breaking uncommon ground
A multi-year project focusing on black history of the delaware river is underway!
In 2013, the Independence Seaport Museum unveiled a new flagship exhibition: Tides of Freedom: The African Presence on the Delaware River, conceived by a committee of leading African American scholars and curated by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, the University of Pennsylvania’s Lasry Family Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies.
The first stage of this project, a multi-year oral history project titled Breaking Uncommon Ground on the Delaware River, is now complete. We are currently in the exhibition planning stages, and encourage you to follow along for updates.
FAQ
Our current exhibition, Tides of Freedom, tells of Black history along the Delaware River from the 1800s-1920s. Breaking Uncommon Ground is the project to expand this exhibit to cover the years 1950-2015.
We are sharing the untold stories of:
- Black people who worked in labor unions along the Delaware River. (Ex. Employees of shipyards, boats, dock workers, etc.)
- Black women who did work connected to the Delaware River. (Ex. Sold food or other items, babysat river workers’ children, worked in offices that operated on or were located near the Delaware River.)
- Anyone who lost their home or business when the I-95 highway was built in Philadelphia. (Ex. People who protested demolition; Businesses that were closed or families who were forced to relocate.)
Their stories are still out there, and you can help us share them by spreading the word. Here are some places you can bring up:
- Your place of worship.
- Social Clubs or Organizations.
- Your family, friends, and neighbors.
- Any senior citizens you know.
COntact the museum:
Major funding for Breaking Uncommon Ground on the Delaware River has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage with additional support from the William Penn Foundation.
