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Harriet Tubman Statue By Any Means Necessary

The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s announcement that there will be an open Call for Artists for Philadelphia’s permanent Harriet Tubman statue struck the wrong chord. Public Art Director Marguerite Anglin said:

Yes, the open Call for Artists for this public art project will welcome proposals for a permanent statue that celebrates Harriet Tubman’s story or another African American’s contribution to our nation’s history. This will be a true open Call for Artists, where the City will be looking for a wide variety of original and unique ideas from many artists.

First, Harriet is sui generis. She cannot be replaced by a random African American historical figure. Second, the Managing Director’s public art policy directive establishes criteria for artwork placed on public property. The artwork must commemorate individuals who “made significant contributions to Philadelphia, have had significant impact on Philadelphia and beyond, and represent broadly shared community values.” In my op-ed published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, I wrote:

Representation matters, but when it comes to artwork on city property, who is represented matters. Anglin said that the city “will be looking for a wide variety of original and unique ideas from many artists.” But the city’s public art policy does not allow for that.

The short list of African American historical figures who meet the city’s public art policy includes Malcolm X. Like Harriet, Malcolm was prepared to use a firearm and any means necessary in his pursuit of freedom and racial justice.

Malcolm X, aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was a world-renowned human rights activist, racial justice advocate and cultural icon whose charismatic leadership laid the foundation for the growth of Sunni Islam among African Americans. Today, an estimated 200,000 Muslims live in Philadelphia, the majority of whom are Black.

Malcolm has been memorialized in books, movies, music, visual art, and a U.S. Postal Service Black Heritage Stamp.

In addition to Malcolm X Park and murals, Malcolm’s time in Philadelphia is commemorated with a state historical marker that notes his leadership of Nation of Islam Temple No. 12 in the 1950s. Will the City’s Request for Proposals include Malcolm X, “Our Black Shining Prince?” If not, why not?

The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X

February 21 was the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

Two years ago, I nominated a former residence of Malcolm X for listing on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. In the statement of significance, I wrote:

Malcolm X, aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, is a world-renowned human rights activist and American icon whose charismatic leadership laid the foundation for the growth of orthodox Islam among African Americans in the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation. His life story is an American story. It is a “Horatio Alger” tale of a misspent youth, personal redemption and triumph in the struggle for racial equality.

During his “misspent youth,” Malcolm was known as “Detroit Red.” He was a fixture on the jazz scene in Harlem. His former residence, 2503 W. Oxford Street, was located a short walk from Philadelphia’s storied “Golden Strip.”

I also noted:

In the years since his assassination, Malcolm has become an American icon. He is the subject of countless books and academic studies, and documentaries, including PBS’ “Malcolm X: Make It Plain.” Spike Lee’s movie adaptation of The Autobiography of Malcolm X was released in 1992. “Malcolm X” featured an Oscar-nominated performance by Denzel Washington.

While the nomination was not successful, all was not lost. We raised awareness of Malcolm’s presence in Philadelphia. “The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X” will introduce a new generation to the human rights activist. The documentary premieres on the Smithsonian Channel on February 26 at 8pm EST.

The documentary traces Malcolm’s life through rare archival footage from his speeches and media interviews. In comments following a recent screening Malcolm’s daughter, Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, said:

We finally have the opportunity to hear directly from our father’s mouth. … I was overwhelmed with emotion when I first saw it and I thought that it was a great piece of work.

For more information, visit the Smithsonian Channel.

#PreservationMatters: Germantown Boys and Girls Club

Philadelphia is the first World Heritage City in the United States. In this city’s culture of demolition, places where history happened are frequently tossed on the trash heap of history. The Germantown Boys’ Club (originally the Boys’ Parlors Association) was established in 1887. It is now known as the Germantown Boys and Girls Club. Friends of the club are fighting to save the historic building from the wrecking ball.

On May 12, the Philadelphia Historical Commission considered the nomination of the Germantown Boys and Girls Club submitted by indefatigable architectural historian Oscar Beisert. Parenthetically, Oscar worked 24/7 to try to save the church where Marian Anderson learned to sing. His nomination of the First African Baptist Church preserved the historic church for future generations. Oscar and I collaborated on the nomination of the Malcolm X House.

