February is Black History Month, and Philadelphia celebrates with everything from museum events and tours to live performances and discussions. (Photo by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia)
Philadelphia’s rich African American history is celebrated in all parts of town for Black History Month.
The city celebrates Black History Month — February — with a variety of special events, exhibitions, film screenings and family-friendly activities at establishments all over. Learn about African American history at a variety of exhibits, or groove to tunes by notable African American performers at places like the Kimmel Center and World Cafe Live.
Read on for our guide to celebrating Black History Month in Philadelphia.
National Constitution Center
Old City, 525 Arch Street. At the National Constitution Center, visitors can dive into a month-long celebration of African American history. Highlights include a February 12 event commemorating the signing of the 13th Amendment, and the interactive Breaking Barriers show, which spotlights the lives of Thurgood Marshall, Bessie Coleman, Jackie Robinson and other notable African Americans. Guests can also enjoy free admission on Presidents’ Day and a host of other fun activities for the entire family including a self-guided museum tour and a workshop examining the museum’s own rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln. MORE INFO
Represent: 200 Years of African American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Fairmount, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. With work by renowned artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner, Horace Pippin, Jacob Lawrence, Martin Puryear and Carrie Mae Weems, Represent: 200 Years of African American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art showcases a range of subjects, styles, mediums and traditions. Since acquiring Tanner's "The Annunciation" painting in 1899, the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection of African American art has grown significantly especially during the last three decades and much of it will be on display in this exhibit. MORE INFO
The African American Museum in Philadelphia
Market East, 701 Arch Street. With a diverse collection of fine and folk art, photographs, memorabilia and costumes, The African American Museum in Philadelphia traces the experiences and contributions of African Americans from the ancient kingdoms of Africa through to the present. In addition to the museum’s permanent multimedia exhibition Audacious Freedom, guests can enjoy masterpieces by such luminaries as Edward Bannister, Henry Tanner and Elizabeth Catlett displayed alongside works by school children in the museum’s current show, As We See It: Selected Works from the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection. MORE INFO
Explore the temporary exhibitions and permanent collections at the African American Museum in Philadelphia during Black History Month. (Photo by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia)
The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation
Old City, 600 Market Street. President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation explores the paradox of slavery and freedom at the nation's first executive mansion, in which Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived during their terms and where nine enslaved people served the first president. MORE INFO
More, below.
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
University City, 3680 Walnut Street. Since its founding in 1971, The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has been an East Coast leader in presenting a multiplicity of art forms. Now under the umbrella of Penn Presents, Annenberg highlights the depth and range of black performance through a series of innovative programs during Black History Month. Highlights include: an evening with jazz great Branford Marsalis on Thursday, February 5; a two-night engagement with Philadelphia-born performance poet Ursula Rucker on February 6 and 7 and a special night of music with South African music icons Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela on February 21. MORE INFO
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Center City, 300 S. Broad Street. In February, The Kimmel Center commemorates Black History Month with a focus on African American arts and culture, showcasing internationally-renowned artists reflecting legacies and innovations in their fields. Highlights include: Grammy Award-winning South African acapella sensation Ladysmith Black Mambazo on February 2; magnetic funk and soul revivalists Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on February 13; a special Fat Tuesday celebration with New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, led by Irvin Mayfield on February 17 and more. MORE INFO
At the sight of the President’s House in Old City, President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation commemorates the lives of nine enslaved Africans at the nation's first executive mansion. (Photo by G. Widman for Visit Philadelphia)
The Barnes Foundation
Fairmount, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Dr. Albert Barnes' interest in African art dates back to the early 1920s when he acquired traditional African masks and sculptures from the Dan and possibly Kulango societies of Cte d'Ivoire, as well as from Guinea and northeast Liberia. Visitors can see these works, which he describes as "the purest expression of the three-dimensional form," at The Barnes Foundation. MORE INFO
Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
Society Hill, 419 S. 6th Street. Walk on hallowed ground when you visit Mother Bethel AME Church, the mother church of the nation's first black denomination. Founded in 1787, the church rests upon the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans. The church memorializes Rev. Richard Allen, its founding pastor and first bishop. A basement crypt serves as as museum, housing Allen's tomb and other intriguing artifacts including original pews and the original pulpit constructed and used by Rev. Allen. Recently installed exhibits depict the church's role as an underground Railroad station. MORE INFO
Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River
Old City, 211 S. Columbus Boulevard. The first exhibition in the Independence Seaport Museum's River of Freedom series, Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River was conceived by a committee of leading African American scholars, and curated by University of Pennsylvania Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies Tukufu Zuberi. With narration and storytelling by Zuberi, this show explores the concept of freedom through the lens of the African experience along the Delaware. It includes newly uncovered artifacts from the museum's collection and a range of interactive, multimedia displays. MORE INFO
World Cafe Live invites folks to get down to live tunes and celebrate Black History Month this February. (Photo courtesy World Cafe Live)
Penn Museum
University City, 3260 South Street. Anchored in University City, Penn Museum, or University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, boasts an extensive collection of African art and artifacts such as masks, sculptures, instruments, famed Benin bronzes, embroidered garments and jewelry. Visitors can also marvel at a wide range of other materials from throughout the continent, which are on permanent display in the African and Egyptian galleries. Returning this year is the annual Celebration of African Cultures, which features storytelling, family crafts, dance, music and workshops on Saturday, February 28. MORE INFO
World Cafe Live
University City, 3025 Walnut Street. This month, the stages of World Cafe Live will explode with the smooth, soulful sounds of local and national talents. Highlights include a Bob Marley tribute by popular reggae band Third World, a soul-stirring performance by RCA recording artist Mali Music and The Forever More tour featuring singer/songwriters David Anthony and Algebra Basset. MORE INFO
Art Sanctuary
Graduate Hospital, 628 S. 16th Street. In the booming neighborhood of Graduate Hospital, Art Sanctuary hosts exhibits by a wide range of African American artists from Philadelphia and beyond. On display now is Green Winter, an exhibit of oil portraits depicting iconic African American entertainers and figures by Philadelphia-based visual artist, Ivben Taqiy. On Friday, February 20, stop by the gallery for Art Sanctuary’s monthly open mic, which will feature a special performance of jazz and spirituals by international vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd. MORE INFO
The Johnson House Historic Site
Germantown, 6306 Germantown Avenue. It's easy to imagine 19th-century freedom fighters Harriet Tubman and William Still meeting at this Quaker home in Germantown, owned by four generations of the abolitionist Johnson family. Visitors are invited to explore this home's rich history through various slavery artifacts, including collars and ankle shackles, which are on display with an exceptional array of educational collateral available, including history lectures, art shows and other special programs. MORE INFO
Stenton
Germantown, 4600 North 16th Street. On Saturday, February 21, Stenton in Germantown hosts Where the Ancestors Slumber: African American Cemeteries and Burial Sites in Philadelphia, 1681-1850, a program about African American burial grounds and cemeteries in the Philadelphia area. Learn not only where the burial grounds are located, but also what kinds of preservation efforts are keeping the sights around. MORE INFO
Travel back and time at the Johnson House, a stop on the Underground Railroad meeting place for folks like Harriet Tubman and William Still. (Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia)