Several times a year the Penn's Village Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee recommends several resources to help our members and friends to be more aware of the racial biases in each of us and in our society, and the resulting inequities, past and present. It is the committee’s hope that this information may even inspire us to make corrective changes. These resources assembled by Penn’s Village members represent different mediums, different perspectives and experiences, and diverse authors.
Penn’s Village welcomes and actively encourages an inclusive and diverse community of members, staff, Board of Directors and volunteers. Inclusiveness and diversity mean welcoming all and excluding no one because of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, physical abilities, religious or political beliefs.
At the very bottom of this page, blog readers have the opportunity to comment. The Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee welcomes your opinions about any of our suggested resources and any suggestions about their mission.
February, 2026 Black History Month
The Many Opportunities to Celebrate Black History Month in Philadelphia in 2026
These opportunities include more than 35 different programs and exhibits at the Please Touch Museum, the African American Museum, the Museum of the American Revolution, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Arden Theater, the National Constitution Center, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. To learn the details about these events and many more click on this link: here.
Two Podcasts from The National Constitution Center
Black Women, Representation and the Constitution
Although the 15th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution enshrined the right to vote regardless of race and guaranteed women the right to vote more than 100 years ago, the struggle for Black women’s suffrage and representation is ongoing. The history of this struggle is still relatively unknown today. This podcast discusses that history and highlights the key Black women figures throughout time who served as suffrage advocates, voters, and representatives—from Sojourner Truth to Shirley Chisholm. To listen to this podcast click here.
MLK, the Declaration, and the Constitution
In January our nation celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, honoring what would have been his 97th birthday. This podcast examines King’s thinking about the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as his views on agape and universal love and more, through a close reading and analysis of some of his most significant speeches and writings. To access this podcast click here.
Visit the Richard Allen Museum to Explore the History of Black Philadelphia
To celebrate Black History Month Mother Bethel AME Church at 419 South 6th Street is offering docent-led museum tours highlighting the life and legacy of many African-descendant leaders who helped shape America. These tours are available in February every Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm and every Sunday from 11 am to 1 pm. To learn more click here.
Attend Independence Seaport Museum’s presentation of No Longer Bound: Chains to Change
Through dance, drumming, song, jazz, spoken word, and rap this musical will take us on a journey from the West Coast of Africa through the end of enslavement in the United States and on to the victory and celebration of Juneteenth becoming a national holiday. The cast, including Penn’s Village Outreach Specialist, Camara Jordan, ranges in age from 8 to 80. Performances will be Tuesday and Wednesday, February 10th and 11th at 211 South Columbus Boulevard. For more information and tickets click on this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/no-longer-bound-the-musical-bhm-2026-tickets-1976493205383?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=&utm-share-source=mobile-search-results
View the Film American Fiction
This 2023 Oscar-nominated comedy stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, and Keith David. It portrays a frustrated African American novelist-professor (Jeffrey Wright) who writes an outlandish satire of stereotypical “black books”, only for it to be mistaken for serious literature and published to high sales and critical praise. This film is available for $4 to $7 on YouTube, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video. It will also be discussed at Penn’s Village’s Movies for the Mind on Tuesday, March 17th at 2 pm at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, 1724 Arch Street.