African American Museum in Philadelphia
AAMP was the first institution built by a major US city to house and interpret the life and work of African Americans, which is pretty cool. Check it out one weekend morning to add a little education into your study breaks.
Date: Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Time: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday
Location: 701 Arch Street
Cost: $10 with your PennCard
As part of the Central Library’s Culinary Literacy Center, you can discover African cuisine at this series of cooking lessons. If you're not a horrible cook, this is a great way to get the flavor of a different culture. And if you're a horrible cook, hopefully they can teach you.
Date: Tuesday, February 3rd and Tuesday, February 10th
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: Central Library (1901 Vine Street)
Cost: Free!
Date: Wednesday, February 4th
The Penn Humanities Forum is screening “Pariah,” the story of a 17–year–old African–American woman embracing her identity as a lesbian. “Pariah” was the Focus Features winner of the Best Cinematography Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: International House Philadelphia (3701 Chestnut Street)
Cost: Free!
Created Equal? Four–part documentary screenings and discussions
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, African American Museum in Philadelphia, National Constitution Center, and Philadelphia History Museum have teamed up to present four different documentaries at their four different locations. The documentaries they are screening (in chronological order) are PBS’s “The Abolitionists,” PBS’s “Slavery by Another Name,” “The Loving Story,” and “Freedom Riders.”
Dates: Thursdays February 12th, February 26th, March 12th and March 26th
Time: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Locations: 2/12 at Philadelphia History Museum (15 S. 7th Street), 2/26 at AAMP (701 Arch Street), 3/12 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania (1300 Locust Street), and 3/26 at National Constitution Center (525 Arch Street).
Cost: Free!
Free day at the National Constitution Center in honor of African American History Month
All month long the National Constitution Center will have daily programing in honor of Black History Month, but on 2/16 it's all free, which makes it so, so much better.
Date: Monday, February 16th
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: 525 Arch Street
Cost: Free (duh)
Feminista Jones is a mental health social worker, author, community activist and sex–positive black feminist woman from New York City. She is currently the Love & Sex section editor at BlogHer.com and co-hosts a podcast called This Week in Blackness: After Dark, which discusses topics related to sex and sexuality, race and feminism. In 2014, she was honored as one of the Top 100 Black Social Influencers by The Root.
Date: Wednesday, February 18th
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Kelly Writers House (3805 Locust)
Cost: Free!
“Right On!” is a pioneering concert film that stands as a record of radical Black sentiment in the American 1960s and as a precursor to the hip–hop revolution. It features the original Last Poets performing from their Concept–East Poetry appearance in 1969.
Date: Tuesday, February 24th
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:20 p.m.
Location: International House Philadelphia (3701 Chestnut Street)
Cost: $8 with your PennCard
Celebration of African Cultures
The cultures of Africa and the African diaspora will be celebrated through drum and dance workshops, storytelling, crafts, games, food (yay!) and, obviously, art and artifacts.
Date: Saturday, February 28th
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Penn Museum (3260 South Street)
Cost: Free with museum admission (so, not actually free).
If you liked this list, you should check out "Why Black Lives Don't Matter to the Criminology Department" and our Penn Integration Timeline.
