PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A group of Philadelphia area teens are learning about the roles Black citizens had in early America.
Eight Philadelphia-area teens graduated from the Museum of the American Revolution’s second annual Living History Youth Summer Institute.
“One thing people don’t know is that Philadelphia has been a diverse city since it was founded. That’s deep deep deep in the history.”
Scott Stephenson, the museum’s CEO, explains the program is meant to connect youth of color with the expansive contributions of Black Americans to the nation throughout history.
“There are students that live within walking distance to Third and Chestnut, where we are located, and Independence Hall and the Liberty bell who do not see themselves as connected to this history,” Stephenson said.
The six-week intensive program focuses on interpreting the lives of people of African ancestry in the Revolutionary era.
Representation matters, he said — students want to see themselves in history.
“They want to see people who refer to themselves and then there’s credibility that comes with the history that is going to be shared with them,” Stephenson said.
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“So our Black Founders exhibit about the Forten family of Philadelphia starts with a 9 yo, born 1/2 block from 3rd and Chestnut, heard the words of Declaration of Independence that said all men are created equal and said that sounds pretty good. Then 3 generations of this family holding that ideal up and making the nation live into the promise of the Revolution.”
Stephenson says in telling students of the true American history, he hopes the program will encourage teens to also consider a career in the field telling these stories to the next generation.
“We just felt like we can invest in our future if we start introducing teenagers to the idea of ‘Museums are places you can do important work and make a living.’”
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