American Friends Service Committee

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2016

A prominent figure in Philadelphia's Jewish community, Albert Greenfield built one of the East Coast's great business empires in the first half of the twentieth century, spanning department stores, real estate, hotels, and banks. His wealth made him a power broker in city and national politics, where he championed reform. He also lent his standing to causes beyond commerce, backing equality for African Americans and interfaith understanding between Catholics and Jews.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2021

Gloria Casarez began as a grassroots organizer in Philadelphia, fighting for economic justice, welfare rights, and affordable housing before becoming a leading voice for LGBTQ+ equality. She directed the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative, building nationally recognized programs for men of color and transgender people. Appointed the city's first director of LGBT Affairs, she helped Philadelphia adopt some of the strongest LGBT protections in the country.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2022

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson rose from Philadelphia to become one of the most electrifying public speakers of the Civil War era, championing the rights of women, African Americans, and working people. At just 21 she became the first woman to address the U.S. Congress, delivering a speech attended by President Lincoln himself. In an age when women were rarely permitted a public platform, her voice carried into the halls of national power.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2018

In 1965, years before the Stonewall uprising, activists staged one of the nation's first LGBT sit-ins at Dewey's, a Philadelphia restaurant that had refused to serve gay and gender-nonconforming customers. Directly inspired by the African American lunch-counter sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the demonstrators occupied the counter until Dewey's backed down and dropped its discriminatory policy. It was a small, early, and largely forgotten victory in the long struggle for equal treatment.