The historic Lyceum Theater that once stood at 506 Main Street in East Orange, since demolished for a Walgreens, was the scene of racial conflict in 1913. Two black men, Robert and Travis Hamilton, both sons of a local minister, reported to the East Orange City Council that they weren’t allowed a particular seat in the theater because “the color line had been drawn.” Councilman McCurdy resolved the issue by pointing to a stipulation in the local motion picture ordinance that “all citizens must receive the same treatment at the movie houses.” Read more about this story here.
