Enjoy Philadelphia’s African American cultural treasures

By Mary Anna Rodabaugh

Philadelphia is home to people of many different backgrounds, cultures and creeds. Throughout the years, African Americans have contributed in many ways to the city’s cultural depth. For this Black History Month, Milestones spotlights some African American cultural treasures, exhibits and events that you can explore year-round.

dance performance and cultivates the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers in a nurturing environment, while increasing the appreciation of dance among its many communities. PHILADANCO! is recognized nationally and worldwide for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominantly African American traditions in dance. The Spring 2023 dance season starts April 21-23 with performances at the Kimmel Center. For more information, call 215-387-8200 or visit philadanco.org.

Museums

The Colored Girls Museum, located at 4113 Newhall St. in Germantown, is a memoir museum that honors the stories, experiences and history of ordinary women of color. According to the museum’s website, “There are many museums about many things. Colored Girls have a unique and complex history; it is a history informed by great tragedy and great triumph – a history which intersects and overlaps with other histories but remains distinct as colored women navigate their dual circumstances as ‘colored’ and ‘female.’ We must begin the documenting process somewhere. Why not now? Why not here? Our stories are as varied as our skin tones. Let us immortalize her!” evolution, the museum has objectively interpreted and presented the achievements and aspirations of African Americans from pre-colonial times to the current day. The museum is committed to telling the story of African Americans in all its permutations: family life, the Civil Rights movement, arts and entertainment, sports, medicine, architecture, politics, religion, law, and technology. The museum’s four galleries encompass three dominant themes: the African Diaspora, the Philadelphia Story and the Contemporary Narrative. Several Black History Month special events are scheduled in February.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 215-574-0380 or visit aampmuseum.org.

The Museum of the American Rev- olution, located at 101 S. 3rd St., will present the special exhibit “Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia” from Feb. 11 through Nov. 26.

The exhibit will feature artifacts, documents and immersive technology to introduce visitors to James Forten and his descendants as they navigated the American Revolution and cross-racial relationships in Philadelphia to become leaders in business, and abolition and voting rights from 1776 to 1876.

When James Forten walked the streets of 1770s Philadelphia as a young man, he was surrounded by the sights and sounds of transformation. He heard the words of the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the first time in 1776 before setting sail to fight for independence in 1781.

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Dance

The Philadelphia Dance Company, known as PHILADANCO!, was founded by Joan Meyers Brown in 1970 to provide performance opportunities for Black dancers, who were then systematically denied entrance into many local dance schools. PHILADANCO! has a legacy of breaking barriers and building bridges across cultural divides, consistently performing for audiences of people from diverse communities. This nonprofit organization presents the highest quality of professional

Tours are held on Saturdays and Sundays at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. A special exhibit, titled “Sit-A-Spell,” is set to debut in March. Reservations are required to visit the museum. For information, call 267-630-4438 or visit TheColoredGirlsMuseum.com.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), located at 701 Arch St., is the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans. It was founded in 1976 in celebration of the nation’s bicentennial. Throughout its