Breaking & ballet dance together  

Saturday, November 4, 2023. It’s a marvelous mash-up of cultures and dance styles: Breaking, hip-hop, salsa capoeira, ballet, modern dance and more. Check out The Olney Youth Arts Festival’s multicultural celebration of youth creativity focusing on the best of urban expressions of dance and movement. Organized by the Olney Culture Lab, the event is will spotlight ethnic expressions by youngsters in Philadelphia. Free, noon to 6 p.m. EST. Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, 5120 N 6th St, 215-400-3770, eventbrite or [email protected].

A run for your money

Saturday, November 4, 2023. The 3rd Annual Penn Relays 5K presented by Toyota is all about raising money and awareness. It’s a way to get some exercise while donating by taking part in a scenic, competitive run through Penn Park, starting and finishing on the track of historic Franklin Field. Casual and serious participants will walk or race in a 5K and a One-Mile Fun Run. A post-event party at Franklin Field will feature an awards ceremony with food, music, vendor tents, giveaways, and more. Proceeds will benefit The Live Like Brent Foundation, a program of the Carve for Cancer, Inc. non-profit. The race was the brainchild of Brent P. Evans, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2010. Today, volunteers carry out his legacy to increase awareness, assist patients with financial needs, and raise funds for research for partner hospitals in Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, and Northeast Pennsylvania including Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center. The 3rd Annual Penn Relays 5K. 8 a.m. (One Mile Fun Run); 8:30 a.m. Competitive 5k); noon to 1 p.m. EST (lunch and raffle), 5K (for any ages) is $30 pre-registration, $35 on race day; 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk: $10 pre-registration/$15 race day. Franklin Field, 235 S. 33rd St., pennrelays.com.

Exhibit highlights author of pioneering poetry 

Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Celebrate the unheralded accomplishments of a young Black woman whose compelling story was buried in history. Whisper to Me: A Conversation Through Time, the opening to an exhibit acknowledges a true trailblazer. In 1773, 20-year-old Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) was the first Black person to publish a book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. This year is the book’s 250th anniversary. Remarkably, Wheatley was a published author at age 13. She taken in West Africa to Boston in the U.S. by slave traders in 1761. Enslaved by tailor John Wheatley and his wife, she was educated in their household in a rare occurrence.  The Delaware Valley Chapter of Guild Book Workers (DVCGBW) has commissioned 2022-23 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate, Telicia Darius, to write a poem to mark Phillis Wheatley’s published book of poems. DVCGBW members constructed books inspired by Wheatley and Darius. These works and Darius’s own poem will be exhibited, as well as historical documents about Wheatley, at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania through January 12, 2024. Meet the artists, see their work and discuss Wheatley’s trailblazing efforts. Free but register. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST., Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St. 215-732-6200, hsp.org or patch.com.

WURD up, after 20 years!

Friday, November 10, 2023. It’s billed as an “evening of excellence and elegance.” The dial is definitely up, as WURD Radio prepares for its 20th-anniversary celebration, one of the biggest events of the year. WURD is a true warrior holding its prestigious place in Black radio prominence. The owners of the nation’s three remaining Black talk radio stations – Melody Spann Cooper, owner of WVON in Chicago, Tavis Smiley, owner of KBLA in Los Angeles, and WURD’s CEO and President Sara Lomax – will be part of the festivities as independent Black-owned media moves into a new age. The event features an engaging conversation about Black-owned radio’s future landscape, “The Power and Possibility of Black Media,” led by the three radio-station owners and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Enjoy performances by WURD’s Love and Life host, Carol Riddick, and violinists Tauhida Smith and Jack Drummond. Go old school with a back-in-the-day dance party with DJ Gary O, a tribute to Cody Anderson, with a appearance by Bill Anderson, and recognition of WURD’s founding staffers. $150, 6 p.m. (cocktail reception) to 11 p.m. EST, Fitler Club, 24 South 24th St. WURDRADIO.COM/20THANNIVERSARY.

  

Artist Alvin Pettit’s Tubman design

Social activist Tubman finds a new home

Much of Harriet Tubman’s work was done underground, but more than a century later, she will shine above ground in the light of day. It became official after the public weighed in, and the winning sculpture of freedom fighter Tubman was announced on Monday. The permanent memorial of Tubman will be installed outside of Philadelphia’s City Hall by African-American artist–educator Alvin Pettit, a Maryland native. The City of Philadelphia‘s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) announced the suspenseful decision after a year-long process, initiated with an open call to recruit artists. The statue will reflect the first Black female historical figure in the City’s world-known large public-art collection. It will be installed on City Hall’s northeast side. Pettit’s design, “A Higher Power: The Call of a Freedom Fighter” was selected by the African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee with input from the public (3,000 strong). Pettit’s artistic vision was picked over nearly 50 submissions; he scored the highest in all of the guidelines including likeness, essence, and emotional and educational qualities. Pettit’s design was picked because it effectively told the best story about American abolitionist Tubman (1822 -1913) related to her experience in Philadelphia presenting her as brave leader of emancipation. Tubman is depicted as an armed warrior with a long gun across her back, a sword and pistol in her belt while standing on a pile of chains and shackles. Her hands are folded in hopeful prayer. The plans call for a sculpture that is at least 10-feet-tall and an installation at City Hall in 2025. For more information: creativephl.org.