On February 7, 2009, The Village came together to celebrate
and educate the youth on the history of Black America. We
journeyed through time to trace the significant milestones that
brought us to where we are today. We felt it was important to
let them know that in 1816 there were approximately 10,000 free
Afro-Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania was a slave free state along with being the birth
place of the first African Methodist Episcopal Church under the
Bishop Rev. Richard Allen. It was a church born in protest
against slavery and against dehumanization of African people brought to the American continent as labor.
The youth along with the adults enjoyed sharing their
thoughts and time with each other. We dined and discussed what
certain issues that society deals with today as it relates to
us.
