Press Release

10 REASONS TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN PHILLY
Plenty Of February Happenings Give Tourists Another Reason To Sleep Over

PHILADELPHIA, February 7, 2007 - Philadelphia celebrates African American history 365 days a year, but things really heat up in February when the region’s museums, arts and cultural organizations and historic sites recognize Black History Month. The 2007 celebration will be especially festive as Philly Noir, the latest SoundAboutPhilly podcast tour of Philadelphia, is released, offering an innovative way to explore the city.

The Johnson House

Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC

The Philly Overnight® Hotel Package, available through April 9, 2007, makes it easy for visitors to immerse themselves in the region’s Black History Month festivities. The two-night package includes free parking, a coupon book and more. It is bookable by calling the hotel directly or online at www.gophila.com.

Here are just some of the reasons to celebrate Black History Month in Philly:

Performing Arts:

• Prior to garnering acclaim in such films and Broadway productions as Cabin in the Sky and Member of the Wedding, Chester-born Ethel Waters toured with vaudeville shows across the South. Two-time, Tony Award-nominee Ernestine Jackson brings the famed jazz singer’s story to the stage in Ethel Waters, His Eye is On the Sparrow at the Bristol Riverside Theatre. Through February 11. 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, (215) 785-0100, www.brtstage.org
• Two of Philadelphia’s theatrical powerhouses unite as Walter Dallas, artistic director of Freedom Theater, directs the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s presentation of Porgy and Bess at the Academy of Music. Local favorites, baritone Gregg Baker and soprano Angela Brown, lead the gifted cast in this Gershwin classic. February 9-24. Broad & Locust Streets, (215) 893-3600, www.operaphilly.com
• Lena Horne has dazzled audiences with her talent and elegance for decades. A former chorus line dancer for Harlem’s Cotton Club, she eventually became the nation’s highest-paid African American actress. Off-screen, the civil rights activist joined rallies and endured political scrutiny. The Prince Music Theater celebrates her legacy in its production of Stormy Weather: Imagining Lena Horne. February 10-March 4. 1412 Chestnut Street, (215) 569-9700, www.princemusictheater.org

Museum Hopping:

• The African gallery at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology offers an extraordinary collection of items from the colonial period of European exploration. Representing a continent of more than 50 countries, the gallery boasts a collection of Akan gold weights from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Additionally, artifacts from the urban royal court of Benin, now part of Nigeria, can be viewed. A traveling photographic exhibit, Butabu: Adobe Architecture of West Africa, is on display through March 3. In it, James Morris’ images of fascinating structures built of earth and water span the regions of Mali, Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso. 3260 South Street,(215) 898-4000, www.museum.upenn.edu
• Founded in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration, the African American Museum of Philadelphia celebrates Black History Month in grand style. Saturdays in February are Family Days, featuring African dance workshops, storytelling and gallery lectures. Finding My Roots: Genealogy Workshop (February 10) will offer advice to individuals seeking to trace their heritage. Talks by Dr. Anthony Monteiro (February 9) and Dr. Molefi Kete Asante (February 17), along with the debut of an original jazz composition by pianist Dave Burrell (February 10), are also on the schedule. Throughout the month, visitors can catch The Art of African Women: Empowering Traditions, a retrospective exhibition showcasing the photography of world-renowned photojournalist Margaret Courtney-Clarke, on view until May 6, 2007. 701 Arch Street, (215) 574-0380, www.aampmuseum.org
• Foster a love of global rhythms and cultural melodies among the family during the Making Music Family Workshop: An African Celebration at the Mercer Museum. Visitors can listen to African music, design and build instruments at the make-and-take craft area, then serenade each other. February 24. 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, (215) 345-0210, www.mercermuseum.org

Tours And More:

• SoundAboutPhilly.com recently released Philly Noir, a podcast tour emphasizing the African American experience in Philadelphia. Visitors to the site can download a narrated tour, plus create and print customized Google Maps to match. Among the Philly Noir stops are the Johnson House Historic Site, a safe shelter and a crucial stop on the Underground Railroad; the Church of the Advocate, where groups like the Black Panthers met and could freely express their views, and Philadelphia International Records, where Gamble and Huff penned the toe-tappin’ body of work that makes up the Sound of Philadelphia, including such hits as “Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now” and “For the Love of Money.” www.soundaboutphilly.com
• Pack a brown bag and join African American authors and poets for lunch in Conversation Hall at City Hall, where at noon every Wednesday and Thursday throughout February, they’ll share their works, offering some food for thought as part of Art Sanctuary’s Four Seasons Celebration of Black Writing Series. Broad & Market Streets, (215) 232-4485, www.artsanctuary.org
• Visitors can relive history at Stenton, one of the best-preserved historic houses in Philadelphia. Built and owned by William Penn’s secretary, James Logan, the estate maintains three of its original 500 acres. Behind-the-scenes tours from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who lived there will be offered on February 10. Later in the month, Linda Goss will present It’s Storytelling Time! A Journey through the African-American Storytelling Tradition. February 24. 4601 N. 18th Street, (215) 329-7312, www.stenton.org
• The Pennsylvania Convention Center will be the site of plenty of activity on February 24 and 25 as the Black History Showcase takes over for two days of special events, exhibitions and programs. Visitors can see hand-painted artifacts belonging to enslaved Africans, watch documentary films about George Washington Carver and other black inventors and listen to inspirational narrations by the Buffalo Soldiers. Panel discussions, plays and vendors round out this year’s festivities. 12th & Arch Streets, www.blackhistoryshowcase.org

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside™ a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.
 

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CONTACT:

Leha Anderson-Rhyens, GPTMC
(215) 599-2298, leha@gptmc.com

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