Chancellor’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar’s Work is Connected to Home

Mercy Romero grew up in Camden’s Cramer Hill neighborhood, the setting and muse for her book Toward Camden. Last month, she returned to her hometown as the Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar, bringing her scholarship and creative voice to a series of programs dedicated to place and community.

Romero is an associate professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine. She moved to the West Coast in pursuit of her doctoral degree in ethnic studies, where, in a graduate course, a professor encouraged her to chronicle her own story.

The result was Toward Camden, which reflects on the places and relationships that make up the largely African American and Puerto Rican Cramer Hill community. Through essays, Romero walks the reader through lost and empty spaces: vacant lots, the Walt Whitman house, and her family home, which was foreclosed upon and fell into disrepair.

“The book tells stories that are very painful but tries to build a new relationship around them,” Romero said.

Place and community were recurring themes in the programs Romero led during her residency. She gave a keynote address, presented by the Center for Urban Research and Education, in which she addressed the role of scholars in community-based research. At this forum, she made connections with students she believes will continue moving forward.

“This has been an opportunity to extend myself as a mentor,” Romero said. “There are some folks from Camden who are pursuing doctoral degrees here. I feel invested in them, and I want to be a source of support for them and their careers,” Romero said.

During her time as a visiting scholar, Romero led a Rutgers–Camden Writers House session that placed her in her element. The workshop, called “Writing About Home,” was an exploration of storytelling techniques and exercises offered in English and Spanish through a partnership with Voces de la Communidad. Romero asked participants to think about and document how they engage with their homes.

“There was a generosity of spirit in terms of the folks who showed up,” Romero said. “As a teacher, I don't take that for granted. We had a solid three hours together. I feel people walked away with a deeper understanding of how they think about home and a set of tools in case they experience writer’s block.”

Throughout her residency, Romero continued work on her next book, which she called a sister project to Toward Camden, inspired by the people she met during her residency. She also reflected on her time back in Camden with gratitude. 

“The time that I had at Rutgers–Camden as a Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar gave me the opportunity to live and work in my hometown once again,” Romero said. “It was profound to write about Camden while I was housed here and to continue the outside writing that's become part of my practice.”

The Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar Grant is part of Antonio D. Tillis's "15-in-5" slate of initiatives. Learn more here.