Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999)

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2017

Founded in 1809, First African Baptist Church is among the earliest Black Baptist congregations in America and the oldest in Pennsylvania. In 1832 two of its members, John and Samuel Bivins, sold themselves into slavery to purchase the freedom of an enslaved man, James Burroughs, so he could serve as pastor; a year later Burroughs repaid the owner and the Bivinses were freed. The congregation helped establish the Downingtown Industrial School and many area churches, and Booker T. Washington spoke at its centennial.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1991

Crystal Bird Fauset lived here when, in 1938, she won a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and became the first Black woman elected to any state legislature in the United States. A gifted organizer and speaker, she later advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt on race relations within the wartime Office of Civilian Defense. Her career opened doors in electoral politics that had long been barred to Black women.

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.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2021

Ed Bradley grew up in Philadelphia and got his start in broadcasting at WDAS radio not far from this spot before rising to the top of American journalism. He reported from the battlefields of Vietnam and Cambodia, became the first African American television correspondent to cover the White House, and spent 26 years as a fixture on CBS's 60 Minutes. Along the way he collected 19 Emmys, a Peabody, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Black Journalists.