Human Rights in Philadelphia

On Saturday, the Penn Humanities Forum moves into the streets of Philadelphia to continue its inquiry into human nature and human rights. From the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to the Quakers' championing of women's rights and the abolition of slavery, Philadelphia is a rich repository of the human rights history of the New World.

We begin with breakfast in the White Dog Cafe, a restaurant famous not only for the excellence of its cuisine but for the social engagement of its educational and cultural programs under the leadership of Judy Wicks. Paul Hendrickson, a prize-winning author and member of Penn's English Department, will address the breakfast gathering about incidents in the Civil Rights Movement that form the subject for his next book.

After breakfast, Poor Richard's Walking Tours will take groups on an extensive tour through Philadelphia of human rights landmarks, researched and conducted by young Penn historians who are experts on the city's rich heritage. From there we take our places in the studios of WHYY, kind sponsors of the late-night series of human rights films running throughout the week. In WHYY's headquarters overlooking Independence Mall, West Philadelphia residents, Penn faculty, and public high school students will present a program on the Black Bottom, a neighborhood unceremoniously eliminated in the name of urban progress, its population uprooted and exiled. Through performance, reminiscence, and discussion, these collaborators attempt to reinstate the community previously dispossessed.

Finally, the Penn Humanities Forum assembles the directors of the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and the National Labor Committee to describe the rights violations still rampant in our day. These leaders in the extention of social justice to all people will be introduced by Professor Samuel Freeman, an expert on the philosophy of law who will return us to the week's central topic: the interdependent notions of human nature and human rights.

9:30 - 11:00 a.m.
White Dog Café
3440 Sansom Street

Register and
reserve tickets online

Breakfast & Talk: "Mississippi Murder: A Fifty Year Haunting"

Paul Hendrickson, award-winning feature writer for the Washington Post who also teaches in Penn's English Department, will discuss the legend of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago who was visiting country relatives in Mississippi when he was murdered in 1955. His murder helped ignite what would soon, in the next decade, be called The Civil Rights Movement.
$15 per person. Reservations and prepayment required. Seating limited.

Tour times:
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Preview the tour

Register and
reserve tickets online

Poor Richard's Walking Tours

Life & Liberty: Struggles for Human Rights in Philadelphia

The streets of Philadelphia are filled with the remnants and ghosts of historic struggles for human rights. Come explore the storied streets of our city as we discuss these remarkable legends and achievements in a walk written and produced by the Penn historians of Poor Richard's Walking Tours.
$10 per person/$5 students. Space limited.

Performance
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
WHYY Studios
Independence Mall at
6th and Race Streets

Reception
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
WHYY Studios
Independence Mall at
6th and Race Streets

Black Bottom Performance Project

"Eminent Domain"—Narratives of Dispossession, Exile, and Return

Black Bottom was a vital African-American neighborhood that existed adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania until it was destroyed in the 1950s and early 1960s by the so-called Urban Renewal programs of that era. Through stories, monologues, music, poetry, and academic presentations, a panel of Philadelphia artists, Penn faculty, and former residents of Black Bottom will examine historical, folkloric, mythological, and sociological stories of dispossession, exile, and return.

The stories and images that emerge will be used to develop a full-length dramatic work about the Black Bottom, being written by the award-winning Philadelphia playwright Ed Shockley. Today's forum is part of the process of developing the play through public discourse, engaging Penn faculty and students with West Philadelphia high school students and community residents.
Sponsored by the Penn Humanities Forum, the Center for Community Partnerships, the Community Arts Partnership, and the Black Bottom Performance Project. Curated by Dr. William Yalowitz.

