Writing with the Ancestors of Black Philadelphia - Gardiner Collection

In this time of purposeful erasure of Black voices and stories from the archive, resist, knowing that no one can take the story from you.
About this Event

In this time of purposeful erasure of Black voices and stories from the archive, resist, knowing that no one can take the story in your mouth and vibrating within your ear.

Enter the historical record through the lives, words, and traces of Black Philadelphians. Drawing from the Gardiner Collection’s 18th- and 19th-century materials—including abolitionist papers, photographs, diaries, and even the poetry of Phillis Wheatley—we will explore the archive as a site of memory, resistance, and possibility. Through close looking, reflection, and generative writing, participants will respond to the voices and absences held within these documents.

We will ask: What happens when a city forgets? And what happens when a city remembers? How might poetry help us listen across time? And what are the gaps within the archive that our stories can answer?

Facilitator: Raina León
Archivist: Historical Society of PA
Interpreter: DHCC

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Academy of American Poets and the Mellon Foundation as part of Treasured: A People's Archive.