The “Amistad Bill” (A1301) was sponsored by
Assemblymen William D. Payne and Craig A. Stanley. The
legislation seeks to foster and create a greater level of
academic knowledge within our school children. The bill
creates an “Amistad Commission” in honor of the enslaved
Africans who gained their freedom after overthrowing the crew
of the Amistad cargo ship en route from Havana in 1839.
The commission will promote wider implementation of
educational awareness programs regarding the African slave
trade, slavery in America and the many contributions African
Americans have made over the course of United States
history.
The Amistad Commission will consist of 19
members, including the Secretary of State, the Commissioner of
Education, the Chair of the Executive Board of the President’s
Council and 16 public members. The commission will also
designate appropriate textbooks that accurately chronicle the
African-American experience in the United States.
Following the bill signing, Governor
McGreevey was joined by Secretary of State Regena Thomas in
announcing the “Harriet Tubman-William Still New Jersey
Underground Railroad Journey.”
Beginning
on September 29, 2002, Governor McGreevey will join with
Secretary of State Thomas and the people of New Jersey in
celebrating the State’s Underground Railroad heritage.
Named in honor of two of the Underground Railroad’s most
celebrated figures, the “Harriet Tubman-William Still New
Jersey Underground Railroad Journey” will follow in the
footsteps of freedom over a period of two weeks, by retracing
180 miles of the legendary network from Cumberland County to
Hudson County. The walk will also include visits to some
of New Jersey’s Underground Railroad sites and communities
along the way.
“This celebration will be a tribute to
those brave souls who sacrificed, aided and followed this
trail to freedom,” said McGreevey.
