If you are not familiar with the artist, Jerry Gant was a multi-disciplined visual artist, teacher, mentor, and activist. In the '80s, at the start of his career, you could find him in New York City tagging buildings along with the likes of Jean Michael Basquiat. Over the years, he created work that reflected many of the particulars of his own life as a Black male growing up in Newark and was motivated by a profound and genuine desire to truly know and understand the human condition. For Jerry, life and art were inextricably linked.

Curator and historian Noelle Lorraine Williams seeks to educate and remind Newark residents of their history—one filled with striving and rebellion. Her recent exhibition, Black Power! 19th Century, on display at the Newark Public Library from July 9 through Sept.1, revisits Black activism in Newark. In an interview with Public Square, Williams discussed the exhibit and her plans to reach others beyond Newark through her art and research.