NEWTONVILLE, NJ - The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey (AAHMSNJ) in conjunction with Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Professor, and Langston Hughes Scholar, Dr. David Roessel, will be throwing a birthday party for Langston Hughes along with a children's read-in on Thursday, February 2, 2006 from 4pm to 6pm. The selections for the read-in will come from the book Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, an amazing text which was illustrated by the legendary African American artist Benny Andrews.

Along with Dr. Arnold Rampersad, Dr. Roessel is the Editor of, Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. David Roessel has also been the Associate Editor on several Langston Hughes anthologies under the tutelage of Dr. Rampersad, who some say, is the world's foremost authority on the life and poetry of Langston Hughes. He was also the editor of The Collected Poems of Tennessee Williams along with Nicholas Rand Moschovakis. Dr. Roessel received his Ph.D. from Princeton University, Has taught at the historically Black Howard University and is currently the Associate Professor of Greek Language and Literature at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

The AAHMSNJ, at 661 Jackson Road in Newtonville is inviting everyone to put on their party hats and join in on the celebration, where the work of one of America's greatest and most distinguished poets will be read, spoken, and appreciated.

The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, Inc. was founded in 2003 by Ralph E. Hunter Sr. It is located in the Dr. Martin Luther King Center in Newtonville, New Jersey. The AAHMSNJ serves as a venue for celebrating American History and the legacy of African Americans in Southern New Jersey and throughout the world arena.