Fifteen years ago, the President’s House exhibit at 6th and Market streets was established to commemorate the nine Black people enslaved by former President George Washington.
The anniversary, which attracted dozens to the site Sunday, was also the latest call to action to continue protecting the memorial from being shut down by President Donald Trump. Trump signed executive orders in March to potentially remove displays and language in federal museums and parks acknowledging slavery, claiming it disparages many historical figures.
Led by attorney and activist Michael Coard, the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) has been a catalyst since 2010 for establishing the President’s House as a monument—not only to Washington’s residency but more importantly, to his enslavement of Black people.
“You can’t be Black and know about slavery, sharecropping, convict leasing, gerrymandering, redlining, police brutality and mass incarceration, and not be angry,” Coard said. “But that anger has to be productive and constructive.”
A resolution by several members of Philadelphia City Council honored Coard’s group for its activism to protect the memorial. Among the Council members who co-sponsored the resolution were Kendra Brooks, Jamie Gauthier, Nina Ahmad, Rue Landau, Anthony Phillips, Mark Squilla, and Jeffery Young Jr.
Other elected leaders at the anniversary event included State Representative Chris Rabb and State Senator Sharif Street, both running for the U.S. House to succeed U.S. Representative Dwight Evans.
“We cannot allow Trump to erase and whitewash our history. We cannot allow him to remove the things that allow people to understand what really happened,” Street said. “I will fight for what our ancestors did and what they endured,” he added. “And I will fight to preserve this monument and to preserve the work that my father did to make sure it was here.”
Street’s father, former Mayor John Street, helped to make the memorial a reality.
“One of the things that I said I wanted to do was find a way to utilize the education I received for public good,” Phillips said. “So, recognizing this memorial is important to educating people in our city about the history of slavery and how we don’t go backwards but move forward.”
Each City Council member present at the anniversary took turns reading the resolution to the crowd and gave brief remarks about the memorial’s importance to the city and nation.
“This memorial stands here as an act of resistance,” Gauthier said. “And it says that here in Philadelphia, the birthplace of this nation, we choose truth over myth, and we say clearly, a nation cannot heal from what it refuses to face.”
Even though the memorial still stands, its future remains uncertain following the first deadline in early fall, as well as the National Park Service reopening since the most recent federal government shutdown. Another possible U.S. government shutdown looms in early 2026.
“We will continue to organize and stay connected against the attacks that are coming from the federal government or wherever they’re coming from,” Brooks said. “We will stand with our historians, we will stand with our legacies, and we will continue to fight.”
Attorney Michael Coard, of Avenging The Ancestors Coalition, was present to honor the 15th anniversary of the President’s House and slavery memorial. Jubilee School students also participated, taking turns reading historical facts during the event.
Dr. Chris T. Pernell, Director of the NAACP’s Center for Health Equity, explained how recent cutbacks to funding and research dedicated to Black maternal healthcare have led to an unwillingness to address a critical issue that unfortunately has not improved.
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https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/amid-threats-from-trump-to-close-it-philly-slave-exhibit-marks-its-15th-anniversary/article_596497e2-028c-4400-97c9-c06cdf3abec3.html