After three hours of histrionics, the Historical Commission had enough. They voted to table the nomination for 45 days. In the meantime, the opposing sides were encouraged to talk among themselves.

Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller, senior pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, began the conversation with a monologue. He opened his Mother’s Day's service by calling out “a small but vocal part of that community”:

You may have heard a lot about the struggle we are presently in in Germantown around the Germantown Boys and Girls Club. Those of you who are from Germantown know that Germantown, like Charles Dickens, is the tale of two cities. … The reason there is a Boys and Girls Club within a mile of each other is because there was a time when there was a white Germantown and a black Germantown. So the black Boys and Girls Club was the Wissahickon Boys and Girls Club and the white Boys and Girls Club was the Germantown Boys and Girls Club.

Now that reality is no longer because, quite frankly, Germantown is black, both sides. But sadly, there are still vestiges of the old mindset. What is taking place in Germantown is that there is an opportunity for the Boys and Girls Club to expand its offering to at the Germantown site. Comcast, along with Ed Snider Hockey, along with some other funders, are attempting to build a new Boys and Girls Club that is going to be inclusive of an ice rink and some other amenities for the community.

The last ditch effort of a very small but vocal part of that community to stop it is to try to get the present building declared a historical site. Now on the surface it sounds like, you know, it’s a good thing to declare it a historical site. Underneath the public argument is fundamentally a group of people who don’t want those children coming into their neighborhood because you have to kind of go through the Penn-Knox neighborhood. And quite frankly, not all of them because there are some wonderful people who really wanna know what the building is going to look like.

Rev. Waller then played the race card:

But the fundamental issue is a race issue and it is a certain crew of people who just don’t want those kids in their neighborhood. I have to call a name because I don’t speak in abstract. The ring leader is a man by the name of Greg Paulmier and he has been historically, the 23 years that I have been here, a lead voice in trying to keep African Americans in a particular pocket. He even on that day called into question my love for the children of this community because I don’t live here.

The Penn-Knox neighborhood is a “family-oriented area, with many residents having raised their families here, and younger residents raising children. Many people are professionals, and range from lawyers and teachers to artists and business people.”

Truth be told, racists who have options do not raise their families in an overwhelmingly black community.

Aaron Wunsch, an assistant professor of historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania, told me: “Germantown is the closest Philly has to an integrated neighborhood.” Prof. Wunsch’s observation was underscored by archivist and historian J.M. Duffin: “It’s completely absurd because white racists don’t choose to buy houses in Germantown and live next to two organizations, the Boys & Girls Club and PAL, that were there long before any of the neighbors and have been serving primarily African American youth.”

Time will tell what is underneath Rev. Waller’s race-baiting. Like the reverend and many of his allies, I don’t live in Germantown. As a lifelong activist, I care about children in every community. I grew up in an impoverished neighborhood so I know first-hand the importance of exposing children to the possibilities.

Knowing one’s history also transforms lives. The Germantown Boys and Girls Club is associated with the Great Migration. The building exemplifies the economic, cultural, political and social heritage of the city and nation. It holds stories of de facto segregation, resistance and white flight. The club’s past is part of African Americans’ story of separate and unequal facilities. Germantown’s history of racial segregation should not be erased from public memory. Fact is, the club's past informs our present. Philadelphia is the 4th most segregated big city in the country.

The Historical Commission is not the venue to settle old scores or impugn motives. The sole issue before the Commission should be whether to accept the recommendation of the Committee on Historic Designation to add the Germantown Boys and Girls Club to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. If the 119-year-old building meets the criteria, it should be added to the list. Point, blank, period.

Did You See ‘Jackie Robinson’ on PBS?

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball.

Last week, PBS aired a two-part documentary, “Jackie Robinson.”

Like all African Americans, I admire Robinson’s achievements, and dignity and grace in the face of unrelenting racial taunts and threats. I was delighted when I stumbled upon the plaque in Brooklyn Heights noting the place where Brooklyn Dodgers President and General Manager Branch Rickey signed Robinson in 1945.

