Upper Deerfield Township Municipal Building 1325 Highway 77 Seabrook, New Jersey 08302 Telephone: (856) 451-8393 Email: [email protected]Website: www.seabrookeducation.org Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 am - 12:00 noon Additional visiting hours by appointment Seabrook Educational & Cultural Center Bulletin Vol. 3, No. 38 Summer 2021 Expanding Our Reach We need look no further than our own little institution to see how systemic racism works, and how it creeps in, even when good people have the best intentions. Core to the SECC’s DNA is the belief that there is strength in diversity -- the “global village” ideal of different racial and ethnic groups coming together for the collective good. But the African American workers at Seabrook have been excluded from this global village. Where is the name and face of Jerry Brown, the Black president of the first mostly African American union, whose courageous strike in 1934 led to the 1941 union and to better income and working conditions for all? Where is the Seabrooks’ cook, Clarence, who invented the recipe for Seabrook Farms frozen creamed spinach, the compa- ny’s single most popular product? We don’t even know Clar- ence’s last name. We need to finish the work of remembering what the founders began when they started the SECC. To that end, this summer we have begun to collect oral histories from African American Seabrookers, beginning with Gloria Kates, Betty Brown-Pitts, James Lane, James Whyte and others in their family and peer group. We hope to attract additional funding from the state and from private donors to expand this vital work of communal remembering, and to mount a future special exhibition devoted to the African American experience at Seabrook Farms. With the momentum of BLM, an historic national civil rights movement behind us, the SECC could compete strongly for the funds to tell this untold chapter of local and state history in the museum and on our website. Please help us spread the word to any Seabrookers who might like to record their family’s migration stories with us, either in person or over Zoom. We’d love to hear from you. By John M. Seabrook, Jr., President, SECC One of the most powerful statements to emerge from our recent Zoom sessions, funded by the New Jersey Council on the Humanities to investigate the expanded role that the SECC could play in the community and the culture at large, was a re- mark made by Gloria Kates, an African American Seabrooker whose family migrated from Georgia to South Jersey during World War II. Gloria attended the same reunion I came to back in 1994, when the museum opened, an occasion I later wrote about in the New Yorker, in the piece entitled “The Spinach King.” When I walked into the museum that day and looked around, I saw many things. I saw my family. I saw many familiar Japanese American faces, both on the walls and in the crowd. I saw the Estonian worker group, and some pictures of the earlier Italian immigrant workers. The exhibition seemed very inclusive. But something was missing, something enormous, and so far removed from my awareness at the time that I couldn’t see it. When Gloria Kates walked into the museum and looked around, she saw what I couldn’t see. “I didn’t see us there,” she told the Zoom session. Few if any Black workers were represented on the walls, hardly a single black or brown face from the many thou- sands of workers of color who toiled at Seabrook Farms, doing the hardest, nastiest jobs for the lowest pay. By far the largest worker group of all, the African American Seabrookers were represented only by an African flag hung among the other flags around the room. Seabrook Farms would never have been possible with- out the thousands of African American workers who did the field work, especially during the early and mid-nineteen thirties, when the future of the company hung by a thread. Not only did African Americans make up the majority of the workforce, they endured racism and discrimination from their employer. The Black work- ers were always the first to be let go in the slack seasons, and they got the poorest accommodations. During World War II, the German POW workers who lived in Parvin State Park, many of them Nazis and sworn enemies of the U.S., received better hous- ing and health care than African Americans like Gloria Kates’ family, who lived in tents, yet whose military family members were fighting overseas. The term Black Lives Matter rankles some people. They respond that All Lives Matter. Of course all lives matter. The slogan Black Lives Matter is meant to call attention to the way in which black and brown people specifically have been excluded from rights, privileges and comforts enjoyed by other Americans, through a variety of seen and unseen mechanisms collectively known as systemic racism. NOTE: This SECC grant funded project Titled: Planning Process, Step One, Rewrite the Seabrook Farms Narrative sought input from beyond the SECC network via two public meetings which were held via Zoom on March 26 and April 29, 2021. The process was steered by a blended, diverse committee of professionals and trustees who guided the process. The consultant will deliver a final project report for the SECC Executive Board. Much appreciation to Professor Andy Urban, John Seabrook, Mas Nakawatase, Janet Sheridan, Penelope Watson and Steve Wilchinski. Funding was made possible by The NJ Council for The Humanities Incubation Grant ($5000), matched by SECC’s grant award from the NJ Historic Commission via the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission ($2,880) and SECC donations.
