Stephen Smith (1795-1873)

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2016

Opened in 1968, Sullivan Progress Plaza was the first shopping center in the nation built, owned, and operated by African Americans. It grew from the efforts of Rev. Leon H. Sullivan, members of Zion Baptist Church, and the surrounding Black community, who pooled small investments to create it. Its visible success drew national notice—prompting President Nixon to fund a corporation to spread similar commercial development—and inspired Black-led economic ventures across the country.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1993

Chartered in 1935 after African-American musicians were shut out of Philadelphia's white musicians' union, Local 274 became a home and advocate for Black performers. Its rolls included giants of modern jazz such as John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie, whose innovations reshaped American music. When it dissolved in 1971, it was the last predominantly Black local of the American Federation of Musicians in the country.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1993

Robert Mara Adger came of age in a Philadelphia that was home to one of the nation's largest free Black communities, active in the antislavery and self-help movements before and after the Civil War. A businessman who helped lead a pioneering Black building-and-loan association, he was also a passionate bibliophile who gathered a major collection of rare books and pamphlets on Black life and the fight against slavery. He helped found an Afro-American historical society to preserve that record for future generations.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1998

For more than eight decades, Black baseball thrived in Philadelphia, from the Pythians and Excelsiors of 1867 to the great professional clubs of the twentieth century. The Philadelphia Giants claimed early championships, the Hilldale club won the 1925 Colored World Series, and the Philadelphia Stars competed in the Negro National League. These teams built a proud institution while the major leagues remained closed to Black players.