The John Ballantine House is now a new house with many open doors

The beautiful stained glass window of the Ballantine House, which is pictured above, always attracts the attention of visitors. [Featured image by Lucy Santos]

Before the story of the Ballantine House was just about the wealthy Ballantine Family and their historical estate, but now there is a bold exhibit at the Ballantine House about brave African women who battled injustices in our society. This new display demonstrates the strength of all women, especially African American women. One of the many artists included in the gala is Marie Smith, who was known by her stage names as “Madame Selika.” Ever since she was a child, Selika had a lovely voice. Luckily, her talent was not wasted since a prosperous and generous family paid for her musical education.

Madame Selika is pictured above. [Featured image by Lucy Santos]

Madame Selika’s success in the music business is historical since she was the first African American artist to perform at the White House. After Frederick Douglass introduced her, she sang for President Rutherford B. Hayes and First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes. With her courage and talent, she opened the doors of opportunity for many other talented African American singers.

Not only is the exhibit about African American artists, it is also about Newark’s history. In an interesting and short documentary, we learn about many injustices that African American women faced in Newark. The video…