Transcript
Upper Deerfield Township Municipal Building 1325 Highway 77 Seabrook, New Jersey 08302 Telephone: (856) 451-8393 Email: [email protected] Website: www.seabrookeducation.org Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 am - 12:00 noon Additional visiting hours by appointment
Seabrook Educational & Cultural Center Bulletin
Vol. 3, No. 38 Summer 2021
Expanding Our Reach
We need look no further than our own little institution to
see how systemic racism works, and how it creeps in, even when good people have the best intentions. Core to the SECC’s DNA is the belief that there is strength in diversity -- the “global village”
ideal of different racial and ethnic groups coming together for the collective good. But the African American workers at Seabrook
have been excluded from this global village. Where is the name and face of Jerry Brown, the Black president of the first mostly
African American union, whose courageous strike in 1934 led to the 1941 union and to better income and working conditions for all? Where is the Seabrooks’ cook, Clarence, who invented the
recipe for Seabrook Farms frozen creamed spinach, the compa-ny’s single most popular product? We don’t even know Clar-
ence’s last name. We need to finish the work of remembering what the
founders began when they started the SECC. To that end, this summer we have begun to collect oral histories from African American Seabrookers, beginning with Gloria Kates, Betty
Brown-Pitts, James Lane, James Whyte and others in their family and peer group. We hope to attract additional funding from the
state and from private donors to expand this vital work of communal remembering, and to mount a future special exhibition
devoted to the African American experience at Seabrook Farms. With the momentum of BLM, an historic national civil rights
movement behind us, the SECC could compete strongly for the funds to tell this untold chapter of local and state history in the museum and on our website.
Please help us spread the word to any Seabrookers who might like to record their family’s migration stories with us, either
in person or over Zoom. We’d love to hear from you.
By John M. Seabrook, Jr., President, SECC One of the most powerful statements to emerge from
our recent Zoom sessions, funded by the New Jersey Council on the Humanities to investigate the expanded role that the SECC could play in the community and the culture at large, was a re-mark made by Gloria Kates, an African American Seabrooker whose family migrated from Georgia to South Jersey during World War II. Gloria attended the same reunion I came to back in 1994, when the museum opened, an occasion I later wrote about in the New Yorker, in the piece entitled “The Spinach King.”
When I walked into the museum that day and looked around, I saw many things. I saw my family. I saw many familiar Japanese American faces, both on the walls and in the crowd. I saw the Estonian worker group, and some pictures of the earlier Italian immigrant workers. The exhibition seemed very inclusive. But something was missing, something enormous, and so far removed from my awareness at the time that I couldn’t see it.
When Gloria Kates walked into the museum and looked
around, she saw what I couldn’t see. “I didn’t see us there,” she told the Zoom session.
Few if any Black workers were represented on the walls, hardly a single black or brown face from the many thou-sands of workers of color who toiled at Seabrook Farms, doing the hardest, nastiest jobs for the lowest pay. By far the largest worker group of all, the African American Seabrookers were represented only by an African flag hung among the other flags around the room.
Seabrook Farms would never have been possible with-
out the thousands of African American workers who did the field work, especially during the early and mid-nineteen thirties, when
the future of the company hung by a thread. Not only did African Americans make up the majority of the workforce, they endured
racism and discrimination from their employer. The Black work-ers were always the first to be let go in the slack seasons, and they got the poorest accommodations. During World War II, the
German POW workers who lived in Parvin State Park, many of them Nazis and sworn enemies of the U.S., received better hous-
ing and health care than African Americans like Gloria Kates’ family, who lived in tents, yet whose military family members
were fighting overseas. The term Black Lives Matter rankles some people. They
respond that All Lives Matter. Of course all lives matter. The
slogan Black Lives Matter is meant to call attention to the way in which black and brown people specifically have been excluded
from rights, privileges and comforts enjoyed by other Americans, through a variety of seen and unseen mechanisms collectively
known as systemic racism.
