It has been decades since Lawside was subject to a racist attack, according to Linda Shockley, president of the Lawnside Historical Society. Shockley said the last recorded incident was shortly after the borough’s incorporation in 1926. During that time, several residents of Woodcrest  burned crosses on several occasions when that white neighborhood was unsuccessful in trying to secede from Lawnside.

Shockley, who is a member of WHYY’s Community Advisory Board, spoke to the crowd about the borough’s history dating back to the colonial period when Lawnside was known as Free Haven.

“We were taught in our schools the proud history of this community, founded by people who believed in freedom,” she said. “These people followed that desire to be free. It’s a natural human desire to be free.”

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NewJerseyDevils.com is the official web site of the New Jersey Devils, a member team of the National Hockey League (“NHL”). NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2024 New Jersey Devils and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.