By Constance Garcia-Barrio
With heroes and heartbreak, violence and triumphs, much of “Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape: Deep Roots and Continuing Legacy,” by Amy Jane Cohen (Temple University Press, 2024), reads like an adventure story.
The book grew from Cohen’s years as a teacher. When the School District of Philadelphia became the nation’s first to require a yearlong Black history course for graduation, Cohen volunteered to teach it.
“I often brought up questions related to monuments because I found it to be an effective way to connect past to present with my students,” she said.
Cohen’s broad definition of monuments covers not only traditional works of granite, marble, or bronze, but street signs, murals, historical markers, buildings, and more.
The book highlights the work of late historian Charles L. Blockson in collecting Afro-Americana. Blockson donated some 20,000 artifacts to Temple University, launching the collection that bears his name. It now contains more than 500,000 items. In addition, Philadelphia has dozens of markers noting key figures in Black history, thanks to Blockson.
Blockson took most pride in a marker dedicated in 2016 located at Penn’s Landing, according to Cohen. It reads, in part, “African people, first enslaved by the Dutch and Swedes [debarked] in the Delaware River waterfront as early as 1639.”
A chapter on Dinah (c. 1730-1805) — her last name remains unknown — the housekeeper at Stenton mansion, built by the powerful Logan family, provides a look at society’s changing ideas about monuments. Dinah, enslaved and then freed by the Logans in 1775, continued working at Stenton for wages.
Neighbors, supporters, and participants in the Dinah Memorial Project gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the new memorial at Stenton on April 20, 2024.
Photo by Rashiid Marcell
Legend says that Dinah was alone at Stenton in early October 1777. British troops, who’d won the Battle of Germantown, arrived at Stenton, intending to burn it down. Dinah’s quick thinking foiled their plan. A 1912 bronze plaque recognized her deed, referring to Dinah as “…our faithful, colored caretaker.” Over time, the plaque was judged inadequate, and a new memorial was commissioned. But how do you commemorate someone who left no personal statements and of whom no image exists?
Artist Karyn Olivier, who sculpted the new memorial, which was unveiled in 2024, included silhouettes of Dinah, a small reflecting basin, and benches where visitors can sit and think about Dinah’s life. Questions invite viewers to consider Dinah’s full humanity: “Do you feel free? What are your wildest dreams?”
Monuments celebrate the extraordinary, so exceptional people fill the book. Even in such company, the story of the First African Baptist Church stands out. Thirteen men from Virginia founded the church in 1809.
In the early 1830s, the church, located in South Philadelphia, needed a pastor. James Burrows, enslaved in Northampton, Virginia, felt the call to preach. His enslaver would let him come to Philadelphia, serve as preacher, and earn money to purchase his freedom, if two of Burrows’ cousins took his place until Burrows acheived this goal.
John and Samuel Bivins, the cousins, did indeed temporarily become enslaved, as per the bargain.
“After a year, Burrows had earned enough money to purchase his freedom, and the Bivins brothers returned to Philadelphia,” Cohen wrote. A historical marker stands where the church was based on 1909 to 2015.
The book’s largest section covers Black titans of the twentieth century. Reverend Leon Sullivan is noted for his achievements while pastor of North Philadelphia’s Zion Baptist Church. Sullivan founded the OIC (Opportunities Industrialization Center) which provides job training and educational programs. He also led a “selective patronage campaign” that urged Black Philadelphians to buy only at businesses with Black employees. Sullivan Progress Plaza, the Leon H. Sullivan Human Services Center, and a stretch of North Broad Street bear his name.
The book also profiles brilliant North Philadelphia lawyer Cecil B. Moore. Moore made headlines with his successful months-long campaign to desegregate Girard College. A cigar-smoking, in-your-face activist, Moore would be delighted that a SEPTA subway station, a stretch of North Broad Street, a public library, a recreation center, among other sites, are named for him.
“Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape,” rather than a comprehensive history, hits hot points.
“I chose the chapter topics based on a combination of my knowledge, my interests, and my sense of which topics convey important information about major historical trends,” Cohen wrote. However, the book doesn’t mention, for instance, Alice of Dunks Ferry (1686-1802), an early oral historian, or, as Cohen notes, events like the Philadelphia Transportation Company’s 1944 strike, in which white trolley drivers went on strike when eight Black men were promoted to drivers.
That said, this book is an excellent resource for many reasons. Its chronological order makes it easy to access. Readers young and old will enjoy the smooth prose, vivid storytelling, and personal tidbits that spice the book. One learns, for example, that athlete and singer Paul Robeson was a dapper dresser who spoke many languages — more than 20, some sources say.
Well-chosen photographs increase one’s understanding of the events discussed. Chapters also interweave several voices, each with a different perspective. Snippets of historic documents give eyewitness glimpses of the times.
For instance, “A dissenting voice” in the chapter on architect Julian Abele argues against creating Christian Street’s Black Doctors Row Historic District where Abele, a light-skinned man, resided because the dissenter felt Abele was elitist and didn’t identify as Black. (The designation was approved in 2024.)
In the “Reflection” portion included in most chapters, someone familiar with the topic looks back, offering yet another view of events.
Each chapter ends with a “To Do” section suggesting videos to watch, online documents to read, murals, markers, and sites to see. Maps highlight the locations and addresses of important places.
“Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape” not only reveals the many dramatic stories surrounding Black monuments, but stands as a testament to the intelligence, courage, and determination of former generations of Philadelphians of African descent. The book encourages readers to consider the meaning of monuments at a time when references to Black history in the U.S. face challenges.
“Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape” is available through bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores, as well as Temple University Press (tupress.temple.edu.) and Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Black-History-Philadelphia-Landscape-Continuing-ebook/dp/B0CQR722JP).
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