NOTE: This SECC grant funded project Titled: Planning Process, Step One, Rewrite the Seabrook Farms
Narrative sought input from beyond the SECC network via two
public meetings which were held via Zoom on March 26 and April 29, 2021. The process was steered by a blended, diverse
committee of professionals and trustees who guided the process. The consultant will deliver a final project report for the SECC
Executive Board. Much appreciation to Professor Andy Urban, John Seabrook, Mas Nakawatase, Janet Sheridan, Penelope Watson and Steve Wilchinski.
Funding was made possible by The NJ Council for The Humanities Incubation Grant ($5000), matched by SECC’s grant
award from the NJ Historic Commission via the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission ($2,880) and SECC
donations.
THREE MAJOR ERAS OF SEABROOK FARMS HISTORY
Era of Infrastructure 1893-1924
Era of Innovation 1929-1942 C.F. gained control, in 1929, and converted his ice-making operation into the world’s first industrial frozen food plant, eventually transforming his business from one of canned and fresh produce to an ever-expanding product line of frozen vegetables, fruits and entrees, including TV dinners from Maxim’s in Paris. With quick freezing came a new push into scientific farming, which would define the post war period at Seabrook. The 1930’s also saw violent labor clashes at the farm, and race riots in Bridgeton, as outside organizers attempted to unionize Seabrook workers for the first time, an effort bitterly opposed by the Seabrook family. Left: Deputized individuals place a striking worker in a chokehold during SF strike c1934. Right: Farm Security Administration agricultural workers camp in Bridgeton, c. 1942.
Charles Franklin Seabrook (C.F.) launched a two-decades long building spree. Rising food prices and demand created by WWI made the business but falling prices after the war eventually led his financial backers to loose confidence in him. In 1924 he was removed as general manager. Left: Italian Village Right: Construction of the Bridgeton-to-Deerfield branch of the Central Railroad, c. 1921
Era of Incorporation 1942-1959 World War II helped introduce frozen food to consumers, through the military. But while the war elevated food prices, it reduced the pool of available labor, forcing the company to look further afield for workers. This is the phase of Seabrook history that the SECC is already steeped in, with its rich collection of oral histories and photographs depicting the Japanese American community who came to Seabrook from the camps, and, later, the Estonians, Germans, Lithuanians, Hungarians and Poles who came over from postwar Europe to live in the expanding company town, which Seabrook’s public relations department dubbed a “global village.” Increasingly bitter relations between father and sons eventually lead C.F. to sell the company in 1959, which effectively brought the history of Seabrook Farms to a close. Below: 127 newly naturalized citizens take an oath as new citizens in the auditorium of the Seabrook Community House, June 25, 1953.
Betty Brown-Pitts, Vineland, NJ: Seabrook Services Co. payment stub to Richard C. Brown, various images, original and digital, of family living and working at Orchard Center and Foster Village, Seabrook Farms. Beverly Carr, Hancocks Bridge, NJ: Publications: Gemmel, William A., From the Beginnings, A History of South Jersey Industries, Inc. and South Jersey Gas Company 1910-1985, Consolidated Drake Press, 1987 (John “Jack” Seabrook, Sr., Board of Directors), Seabrook, Elizabeth, Cabbages and Kings, Penquin Books, 1997 William Doerler, Pennington, NJ: Publication: Imahara, Walter M. Remembrance of Jerome Rohwer, pre-publication proof copy, 2020 Gloria Hagan, Vineland, NJ: Seabrook School diploma, Seabrook School report card, image of Seabrook Farms employee button for Horace Lane, various images, original and digital, of family living and working at Orchard Center and Foster Village, Seabrook Farms. Karen Hanzawa, formerly of Bridgeton, NJ: Objects belonging to Hanzawa family related to Tule Lake incarceration including military issued trunk, and camp soil sample. James M. Kasama, San Marino, CA: Original 1949 payroll account from Deerfield Packing Corporation made payable to donor’s grandfather, Shozo Ohara, through Bridgeton National Bank. Signed by J. W. Smith, authorized official. Judy Nagahiro estate, formerly of Bridgeton, NJ: Photographs of Seabrook JACL Keirokai group gathering, and friends. Publication: Ogawa, Dennis M. and Grant, Glen, Ellison S. Onizuka, A Remembrance, David Rick/Signature Publishing 1986, and recipes. Dana Ono, Concord, MA Publication: Higuchi, Shirley Ann, Setsuko’s Secret, Heart Mountain and the Legacy of the Japanese American Incarceration, The University of Wisconsin Press, 2020. Signed by the author.
