On Saturday, June 19th, the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore (HBNS) hosted a Juneteenth Jubilee, honoring 100 years since the founding of Wesley A.M.E. Church.
All tagged HBNS
Humans of The Swarthmorean: Thaddeus Adams
Wallingford resident Thaddeus Adams reminisces about growing up on Bowdoin Avenue in the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore in the 1940s and 1950s.
Zoning Matters: How Decisions That Seem Routine Can Have a Big Impact
A routine meeting of Swarthmore’s Zoning Hearing Board sparks an exploration of the history of zoning decisions in the rapidly gentrifying Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, and some questions about the borough’s future.
Osayande Wins Peace Grant
Jeannine Osayande, a fifth-generation resident of the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, has won a grant from the Anne Bernstein Richan Peace Action Fund to support a collective oral history project, “Making a Homeplace.” The project aims to collect neighborhood stories in order to preserve the culture, history, and practices of a rapidly changing community.
Manifesting Beauty: Jeannine Osayande Seeks Joy and Change Through Dance and Stories
Jeannine Osayande was born in Swarthmore in 1960 to Betty Ann (née Coleman) and Donald Lee. Her mother taught at Nether Providence Elementary School, and her father was Swarthmore’s first Black policeman. In time, he would become the town’s chief of police. Little Jeannine and her two older sisters, Annette and Donna, lived with their parents in the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore, in the same house Osayande lives in now. Growing up, she was surrounded by family, and by neighbors who were family, too. Osayande likes to tell the story of how African dance found her on a street corner in Harvard Square. “The drums were playing, and a dancer suddenly pushed me into the circle,” she recalls. “And I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”
Juneteenth in Swarthmore
This Juneteenth, the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore (HBNS) organized a combination Juneteenth celebration and Black Lives Matter protest. Various speakers, including two young people, offered thoughts on Juneteenth, Black Lives Matter, and the meaning of freedom. The Swarthmorean is featuring photos taken by Swarthmore resident and photographer Andy Shelter documenting the celebration.