PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — This week on Visions, we are celebrating Black History Month.
When workers pried loose the 34 panels that told the story of the 9 enslaved people who lived and worked at President George Washington’s House on Independence Mall, there was a range of reactions-from hurt and anger to confusion.
Without the interpretive panels, a mother from North Dakota said she struggled to understand the significance of the site and could not, therefore, explain it to her young son.
The Presidents House first came under threat, last March, when the Trump administration issued an executive order called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” to look at exhibits in federal parks and museums that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”
The city of Philadelphia is suing the federal government for breaching a cooperative agreement reached with the National Park Service in 2006, under then President George W. Bush.
Attorneys for the federal government describe exhibit change as routine and argue the federal government has sole control over the park.
But federal Judge Cynthia Rufe, an appointee of George W. Bush, disagreed.
After visiting the site, she granted a preliminary injunction, ordering the Trump administration to restore the exhibit and not further change or damage the site.
The Department of the Interior has appealed.
As the case continues in court, there are places you can still learn about African American history:
African American Museum in Philadelphia | Facebook | Instagram
701 Arch St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
(215) 574-0380
Mother Bethel AME Church | Facebook |
419 S. 6th Street (6h & Lombard), Philadelphia, Pa. 19147
(215) 925-0616 | motherbethel@aol.com
The Black Journey Walking Tours | Facebook | Instagram
(267) 702-3479 | blackphiladelphiawalkingtour@gmail.com
Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery
5501 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 19144
(215) 205-4324
Penn Museum Africa Galleries | Facebook | Instagram
3260 South Street Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
(215) 898-4000
Pennsbury Manor |Facebook |Instagram
Pennsbury Manor State Park, 400 Pennsbury Memorial Rd, Morrisville, Pa. 19067
The American Cancer Society hopes to improve health care with its Voices of Black Women study. The goal is to follow 100,000 black women between the ages of 25-55 for 30 years.
The Voices of Black Women initiative incorporates factors beyond genetics in women’s health with a goal of better understanding health for all. The study is focused on black women, but the information derived will be used across all health care.
Privacy is a pillar of the study. Each woman who participates is identified with a number to avoid any personal data being released. The hope is to create a study that produces uncompromised data.
The women involved believe it is an important step in impacting health care for black women, who have been higher rates of disease in many disease categories.
Voices of Black Women Study | Facebook | Instagram
thevoices@cancer.org | (800) 494 4113
American Cancer Society | Facebook | Instagram
1818 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
Faridah Ismalia, 15, is providing free art classes for kids K to 6 at her school, Great Valley High School.
The artist hosts one-hour sessions with students monthly to help them express themselves through art. With Faridah’s love of art, she is aware of the expenses involved in creating.
A Paint-full of Promise started as a summer camp in her garage during the pandemic. Her passion for teaching art led her to reach out to her art teacher to continue sharing free art after school.
The non-profit provides students with free art supplies and art lessons led by Faridah, with help from her art teacher and friends.
Faridah says she’s been painting since she was a toddler and also created a business called Faridah’s Art where she sells her artwork on totes, bags, shirts, and more.
Faridah’s goal is to keep the club going until she is a senior and to ensure it continues after she graduates.
A Paint-full of Promise | Instagram | Facebook
When Myah and Kira Lester stayed home during the pandemic, their mother Carolyn engaged them with creative projects from woodworking to jewelry making.
An online search introduced the family to a unique non-profit that helps teens learn about business in a safe, real-world environment — the Children’s Entrepreneur Market.
They signed up and have been selling their handmade goods ever since under the business named Sister’s Magical Kiddazzle.
The market connects teen vendors with existing events to set up markets with booths offering a wide variety of goods.
This will be the first time the market will be at the Philly Home + Garden Show, running this weekend from February 20th to the 22nd, at Oaks. You can find the market in Hall C.
Children’s Entrepreneur Market | Facebook | Instagram
Philly Home + Garden Show
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center 100 Station Avenue Oaks, Pa. 19456
* For 50% off tickets, use promo code “ABC6” *
https://phillyhomeandgardenshow.mpetickets.com/?disc=ABC6
Kevin Washington remembers the day vividly. It was October 26, 1967.
He was a 14 year old ninth grader at what was then Barratt Junior High School.
The students had been summoned to the auditorium but they had not been told why. They were shocked to see Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr enter the room.
In a speech dubbed “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?”, Dr. King challenged the students to find their purpose and strive for excellence.
For Kevin Washington, the day was life-changing-giving him, he says, “a sense of promise.”
There was one particular part of the speech that really stuck with him. Dr. King urged the children to not be ashamed of their skin color, to learn to look in the mirror and truly love what they see.
Washington had joined the Christian Street YMCA 4 years earlier, and he was at the Y when he learned, just 6 months later, that Dr. King had been assassinated. He would go on to become the first Black CEO of the national YMCA.
Now retired, he lived his life in a way he thinks would have made Dr. King proud-always focusing on giving his best effort. And that, he believes, is the legacy of Dr. King’s speech.
There’s a brand new children’s book about the speech Dr. King gave that day nearly 60 years ago, The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People
Gift of Life had the most organ transplants in United States history in 2025. In the 52 years of existence the organization has changed the lives of more than 43,000 people who have received organ donations.
Registering as an organ donor does not take long and one organ donor can save the lives of up to 8 people and a tissue donor can improve the lives of 100 others. There are 100,000 people waiting for an organ in the United States.
Ted Dawson couldn’t help his wife carry groceries. He couldn’t play with his grandkids. HE had to move out of his house to a one-story apartment to manage his COPD.
After a decade of deteriorating health, the Gift of Life helped Ted get his life back. They coordinated a lung transplant in July of 2026. Ted is now back on his feet, back in a house and back in the lives of his grandchildren.
Ted and his wife Lisa are frequent travelers. His new lung has opened the door for a special trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
Gift of Life Donor Program | Facebook | Instagram
401 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19123
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