Throughout the month of February, the Betsy Ross House will offer free programming on weekends celebrating the contributions Black Americans have made throughout our nation’s history. The schedule is as follows:
Saturdays, February 4, 11, 18 & 25, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Meet the History Makers: Each Saturday in February, meet Black residents of Colonial Philadelphia and learn about their lives, times and the contributions they made to our nation in its early days. History Makers will include:
Bishop Richard Allen: minister, educator, writer and one of America’s most active and influential African American leaders. In 1794, he founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent Black denomination in the U.S.
James Forten: an African American abolitionist and wealthy businessman, who was born free in Philadelphia and became a sailmaker after the Revolutionary War. He used the wealth he amassed from his highly-profitable business to work for civil rights for African Americans in the city and beyond.
Margaret Woodby: a free, Black woman recorded in the Philadelphia Directory ad a “cake baker.” She enjoyed years of success in her business and as a member of colonial Philadelphia’s thriving free Black community.
Sundays, February 5, 12, 19 & 26, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Once Upon A Nation Storytelling – Our award-winning storytellers share short, interactive and little-known tales about Black Americans through history.
