- The Madlab Post

To mark the World Day of Audiovisual Heritage, as part of of American Archives Month, I'm here to announce The William Penn Project, my Home Movie Day exhibit sponsored by the Leeway Foundation. Featuring home videos that document traditions, triumphs and tribulations that make up the cultural heritage of what began as a state-of-the-art educational facility in Yorktown, this project will be on view through March 31, 2021 at The Madlab Post studio in Philadelphia's historic BOK building.

Come see exclusive, never before seen digital and VHS video footage, 35mm film photographs, mementos and firsthand accounts illustrating the promise, carefully orchestrated negligence, and destruction of student life at William Penn High School on North Broad street from the 1990s through 2009.

As a former member of the Coalition for the Revitalization of William Penn High School, who testified in favor of redevelopment of the building -- before the School Reform Commission and then superintendent Dr. Arlene C. Ackerman -- I am appalled that the City of Philadelphia abandoned this school building and the students it served; only to later profit from it's demolition to make way for Temple University's athletics field expansion, using 9 acres of land formerly occupied by William Penn High School.

In this modern age of short attention spans and digital obsolescence, this Home Movie Day exhibit aims to teach Philadelphia residents why media preservation is a vital way to document our history, culture and lived experiences.

Through the memory of a school that was once a valuable educational resource for African-American children, I also want local parents, teachers and the "leaders" of this city, to understand how their actions, ignorance and/or negligent behavior toward the condition of William Penn High School contributed to the demise of access to quality education for African-American children in North Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

Tours of The William Penn Project are Free. At this time, all visitors must register online in advance for timed entry to see the exhibit. For more information or to register for this exhibit, send your request here.