history is the house located at 753 Walnut Street, Camden, New Jersey where Martin Luther King, Jr. resided during the early 1950s while he was attending Crozer Theological Seminary; and

Whereas, His experiences while living in Camden, including an incident when a bar owner refused service to him and his friends, may have shaped his involvement in the fight to end racial discrimination and segregation through passive resistance, eventually resulting in Dr. King leading the civil rights movement; and

Whereas, Dr. King’s leadership of the civil rights movement was essential to the eventual passage of the “Civil Rights Act of 1964,” a seminal piece of legislation which is as relevant today as it was in 1964; and

Whereas, An application has been submitted to the Historic Preservation Office in January 2015 requesting that Dr. King’s former home in Camden, New Jersey be recognized as an historic site; and

Whereas, Designation of Dr. King’s former home in Camden, New Jersey as an historic site will not only symbolize the connection between the State of New Jersey and the civil rights movement but also aid in the preservation and rehabilitation of the house, which is currently in disrepair and in danger of demolition; and

Whereas, Dr. King’s former home located in Camden, New Jersey should be designated an historic site and the application for this designation should be expedited due to the current dilapidated state of the house; and

Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper for the Legislature of the State of New Jersey to urge the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Historic Preservation Office to place Dr. King’s former residence in New Jersey on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

1. The New Jersey Legislature urges the Historic Preservation Office in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, as the State Historic Preservation Officer, to place the former Martin Luther King, Jr. home in Camden, New Jersey on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection and to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.

STATEMENT

This concurrent resolution urges the Historic Preservation Office in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to place Martin Luther King, Jr.’s former home in Camden, New Jersey on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. While an application to recognize Dr. King’s Camden home as an historic site has been submitted to the Historic Preservation Office, a decision thereon has not yet been reached. The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of New Jersey’s historic resources of local, State, and national interest.

Dr. King lived in the house located on 753 Walnut Street, Camden, New Jersey while attending Crozer Theological Seminary. During Dr. King’s time in Camden, he and his friends were refused service in a local bar by the owner. Evidence suggests that it was this incident which set Dr. King down the path of civil rights activism through passive resistance. The historic nature of Dr. King’s residency in New Jersey deserves recognition, and it is for that reason that the house should be placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.