Atlantic City Community Treasure: Ralph Hunter of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey

A Living Archive: Ralph Hunter Sr. and the Legacy of Black History in Atlantic City

When you walk through the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, you’re not just viewing history, you’re stepping into the life’s work of Ralph Hunter Sr., a man whose quiet dedication has helped preserve thousands of untold stories.

At 87 years old, Mr. Hunter is still preserving the history many have overlooked. Founder of the museum, which operates locations in both Atlantic City and Buena Vista Township, he has built one of the region’s most important cultural institutions from the ground up. What began as a personal passion project has evolved into a collection of more than 33,000 pieces, documenting the lives, legacies, and contributions of African Americans throughout South Jersey and beyond.

Only 5% of the collection is on display at any given time. Imagine that decades of Black history, hidden in plain sight.

Mr. Hunter’s journey began with a curiosity and a sense of responsibility. His early experience working with renowned collector Herman Blum planted a seed, and by 2002, that seed grew into the opening of the first African American Heritage Museum in Newtonville. The Atlantic City branch followed, now housed in the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University, where thousands of visitors, local and global, come to learn about the rich heritage of the city’s Black community.

From artifacts and photographs to rare memorabilia, each item in the museum has a story and Mr. Hunter knows many of them by heart. He has welcomed over 20,000 visitors annually through the doors of the museum and reached more than 100,000 students through his mobile museum exhibits, which travel across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York.

"People say to me, 'We didn’t know there was any history in Atlantic City,'" Mr. Hunter shared. His mission has always been to change that.

This commitment to truth, education, and cultural preservation is why Mr. Hunter is honored with the 2025 Spirit of Hospitality Award by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). It is a recognition long overdue for a man who has given so much of himself to ensure others never feel forgotten.

As Mr. Hunter shared in his video spotlight, "More and more people have to learn that when they come to a town like Atlantic City, to learn the history. And that’s what we do here at the African American Heritage Museum."

We are proud to feature Mr. Hunter on Great Day Atlantic City to ensure that his contributions are shared, celebrated, and remembered.

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