3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
WHYY Studios
Independence Mall at
6th and Race Streets

Register online

Civic Forum: Human Nature and Human Rights

Introductions

Wendy Steiner, Director, Penn Humanities Forum
Samuel Freeman, Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania

Speakers

Nadine Strossen, President, American Civil Liberties Union
Current Challenges to Civil Liberties
Charles Kernaghan, Executive Director, National Labor Committee
The Fight to End Child Labor and Sweatshops
William Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International—USA
Torture, Torment, and Tyranny: The Status of Human Rights Today

Saturday, 3/25		Human Rights in Philadelphia

		On Saturday, the Penn Humanities Forum moves into the streets of Philadelphia to continue its inquiry into human nature and human rights. From the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to the Quakers' championing of women's rights and the abolition of slavery, Philadelphia is a rich repository of the human rights history of the New World. We begin with breakfast in the White Dog Cafe, a restaurant famous not only for the excellence of its cuisine but for the social engagement of its educational and cultural programs under the leadership of Judy Wicks. Paul Hendrickson, a prize-winning author and member of Penn's English Department, will address the breakfast gathering about incidents in the Civil Rights Movement that form the subject for his next book. After breakfast, Poor Richard's Walking Tours will take groups on an extensive tour through Philadelphia of human rights landmarks, researched and conducted by young Penn historians who are experts on the city's rich heritage. From there we take our places in the studios of WHYY, kind sponsors of the late-night series of human rights films running throughout the week. In WHYY's headquarters overlooking Independence Mall, West Philadelphia residents, Penn faculty, and public high school students will present a program on the Black Bottom, a neighborhood unceremoniously eliminated in the name of urban progress, its population uprooted and exiled. Through performance, reminiscence, and discussion, these collaborators attempt to reinstate the community previously dispossessed. Finally, the Penn Humanities Forum assembles the directors of the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and the National Labor Committee to describe the rights violations still rampant in our day. These leaders in the extention of social justice to all people will be introduced by Professor Samuel Freeman, an expert on the philosophy of law who will return us to the week's central topic: the interdependent notions of human nature and human rights.


9:30 - 11:00 a.m. White Dog Café 3440 Sansom Street Register and reserve tickets online		Breakfast & Talk: "Mississippi Murder: A Fifty Year Haunting"

		Paul Hendrickson, award-winning feature writer for the Washington Post who also teaches in Penn's English Department, will discuss the legend of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago who was visiting country relatives in Mississippi when he was murdered in 1955. His murder helped ignite what would soon, in the next decade, be called The Civil Rights Movement. $15 per person. Reservations and prepayment required. Seating limited.


Tour times: 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 12:00 - 2:30 p.m. Preview the tour Register and reserve tickets online		Poor Richard's Walking Tours
		Life & Liberty: Struggles for Human Rights in Philadelphia

		The streets of Philadelphia are filled with the remnants and ghosts of historic struggles for human rights. Come explore the storied streets of our city as we discuss these remarkable legends and achievements in a walk written and produced by the Penn historians of Poor Richard's Walking Tours. $10 per person/$5 students. Space limited.


Performance 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. WHYY Studios Independence Mall at 6th and Race Streets Reception 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. WHYY Studios Independence Mall at 6th and Race Streets		Black Bottom Performance Project
		"Eminent Domain"—Narratives of Dispossession, Exile, and Return

		Black Bottom was a vital African-American neighborhood that existed adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania until it was destroyed in the 1950s and early 1960s by the so-called Urban Renewal programs of that era. Through stories, monologues, music, poetry, and academic presentations, a panel of Philadelphia artists, Penn faculty, and former residents of Black Bottom will examine historical, folkloric, mythological, and sociological stories of dispossession, exile, and return. The stories and images that emerge will be used to develop a full-length dramatic work about the Black Bottom, being written by the award-winning Philadelphia playwright Ed Shockley. Today's forum is part of the process of developing the play through public discourse, engaging Penn faculty and students with West Philadelphia high school students and community residents. Sponsored by the Penn Humanities Forum, the Center for Community Partnerships, the Community Arts Partnership, and the Black Bottom Performance Project. Curated by Dr. William Yalowitz.


3:00 - 5:00 p.m. WHYY Studios Independence Mall at 6th and Race Streets Register online		Civic Forum: Human Nature and Human Rights

		Introductions
		Wendy Steiner, Director, Penn Humanities Forum Samuel Freeman, Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania

		Speakers
		Nadine Strossen, President, American Civil Liberties Union Current Challenges to Civil Liberties Charles Kernaghan, Executive Director, National Labor Committee The Fight to End Child Labor and Sweatshops William Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International—USA Torture, Torment, and Tyranny: The Status of Human Rights Today