Watch ONLINE via ZOOM from the safety and comfort of your home. 

A link with instructions will be provided two hours prior to this virtual lecture. 

The Early History of Philadelphia's Black Community

presented by Elizabeth Browne

This presentation explores the history of Philadelphia’s Black community from the presence of enslaved Africans in the city in its earliest days. From its roots in the 1787 Free African Society to Emancipation, efforts of Octavius Catto, and many others in the mid-19th century, the free Black community grew into a solid and prosperous group of Philadelphia citizens that were able to create schools to raise up young people to take on the challenge to bring equal rights to Blacks across the country. In the face of continuing discrimination and outright violence, this community laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights movement in the post-Civil War era into the 20th century.

Elizabeth Browne is a historian with a concentration in early Philadelphia’s religious and social history. She has been a tour guide in the city for many years and a lecturer in recent years. She is co-author of St. Peter’s Church: Faith in Action for 250 Years (Temple Press, 2011).

$15 | General Admission

$12 | Alliance Member 

Free | Students*

If you have been affected by the pandemic and would like to attend this virtual lecture but cannot afford to do so, please email Vinni Cheng on vcheng@preservationalliance.com for complimentary access.

*Email photo of valid student ID to Vinni Cheng to register as a student.

View speaker schedule at https://www.preservationalliance.com/building_philadelphia_2022/