
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Branch NAACP joined the team of organizations backing
the Philadelphia 76ers’ plans to build a new stadium downtown.
By Denise Clay-Murray
While the brain trust of the Philadelphia 76ers is trying to figure out which pieces to put around former MVP Joel Embiid and popular All-Star Tyrese Maxey to get them to a championship, the group charged with building the team a new stadium got a shot in the arm on Tuesday.

(From left); Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson, VP of civic affairs, 76ers; David Gould, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) Prudential Center, chief diversity and impact officer, and Phila. Branch NAACP president Catherine Hicks surround 76 Devcorp chair David Adelman as he speaks to the audience during the 76 Place news conference.
Photo: Rejean Wilson
In a news conference held at the String Theory charter school, the Philadelphia Branch NAACP announced that it would join the African American Chamber of Commerce and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity to support the $1.55 billion project to bring a basketball arena to Center City in 2031.

76 Devcorp chair David Adelman presents Phila. Branch NAACP president Catherine Hicks with a signed memorandum of understanding with the team.
Photo: Rejean Wilson
Team officials, including 76 Devcorp chair David Adelman, the Sixers Dance and Drill Teams, and even Hip-Hop, the team’s mascot, took part in the ceremony in which the civil rights organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the team which covers how it will help them fulfill the promises made to the Black community as part of the stadium’s creation.
After months of meetings with 76 Devcorp, the NAACP decided to get involved with the project because if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu, said Catherine Hicks, SUN publisher and president of the Philadelphia Branch NAACP.

Sam Staten Jr., business manager of Laborers’ Local 332. speaks
to attendees.
Photo: Rejean Wilson
And in this particular case, communities of color shouldn’t be on the menu, she said.
“This gives us a seat at the table where we have the opportunity to, as [76 Place] progresses and they put things together, [to] make sure that opportunities are available for Black and Brown communities,” she said. “We want to make sure that these communities have the chance to participate and that everyone that should be included in this process is.”

String Theory School basketball team with 76 Place executives.
Photo: Rejean Wilson
What 76 Devcorp gets from this agreement is an accountability partner that will make sure that a team whose fanbase largely consists of people from marginalized communities doesn’t overlook those communities when it comes to its new arena, said David Gould, chief diversity and impact officer for the Sixers.
“They’re going to hold us accountable,” he said. “We know that an endorsement from an organization like the NAACP does not come lightly. And if we don’t follow through on the things that we say we’re going to do, then, you know, that’s not something that the organization will stand for. And so, we appreciate the credibility they provide, but also know that we have a responsibility to make sure that, you know, we’re living out everything that we say we’re going to do.”

(From left); Phila. Branch NAACP president Catherine Hicks; a member of the Phila. Branch NAACP; Jason Corosanite, co-founder, String Theory School; Tabb Bishop, Phila. Branch NAACP economic chair, and David Gould, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) Prudential Center, chief diversity and impact officer.
Photo: Rejean Wilson
Among the things that 76 Devcorp has promised to do is to create a $2 million fund designed to make sure Black-owned businesses are prepared to be vendors, run concessions and contract for supplies at 76 Place. The team has said that it hopes to give 40% of the concessions, food and drink business for 76 Place to Black-owned businesses.
All of this will be part of the $50 million Community Benefits Agreement that the team hopes to sign with all of the stakeholders involved as part of the project.
One of the places where this might be the most important is when it comes to the construction itself. Part of the Philadelphia Branch NAACP’s contribution to the project will be finding people who are interested in being laborers for the project and connecting them with the developers, said Tabb Bishop, a member of the NAACP’s economic development committee and a consultant with the Sixers.

Rev. Robert Collier of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity
Photo: Rejean Wilson
In addition to finding experienced laborers, the NAACP will also be connecting prospective laborers to apprenticeship programs to prepare them for construction jobs with the project, Bishop said.
Preparing Black and Brown businesses and construction workers for any jobs 76 Place might bring is important, because once approvals are made and ground is broken, it might be too late, he said.
“The project itself won’t open until 2030,” Bishop said. “That’s when construction will start. But there are going to be certain things put in well before that. The idea is to get information out to community members, because there’s a lot of preparation that’s going to be needed for these businesses to be able to dive in. The hope is that the NAACP will be able to play a helpful role in positioning companies and individuals to participate in this project.”
The project as it is currently drawn up would take away a portion of the Fashion District shopping mall and utilize the space that was the former Greyhound Bus Terminal on 10th Street. At a virtual meeting held last summer, 76 Devcorp officials also announced that housing would be a part of the project.
But while the plan sounds like it might be a win-win for Philadelphia’s communities of color in general, not everyone is ready to buy a ticket to 76 Place. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission is still doing an analysis of the project. There have been issues with the project’s design. And a study done by a professor from the University of Washington shows that the project might cost local businesses $1 billion in tax revenue over the five years it will take to complete 76 Place.
That’s without considering the opposition of neighbors in Chinatown, who fear the same fate that Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown met when the Capital One Arena was built for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in 1995. While 76 Place isn’t in Chinatown itself, it’s close enough for residents to feel impacted.
The support of organizations like the NAACP for the project has led to the perception that the Black and Asian communities are being pitted against each other with 76 Place. Hicks emphasized that when the NAACP comes to the table, it comes to the table for all people of color, and that includes the members of the Asian community, she said.
“Everyone is included,” she said. “The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is for all people. I am very confident that the opportunities that the 76ers are offering will be a win-win for every community.”
“But right now, I think we all realize that Center City is dying,” Hicks continued. “I think this particular project is going to give Philadelphians opportunities for jobs, and careers, not just for the Black and Brown community, but for the community as a whole. I see Chinatown benefitting from this, because you’ll have more foot traffic.”
Bishop Dwayne Royster isn’t so sure about that. The executive director of POWER Interfaith is a member of the Save Chinatown Coalition, a group that opposes the 76 Place project and says that while the team is promising a lot to Philadelphia’s Black and Brown communities, it might be a good idea to talk to Philadelphia’s neighbors in Camden before getting too happy.
When the Sixers built their practice facility in Camden, New Jersey, jobs were also promised to Camden residents. Currently, only 11 Camden residents work at the complex, according to a May 7 story posted on the Metro Philadelphia website.
“Developers’ promises are window dressing to make the enrichment of three billionaires easier to swallow,” Royster said in a statement. “Don’t be fooled by the promise of jobs for African Americans in the city. We will not become a thriving city with part-time and seasonal arena jobs that perpetuate an ongoing African American underclass. That doesn’t help our people, but it does make team owners richer.”
The last word on the project will come from City Councilmember Mark Squilla. Squilla’s district includes the proposed 76 Place site, and he’s waiting for studies on economic impact and traffic issues that were supposed to be done by December but are still not finished.
Because of this, there’s no word on when City Council will take up the matter.
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