100 Years Ago: January 1921 The Seabrooker
Old company store closed, new store operator Bert Haaf 75 Years Ago: June 1946 The Seabrooker
New two-way radio system speeds up harvest time
58 New veterans have come to work at Deerfield Packing and Seabrook Farms last month; overall over 200 returned veterans
Giant new Cumberland Warehouse now complete
The first 27 of a group of 400 college girls arrive on plane which flew them from Jackson, Miss and boarded a bus for Seabrook Village to work at Deerfield Packing
50 Years Ago: September—Oct 1971 Frostings (Publication)
Golden Wedding Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Dominick Melchiorre, Sr. at the Pike Lounge, both former employees, their son John is Plant Personnel Manager and Mayor of Upper Deerfield.
Meet Jim Seabrook appointed Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing, Seabrook Farms Co.
SECC has been awarded it’s first grant for Gen-eral Operations from the New Jersey Historical Commission Regrant Program via the Cumber-land County Cultural and Heritage Commission in the amount of $5683.
Seabrook Farms history is now available as an E-book on Amazon, thanks to John Seabrook who is donating all of the profit to SECC. SECC has entered into a process to develop it’s
third website with Partner and Partners of NYC at a cost of $15,000.
Interns Lisa Duffield and Noah Johnston have
returned to support the Center’s projects and are funded by CCC&HC 2020 & 2021 Grants
President: John M. Seabrook, Jr. Secretary & Treasurer: Ingrid Hawk Trustees: Michael Asada Larry Ericksen Rev. Dale Johnston Masaru Nakawatase
Donna Pearson Bruce T. Peterson
Eevi Truumees Trustee Emeritus: Barbara Morella, Ed.D.
Executive Director: Beverly Carr
Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission/Department of State
and the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Cumberland Cultural and
Heritage Commission and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
NOTICE OF MEETING The Annual Meeting of Members of the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center, Inc. a 501(c)3 public supported organization will be held via ZOOM on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. for the following purposes: *To elect the officers/trustees for the ensuing year as nominated: President: John M. Seabrook, Jr. Treasurer: Ingrid Hawk Trustees: Michael Asada Larry Ericksen Rev. Dale Johnston Masaru Nakawatase Donna Pearson Bruce T. Peterson Eevi Truumees *To act upon such matters as may properly come before the meeting. Members of record at the close of business on June 30, 2021 will be entitled to vote with respect to this solicitation.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Dear Contributors, It is a pleasure to invite you to the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center, Inc.’s (SECC) twenty-ninth Annual Meeting of Contributors. SECC is supported by volunteers who provide invaluable services to make the museum a success, such as our Advisory Board, auditor, tax advisor, legal counsel, artifact donors, docents, consultants and officers. Your generous support by tax deductible contributions have made it possible for SECC to be recognized nationally for its mission to pre-serve and make known the unique history of Seabrook. Sincerely yours,
John M. Seabrook, Jr. President SECC
Your philanthropy helps to insure our future! Call our office for options (856) 451-8393
COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT: This image featuring Japanese American children in Seabrook comes from the Judy Nagahiro Collection. The Japanese American community will honor their ancestors during the in –person Obon Festival at the Seabrook Buddhist Temple on July 17, 2021. The event will have limited attendance and take place in the Mediation Garden behind the Temple. SECC is not hosting groups at this time but has resumed regular hours, M-Th, 9-12 by appointment, with six-foot distancing.
Please call ahead (856) 451-8393 or email [email protected] and check our website for updates: seabrookhistory.org
