TWO POWERFUL ARTC DOCS PREMIERING NOV 7TH
ArtC Films is proud to announce that it is finishing two documentaries about Atlantic City icons. Both are great stories. 'Treasures - The Story of Ralph Hunter & AAHMSNJ' and 'Sunshine Row - The Story of Chicken Bone Beach' will premiere this November.
The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey (AAHMSNJ) sprang from the passion of its founder, Ralph E. Hunter, Sr. After retiring from a long career in retail, Ralph began collecting cultural treasures that he stumbled on while traveling or just by being an astute observer of his surroundings. That’s a fancy way of saying he found some of his “treasures” on the curb on trash day.
Ralph’s apartment was affectionately referred to by his friends as “The Museum.” In 2002, his museum became a reality when he was offered a space by the mayor of Buena Vista Township. This allowed him to show off his treasures, put to use his talent for display, and share stories about the meaning behind the artifacts he collected. And for over 20 years it has continued to grow in two locations.
Located on the long stretch of the Atlantic City shoreline just south of downtown, Chicken Bone Beach was designated as the exclusively African American section of the beach around 1900. It remained a black-only beach until the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed. During the segregation era, the beach provided recreation and later stellar entertainment for African Americans, both tourists and local residents. Ironically, before 1900, blacks and whites in Atlantic City lived side-by-side, and African Americans used the beaches without restriction. By 1900, hotel owners pushed black beach-goers from the fronts of their establishments down to the Missouri Avenue beach south of the Million Dollar Pier. This move was done to appease a growing number of hotel guests from the Jim Crow South.
These documentaries will premiere together at Stockton University's Student Campus Theatre on November 7th. Presented by the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University.
Chicken Bone Beach Photo by John W. Mosley/Courtesy of Temple University
Photo of Ralph Hunter by Noah Addis/ The Star Ledger
