1 10 4 https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/dd29d73e65ac8f535ed0c4be71d85375.png ec168090f2565f2102d4b42e2c4a0eee Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Music People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Birth Date 1927-04-07 Birthplace Ajido, Lagos State, Nigeria Death Date 2003-04-06 Occupation Musician Activist, Civil Rights Source of File Attached "Babatunde Olatunji, drummer, dies at 75." Ventura County Star, 11 Apr. 2003, p.B5. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Olatunji, Babatunde (1927-2003) Olatunji, Micheal Babatunde Subject The topic of the resource Music, African Activism, Civil Rights Description An account of the resource Michael Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist whose work transformed global understandings of African music and culture in the twentieth century. While he later became internationally known for landmark recordings such as Drums of Passion and for collaborations with leading figures in jazz, civil rights, and world music, a formative chapter of his American life unfolded in Englewood, New Jersey, where education, labor, and cultural exchange intersected in decisive ways. Born in the village of Ajido near Badagry, in what is now Lagos State, Nigeria, Olatunji grew up immersed in traditional music, language, and spiritual practice. He spoke Gun (Ogu/Egun) and Yoruba and was raised within a family connected to Vodun religious traditions. In 1950, after receiving a scholarship from the Rotary International Foundation, he traveled to the United States to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he studied and began building intellectual and artistic networks that would shape his future. While at Morehouse, he collaborated closely with composer and choir director Wendell P. Whalum, contributing to the preservation and performance of African musical traditions in academic settings. Following his graduation from Morehouse, Olatunji came north to Englewood, where he became part of an educational work-study program coordinated by the U.S. Foreign Operations Association. Through this program, he was placed at the Ferber Corporation plant on West Sheffield Avenue, working as a tool and die maker. His employment embedded him directly in Englewood’s mid-century industrial economy, making him both a factory worker and an international student navigating American life from the shop floor upward. While living and working in Englewood, Olatunji pursued further studies in American culture, industrial organization, and public administration, taking courses locally and later enrolling at New York University, where he worked toward a master’s degree. The rhythm of his days—factory labor by day, study and performance by night—shaped his understanding of the United States as a lived system rather than an abstraction. Englewood became a space where he tested ideas about democracy, race, labor, and cultural exchange in everyday practice. Music remained central to his life during this period. In Englewood and the surrounding region, Olatunji performed African drumming and song, introducing many Americans to musical traditions they had never encountered firsthand. These performances functioned not only as artistic expression but as cultural education, laying the groundwork for his later national influence. The percussion ensemble he formed while studying at NYU—initially a means of supporting himself—would soon become the foundation of his professional career. In 1958, shortly after leaving Englewood, Olatunji’s trajectory changed dramatically when Columbia Records signed him following a major performance in New York. The release of Drums of Passion in 1959 became a landmark moment in American musical history, introducing African percussion to mainstream audiences and helping to define what would later be called “world music.” The album’s success launched an international career and established Olatunji as a central figure in global cultural exchange. Over the following decades, Olatunji collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists, including John Coltrane—who dedicated the composition “Tunji” to him—Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Cannonball Adderley, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Mickey Hart, and many others. He composed music for stage and film, including Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. He founded the Olatunji Center for African Culture in Harlem, a vital space for artistic, political, and spiritual exchange, and became a powerful voice within the civil rights movement, performing alongside and marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Equally committed to education, Olatunji developed innovative teaching methods for African drumming and led workshops across the United States and internationally. His later career included Grammy-winning collaborations, major tours, and sustained work as a cultural ambassador, culminating in recognition by institutions such as the Percussive Arts Society, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2001. Although his influence became global, Olatunji’s years in Englewood remained foundational. It was there that he experienced America as a worker, a student, and an artist simultaneously—gaining insights that informed his music, activism, and teaching for the rest of his life. Through Olatunji’s story, Englewood emerges as an important site in the history of African diasporic culture in the United States: a place where global traditions, local labor, and transformative creativity converged. “They Have Faith in the Future.” Bergen Evening Record (Hackensack, NJ), January 22, 1955, p. 4. Photographs by Steven S. Ditzian. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Attila Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ludder, Rachelle Colman, David Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Egon Gade Engin's Archive Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available wikipedia Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public Domain Africa Music https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/535c49ce55259305c8b6bae529f2ba24.jpg 128936b8986d2c90c9e41d5fd31e5cbf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Organizations and Institutions Organizations and Institutions A group of individuals cooperating under similar beliefs to reach an agreed-upon goal. Metadata for organizations and institutions provides information for the basis of an investigation into the creation, purpose, beliefs, and actors involved in an organization and institution. Date Started 1910-10-29 Type of Institution Social Welfare Source of File Attached “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Urban_League">National Urban League</a>.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2024. