2023 Juneteenth Schools Initiative
Here are the facts
NEWS RELEASE
Commemorating Juneteenth Education in More Than 50 Local Schools, Forum Philly Celebrates with The White House & Penn Museum
PHILADELPHIA—Forum Philly, in partnership with the Penn Museum, will present a Juneteenth Honors Program and Reception commemorating the launch of its 2023 Juneteenth Schools Initiative (23JSI) across 50+ schools. The program will take place at the Penn Museum on Monday, June 19, 2023, from 5:00-8:00 pm.
Forum Philly and its students have received a special invitation to attend The White House’s Juneteenth Concert scheduled for June 13th to celebrate their outstanding accomplishments and highlight the importance of Juneteenth in American history, culture and music [we are still seeking an Angel to underwrite the roundtrip transportation and necessary meals] Forum Philly welcomes members of the media to their early-afternoon send off to The White House [contact Yahne’ Jackson for details].
Forum Philly partnered with school districts across Philadelphia, William Penn, Chester Upland, and Southeast Delco schools, as well as other local K-12 Charter and Religious schools, to build peer-ideated and historically accurate educational initiatives around Juneteenth, as part of 23JSI. Classroom instruction and learning assemblies about Juneteenth—designed by students and supervised by faculty—will take place in more than 50 public, charter, and faith-based K-12 schools in the final weeks of the 22/23 academic year. Participating 23JSI schools welcome members of the media to observe and share information about their Juneteenth programming; the calendar can be found here.
Activities listed on the shared calendar include: art, music, dance, assemblies, discussions and more.
This initiative is proudly sponsored by Delaware County, Penn Museum, Quion Advisors, PNC Bank, Aqua Pennsylvania, and The Philadelphia Foundation.
“This is an unprecedented best practice made possible by sponsors and collaborators to inspire school-based leadership and build capacity through need-based small grant awards to local School Districts and schools,” says Dr. Malcolm T. Byrd, President & CEO of Forum Philly and a member of the Penn Museum’s Community Advisory Group, which advocates for community-informed partnerships like this educational program.Dr. Byrd further states “Our collaborators appreciate the painful historical realities of American Slavery, afford students opportunities to learn, understand and embrace essential civic values [freedom, liberty, dignity, relentless civility and perseverance over injustice], needed for equitable democracy to thrive in America.”
The culmination of Forum Philly’s annual Juneteenth School Initiative (23JSI), the Honors Program and Reception, will be keynoted by renowned Philadelphia author & activist Lisa Sharon Harper and showcase student-created instructional posters, essays and artistic responses, such as dance, poetry and literary readings. Some confirmed special guests include Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Penna House of Representatives, Speaker, Joanna McClinton, Esq., and School District of Philadelphia, Superintendent, Dr. Tony Watlington among other prominent guests.
“Penn Museum is honored to join Forum Philly in advancing education about Juneteenth across K-12 schools,” says Dr. Christopher Woods, Williams Director of the Penn Museum. “Our programs are designed to provide a welcoming, inclusive space for young people to share their ideas and experiences. It will be fascinating to see how students share the significance of Juneteenth, one of the most important dates in our nation’s history.”
The Juneteenth Honors Program and Reception is free and welcomes 200 invited guests from select school districts, sponsors, leaders in the public sphere, along with civic and religious organizations who work with Forum Philly and the Penn Museum. Access to the Museum’s galleries is included.
Additional donors of this initiative include: United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, Laura Kind McKenna, Friends of Sen. Tim Kearney, and Gordon Policy Group.
# # #
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Yahne’ A. Jackson, Publicist, Forum Philly
connect@publisisgrind.com, 484-430-1347
Jill DiSanto, Public Relations Director, Penn Museum
jdisanto@upenn.edu, 215-898-2956
ABOUT FORUM PHILLY
Established in 2019, the Philadelphia Forum for Faith, Law, and Civics (Forum Philly) promotes the spiritual wellness, economic viability, civic interests, social stability, and political equity of African-Americans through its work under the leadership of its Founding President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Malcolm T. Byrd. Visit www.forumphilly.org or follow @Forum.Philly on social media.
ABOUT THE PENN MUSEUM
Home to over a million extraordinary objects, the Penn Museum has been highlighting our shared humanity across continents and millennia since 1887. In expanding access to archaeology and anthropology, the Penn Museum builds empathy and connections between cultures through experiences online and onsite in our galleries.
The Penn Museum is open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm. The Café is open Tuesday–Thursday, 9:00 am–3:00 pm and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 am–2:00 pm. For updated information, visit www.penn.museum, call 215.898.4000, or follow @PennMuseum on social media.