Teaching Freedom: PHILADELPHIA’S BLACK DREAMKEEPERS, 1976-2026
Posted by The Center for Black Educator Development on September 29, 2026
The Center for Black Educator Development is proud to sponsor and help organize two related, extraordinary public exhibits this fall on the history of Black educators and the education of Black students in Philadelphia.
Drawing on the “Dreamkeepers” framework developed by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, the project honors generations of Black Philly educators who have sustained Black pedagogical traditions grounded in cultural pride, collective uplift and radical care.
From Fanny Jackson Coppin and Octavius Catto to the founders of independent Black schools such as Ivy Leaf and Nidhamu Sasa, generations of Black educators in Philadelphia have been passing on their wisdom about how to ensure the academic potential and success of Black students through a liberatory education.
Yet many of their contributions remain undocumented, unrecognized, and untold, and their stories and surviving records of their work and impact are scattered across numerous personal and institutional archives.
Public Exhibit: open through November 22 at the Central Parkway Library, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA (during library hours)
Public Exhibit Celebration Event: November 12, 5:30 PM
More in "Other Local Events and Workshops"
- Archeology of Self: The Introspective Educator’s Guide to Racial Literacy – Interactive Book Talk with Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz – Nov 12
- PA Higher Education & Workforce Summit – Jan 7-8
- Movie Screening: In Pursuit, Episode 9, Liberation – Nov 9
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