Portfolio
Special Initiatives
Honoring Cudjo Banquante!
Dr. Epps was the driving force behind more than 20 events celebrating the life of Cudjo Banquante, an enslaved African noble who became a Revolutionary War soldier and the City of Newark’s first Black business person. Informative and entertaining events at arts and culture institutions across the city included a special grand opening event and exhibit at the The Newark Museum of Art, a genealogy workshop at the Newark Public Library, documentaries on NJ’s enslaved people and the 1967 Newark rebellion, jazz performances at Bethany Baptist Church, an opera by Trilogy:aoc, a marker dedication at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), church services, and ongoing student enrichment from the NJ Amistad Commission. The initiative earned the New Jersey Council for the Humanities 2025 Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in Public Humanities.
Harriet Tubman Memorial Project
Dr. Epps was one of three historians who provided research for Audible’s immersive, interactive audio experience created for Shadow of a Face, the monument to Harriet Tubman that now stands in Newark’s Harriet Tubman Square. The project has been recognized with multiple awards, including an Anthem Award, a Digiday Greater Good Award, and two Shorty Impact Awards. The audio installation, titled Monumental: Harriet Tubman and Newark’s Liberation Movement, is available free to listeners worldwide on Audible.
313+ Ancestors Speak Project
Dr. Epps’ work on the 313+ Ancestors Speak gave voice to the lives of more than 313 enslaved and free African ancestors buried on the grounds of Siloam-Hope First Presbyterian Church (formally First Presbyterian Church) in Elizabeth New Jersey.
The Sankofa Collaborative
Dr. Epps is a founding member of the Sankofa Collaborative, a grass-roots coalition with a mission to build the capacity of individuals, groups, and organizations to learn about, present, and discuss the complex and difficult issues in the history and current experiences of African American citizens of New Jersey. To date the Collaborative has presented nearly 20 in-person and virtual programs designed to support educators. You can view the complete list of programs here. In addition, the Collaborative shares resources through a website and a Weekly Resource newsletter.
Laying to Rest the Ancestors
Dr. Epps was instrumental in the effort to honor – and return to their original resting place at First Reformed Church of Pompton Plains, New Jersey – the bones of enslaved individual whose remains had been disinterred during sand mining in Pequannock Township. The project was part of a larger “Acknowledging Enslavement and Liberation of African Americans in Historic Pequannock” initiative.
“What’s Going On”
As one of her first projects at the New Jersey Historical Society, Dr. Epps curated a major exhibit exploring the civil unrest that occurred in Newark, New Jersey. The exhibit served as the basis for a series of public events, including community discussions about the nature of civil action.
Documentary, Television and Podcast Appearances
The Price of Silence – Episodes 1, 2 and 3
America’s 250th: Overlooked Heroes from the Revolutionary War
Additional Press
Rutgers Alumna and Historian Are Shaping New Jersey’s Commemoration of America’s 250th
Current and Past Clients
Dr. Epps has provided research services, lectures and program facilitation for a wide variety of organizations, including:
1719 William Trent House Museum
Adult School of Montclair
Bethany Baptist Church-Newark
Chhange (Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education)
Edison Public Library
Elizabeth Public Library
Historical Society of Elizabeth
Marlipt Hall
Montclair Public Library
Newark History Society
Newark Public Library – James Brown African American Room
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission
Plainfield Public Library
Scotch Plains Baptist Church
Scotch Plains Public Library
Union Public Library – Vauxhall Branch
Westfield Historical Society
Woodbridge Public Library