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource National Urban League (NUL) Description An account of the resource The National Urban League is a civil rights organization that advocates for African American rights, fighting against racial discrimination. The Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negros was founded in 1910 by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Hayes and it merged with the Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negros and the National League for the Protection of Colored Women. The organization provides many services such as job training, housing and community development, workforce development, educational opportunities, and voting assistance. Programs were developed to fight for health, employment, and housing equity. The organization has been involved in politics, protests, and social work throughout its history to achieve its mission. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Urban_League">National Urban League</a>.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 May 2024. “<a href="https://nul.org/mission-and-history">Mission and History</a>.” Nul.Org. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ludder, Rachelle Subject The topic of the resource Activism, African-American African American Civil Rights Race Social Welfare Social Work https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/fc85217777c724dadb63d413b0854c63.png 6e50f41499e749ab8587f2cb3975e4e4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource People People An individual. Metadata for a person provides detailed biographical information to describe the life of a historical figure. Birth Date 1929-01-15 Birthplace Atlanta, Georgia, USA Death Date 1968-04-04 Occupation Spiritual Leader Activist, Civil Rights Source of File Attached "Segregation on Its Deathbed, Dr. King Declares in Address." The Record, 25 May 1957, p.25. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource King, Martin Luther Jr. (1929-1968) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Nobel Foundation <div></div> Subject The topic of the resource Activism, African American Activism, Civil Rights Civil Rights Movement Description An account of the resource Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and one of the most influential leaders of the modern civil rights movement. His national leadership began in December 1955 during the Montgomery Bus Boycott and continued until his assassination in April 1968. King is best known for advocating nonviolent resistance as a strategy to challenge racial segregation and injustice. Among his most significant contributions were his leadership in the March on Washington in 1963, the Selma to Montgomery marches, and his powerful writings and speeches, including “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream.” In 1964, he became the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. King married Coretta Scott in 1953, and together they had four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice. In May 1957, during the early years of his rise to national prominence, King visited Englewood, New Jersey, where he spoke at a public forum sponsored by the Englewood Urban League. This appearance was especially significant because it marked one of King’s earliest visits to Northern New Jersey, bringing the message of the Southern civil rights struggle directly into a northern community that often viewed segregation as a Southern problem. Speaking before a crowd of more than 700 people at Dwight Morrow High School, King declared that segregation was “on its deathbed,” while also warning that racism persisted in more subtle forms in the North. His Englewood address challenged local audiences to recognize their own responsibility in the fight for racial justice and underscored the national scope of the civil rights movement. The visit helped galvanize local civil rights activism and linked Englewood’s struggles over housing, education, and equality to the broader movement unfolding across the United States. “Leader of Boycott Will Speak May 23.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), April 24, 1957, p. 35. “Segregation on Its Deathbed, Dr. King Declares in Address.” The Record (Hackensack, NJ), May 24, 1957, p. 25. <div class="resource-meta media-object-section"> <div class="description full">Partly written by OpenAI. (2026, February, 1). ChatGPT (GPT-5.2.) [Large Language Model] https://chat.openai.com/chat.</div> </div> <div class="resource-meta media-object-section"></div> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ludder, Rachelle Colman, David Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available wikipedia Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1964 African American Civil Rights Religion https://archive.englewoodmakeshistory.org/files/original/349568cb3da374916450ad276882225b.jpg 605e9c82cf80d193364a4c4c9d908d75 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Organizations and Institutions Organizations and Institutions A group of individuals cooperating under similar beliefs to reach an agreed-upon goal. Metadata for organizations and institutions provides information for the basis of an investigation into the creation, purpose, beliefs, and actors involved in an organization and institution. Date Started 1909 Type of Institution Social Welfare Ethnic Source of File Attached <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP">“NAACP.”</a> Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 June 2024. <div></div> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Subject The topic of the resource Activism, Civil Rights Activism, African American Description An account of the resource The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an interracial human rights organization. The mission of the organization was to abolish segregation and discrimination. It was founded in 1909 by a group of people including W.E.B. DuBois, Ida Bell, Wells-Barnett, and Mary Ovington. It gained traction due to the 1908 Springfield Race Riots in Illinois. Some founding members were involved with the Niagara Movement led by DuBois. Some of the most notable actions of the movement were its activism in Supreme Court cases that fought against Jim Crow Laws and Lynching in the 1910s and 1920s. The creation of the NAACP Defense and Education Fund in 1939 which litigated the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ending racial segregation in schools. They also won the 1946 Morgan v. Virginia, which ended segregation for interstate travel. The organization was extremely active and crucial during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The organization remains one of the oldest and most influential multiracial institutions. It continues to recognize and fight for political, educational, social, and economic rights and the elimination of race-based discrimination. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Association-for-the-Advancement-of-Colored-People">“National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.”</a> Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 June 2024. <a href="https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/national-association-advancement-colored-people-naacp">“National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).”</a> The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. <div></div> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ludder, Rachelle African American Civil Rights Race Segregation