Gloria Harper Dickinson Bench Dedication
On April 22, 2023, members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and TCNJ African American Studies department dedicated a bench on the TCNJ campus to the memory of Dr. Gloria Harper Dickinson. African American Studies Department Chair Dr. Piper Kendrix Williams read a statement from Arthur Dickinson, Dr. Dickinson’s husband. The statement reads as follows:
To all the friends, family, AKA’s, and other Greek organizations, Good Afternoon
As the southerners honored their war heroes with a monument at Stone Mountain Georgia and the country of France honored the United States for outlawing slavery with the gift of the Statue of Liberty (no it was not because of immigration), we are here today to honor Dr. Gloria Harper Dickinson. Her devotion was to provide the students both black and white of Trenton State now The College of New Jersey the history of those African Americans (and women) that helped to make this country. Her mission was not to educate those too bigoted to learn about her race but to educate her students so that they could become the best TCNJ could produce.
Gloria is not with us in body, but she is with us in spirit. As we dedicate this bench, let us also dedicate and resolve that we will continue her legacy by supporting the Afro-American Studies Department and the students whom they serve.
– Arthur Dickinson
The dedication marked the culmination of a successful fundraising drive organized by Dr. Dickinson’s friends, Sorors and former students, many of whom are College alumni. Here are videos and photos from the dedication ceremony.
I remember Dr. Dickinson’s African Diaspora class. She was such a light and she was one who challenged you. It was in her class, that I learned deeper truths and realities of our African heritage that I still recall to this day and reference throughout conversations with others. I did not know that she passed but may she rest in peace and power. Well done Dr. Dickinson.