The Ramapough and the Ringwood Mines Superfund Site – History, Culture, Education and Environmental Justice

Professor Jack Tchen of Rutgers University Newark will share a short history of the Turtle Clan in our region, and then Chief Vincent Mann of the Turtle Clan and members of the project team, including Anita Bakshi (team lead) will share elements of the exhibit and excerpts of the film, “Meaning of the Seed.”  Finally, Chief Mann will share what the Turtle Clan is doing now to heal from this decades-long disruption to the lives of clan members.

Attendees will also be able to see the multimedia project which won the Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in Public Humanities in 2022, a project that was co-created with the Ramapough Lunaape Nation Turtle Clan and a team at Rutgers University.

The Rutgers team, led by project director Anita Bakshi, worked with Turtle Clan members – many of whom live on an active Superfund site – to create an array of materials, including the book “Our Land, Our Stories” book; the documentary film “The Meaning of the Seed”; traveling exhibits; short video projects for YouTube and social media platforms; and a digital exhibit for Rutgers University Libraries. The traveling exhibit will be on display for attendees to view and copies of the book will be available.

The Seed Farm will host a seed swap table.  Feel free to bring seeds to share and take seeds home.

Presented in partnership with The Seed Farm, The Land, Language, and Art Global Initiative, School of Public and International Affairs in New Jersey, and The Watershed Institute.

The Land, Language, and Art Global Initiative will host a post screening reception.

Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.