Black History Month

Join us for a day of celebration and exploration, as local organizations share their story and mission for creating a more equitable and diverse city.

Kulu Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble performances will take place in the Atrium on the 2nd Floor at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm.

Join Urban Creators and FarmerJawn Philly from 12-4 pm in The Giant Heart Exhibit for an exploration on food growing and their environmental justice work.

The Kulu Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble is a Philadelphia based, internationally renowned performing arts company. For more than 50 years, Kulu Mele has preserved and perpetuated the cultural traditions of West Africa and the African Diaspora, including Afro-Cuban arts and contemporary hip-hop. Kulu Mele has performed across the country and around the globe and was featured as part of the official entertainment for Pope Francis during his 2015 visit to Philadelphia. Kulu Mele’s Franklin Institute shows will include both traditional and hip-hop works. Audiences are invited to dance to learn about the integral relationship between the music and movement (“two sides of a coin”), and the geographical and cultural origins of the dances, as well as important insights into the African drums and costumes.

Christa Barfield / FarmerJawn Philly
Christa Barfield is a healthcare professional turned farmer and lifelong Philadelphia resident, who, after a solo trip to Martinique, returned home with a vision of farming being integrated into the lifestyles of urban people, especially those in marginalized communities whose ancestry, as it relates to farming, has a grim history. FarmerJawn sheds new light on how urban agriculture can affect change on the regenerative healing our earth and people need.

Urban Creators at Life Do Grow Farm
The Urban Creators is a platform for radical and collaborative imagination. Since 2010 we have used food, art, and education as tools to nurture resilience and self-determination in our neighborhood. Now, we are supporting the emergence of a new generation of Urban Creators, organizers, artists, growers, and local businesses who are working to build equity and collective liberation in our communities.

Free with General Admission