PERTH AMBOY – “Citizen Peterson: How Thomas Mundy Peterson Made the Most of His Historic Vote.”
If you have heard the name Thomas Mundy Peterson, it is likely because he was the first African-American to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1870. But he didn’t just cast his ballot and disappear into history. Peterson used his status to fully-embrace the role of citizen in the face of those who questioned a black man as a sociopolitical equal. New Jersey historian and author, Gordon Bond, has discovered how Peterson ran for local office, switched from the Republican to Prohibition Party, and calls into question some of the often repeated aspects of his post-vote roles in his latest presentation.
The lecture will be at the Kearny Cottage, 63 Catalpa Ave., on Sunday, April 4th at 2 p.m. Donations welcome. Light refreshments available.