PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Replica Liberty Bells are heading to neighborhoods throughout the city for the nation's 250th birthday.
At a school district warehouse in Olney on Friday, the wraps were removed from 22 fiberglass replica Liberty Bells, each decorated by a local Philadelphia artist to tell a neighborhood story. Tykira Octaviah Mitchell painted one titled "Keeping it in the Family.”
"It's music, it's dance, it's jazz. It's everything happening in uptown,” she said of her bell. “It's a depiction of Black culture."
It's part of a statewide effort to install bells in all 67 counties, said Cassandra Coleman, executive director of America250PA.
"We hope when people see these bells that they truly sit back and reflect upon the creativity and the design that was chosen to represent these communities,” Coleman said.
The bells will be coated with a protective sealant before they're displayed. Mayor Cherelle Parker said they should remind us of the communities that shaped the nation.
"We are doing more than introducing public art. We are lifting up a symbol of who we are and how we are preparing for the future,” she said.
Once the semiquincentennial is over, local community organizations will decide how and where the bells will be kept.
"They are a reminder that our story is built by we the people,” Parker said.