By Julia Train
Between glimmering casinos and bustling streets, Atlantic City is rich with history. There are a plethora of stories that remain untold and local artist and community leader Kenneth Lazan Faulk Jr. is aiming to shine a light on some of them.
Faulk, a multi-disciplinary artist known for his murals and graphic design work, is the creative mind behind a project to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Atlantic City’s All Wars Memorial Building, also known as Soldiers Home. The building, dedicated in August 1925, has been pivotal in Atlantic City’s Black community for decades.
The Soldiers Home, originally constructed as a place for Black veterans during racial segregation, is being celebrated throughout the entirety of 2025. On Friday, Jan. 31, Faulk, Atlantic City Council Vice President Kaleem Shabazz, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr., Midtown Community Development Corporation (CDC) Director Kacey Wilkins and community members gathered in the building’s lobby to kick off the yearlong celebration with the centennial banner.
Faulk’s personal connection to the building runs deep, as his grandmother lived just a block away.
“I’ve seen that building every day of my life. It’s just a part of Atlantic City’s history and something that we need in the city to be able to celebrate these landmarks before they get forgotten or torn down, like so many of our buildings have been,” said Faulk. “The fact that this building has been preserved and is still in use after all these years is important, and that’s why I want to tell the story of the building.”
As the banner designer for the centennial celebration, Faulk has worked to highlight the significance of the Soldiers Home by incorporating both historical and modern elements. The banner features images of the building when it was first constructed alongside its current state and images of the two soldiers commemorated by statues outside the building.
“Those two things were very important to me to tell the story visually. To say something is 100 years old is one thing, but to see an image of [the building] when it was first built versus what it looks like now is another,” he said.
A deeper dive
Faulk isn’t stopping with the banner. He’s also working on a documentary to delve even deeper into the Soldiers Home’s history and its connection to Atlantic City’s Black community through Midtown CDC and his nonprofit Art Students League of Atlantic City.
Through this documentary, Faulk hopes to capture personal stories and memories from local residents—particularly seniors—who have witnessed the building’s transformation over the decades. Faulk is gathering photographs and oral histories from community members to paint a vivid picture of the building’s impact and role as a gathering place for Black veterans.
“My mom, who’s going to be 83 this year, remembers the building when it was new, so to speak. [She] grew up in a segregated city, so these are things that are real to the community and part of our history, and it needs to be remembered,” Faulk said. “And it needs to be put in a place of honor and respect, and that’s what I hope to do with these projects and with the banner and with the documentary moving forward.”
Midtown CDC’s support: a partnership for progress
Midtown CDC, one of four CDCs in the city, plays a crucial role in revitalizing the Midtown neighborhood through housing projects, public art and cultural events.
For the centennial celebration of the Soldiers Home, Midtown CDC’s role has been instrumental in helping to bring Faulk’s vision to life. Kacey Wilkins, Midtown CDC director, said that the organization quickly got involved when Atlantic City Council Vice President Kaleem Shabazz approached Midtown about creating a banner to commemorate the anniversary.
Midtown CDC’s funding from the New Jersey Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program and other grants has allowed the organization to support various community engagement initiatives, including creating banners, events and public art.
While the documentary is still in the works, Faulk hopes to have the project complete by the anniversary celebration, but if not, he said he’ll at least have the trailer.