But somewhere along the way, I developed an inchoate impression the baseball icon had become an “Uncle Tom” after his playing days ended. Ken Burns’ film disabused me of that foolish notion. Robinson was a race-man who advocated for political empowerment:

I’m a black man first, an American second, and then I will support a political party—third.

Robinson was in the tradition of “Radical Republicans.” He understood that playing one-party politics in a two-party system would ensure black folks would not get a fair return on the investment of their political capital.

Robinson also pushed for economic empowerment. In 1964, he co-founded Freedom National Bank in Harlem. The bank later opened a branch in Bedford-Stuyvesant. I grew up in Bed-Stuy. As an emerging race-woman, I opened my first savings account at that branch. Frankly, I don’t remember whether I knew Robinson was associated with Freedom National Bank.

If you missed “Jackie Robinson,” you can watch full episodes online at PBS videos on demand.

Malcolm X House Nominated for Listing on Philadelphia Register of Historic Places

Last week we nominated for listing on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places the house in which Malcolm X lived in 1954.

Some background. In 1954, Elijah Muhammad sent Malcolm X to Philadelphia to expand Temple No. 12 of the Nation of Islam. During his stay in the City of Brotherly Love, Minister Malcolm X lived in the Sharswood neighborhood at 2503 W. Oxford Street.

The nomination for listing on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places is sponsored by All That Philly Jazz, a public history project that I launched in 2013. The young Malcolm was known as “Detroit Red,” a fixture on the jazz scene in Harlem. The house at 2503 W. Oxford Street was located a short walk from Philly’s storied Golden Strip.

But that is not why the Malcolm X House is historically significant. 2503 W. Oxford Street is a place where history happened. Minister Malcolm X was a master teacher whose charismatic leadership laid the foundation for the growth of Islam among African Americans across the country. Today, there are 200,000 Muslims in Philadelphia, 85 percent of whom are black. According to the Pew Research Center, African Americans make up 23 percent of the U.S. Muslim population.

2503 W. Oxford Street is part of the story of the Great Migration. Architectural historian Oscar Beisert, co-sponsor of the nomination said:

Built in 1883, the house at 2503 W. Oxford Street has been chiefly owned by three families. Between 1920 and 1930 the demographics had changed to the point where African Americans were able to purchase property in the neighborhood. By 1940, the neighborhood of W. Oxford Street had become almost entirely African American.

2503 W. Oxford Street was purchased by Ida Mae Vacca in 1956. She lived there continuously until her death in 2012. Her descendant, Robin Cooper, recalled:

Ida was the kind of woman who said everything matter-of-factly. This was how the Malcolm X conversation occurred, in a very matter-of-fact way. An inquisitive child, I wanted to know how long she lived in such a ‘big’ house as the house was big in my little eyes. While talking about her house, she indicated that someone famous lived there before she moved there. I questioned her and she stated that Malcolm X used to reside there.

We anticipate the nomination of the Malcolm X House will be considered by the Historic Designation Committee of the Philadelphia Historical Commission on June 15, 2016. For updates, follow All That Philly Jazz on Twitter.

Remembering Malcolm X

On this day in 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

In the 51 years since his death, Malcolm has become a cultural icon. He’s now in the pantheon of freedom fighters that includes Richard Allen, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

In 1954, Elijah Muhammad sent Malcolm to Philadelphia to establish Temple No. 12. For years, there has been confusion about where Malcolm lived during his time in Philly. His FBI file has an address provided by an informant. I recently viewed a documentary that includes a first-hand account of where Malcolm lived. In Seeds of Awakening: The Early Nation of Islam in Philadelphia, Brother Hassan recalled:

We would sit up all night. When Malcolm was here, we’d sit up all night talking. We had a Unity House, a Fruit House, on 2503 Oxford Street. A big house. That’s where Malcolm would stay and all the brothers would come.

The house is still there. It’s been owned by the same family since 1956.

In the next few weeks, we will nominate 2503 W. Oxford Street for historic designation by the Philadelphia Historical Commission. Later this year, we will submit the nomination to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

For background information, check out my interview with Hidden City Philadelphia.