To celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of acclaimed poet, novelist, orator, and activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Mural Arts Philadelphia and Penn State’s Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk have unveiled a new mural, “Frances E.W. Harper: We Are All Bound Up Together,” at Greene Street Friends School in Germantown.
The project is part of a year-long commemoration of Harper, one of the most influential Black women of the 19th century. Created by Philadelphia-based artist Athena Scott, the mural, dedicated on Oct. 30, is on an exterior wall of the school, …
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To celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of acclaimed poet, novelist, orator, and activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Mural Arts Philadelphia and Penn State’s Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk have unveiled a new mural, “Frances E.W. Harper: We Are All Bound Up Together,” at Greene Street Friends School in Germantown.
The project is part of a year-long commemoration of Harper, one of the most influential Black women of the 19th century. Created by Philadelphia-based artist Athena Scott, the mural, dedicated on Oct. 30, is on an exterior wall of the school, located at 20 W. Armat Street.
“Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s trailblazing contributions and achievements throughout the 19th century as an abolitionist, published author, and suffragist continue to resonate 200 years after her birth,” said Jane Golden, executive director and founder of Mural Arts Philadelphia.
“Frances Harper was the most beloved Black poet and published more novels than any other Black writer of her era. She was a fearless advocate for equal rights, venturing into dangerous places and facing down violent opposition to her work to ensure America’s democratic promise extended to everyone,” said Gabrielle Foreman, a MacArthur Fellow and founding co-director of the Center for Black Digital Research.
“At Greene Street Friends School, we believe that every student carries an inner light and that our collective work as educators and community members is to help that light shine,” said Michelle Holland, Head of School at Greene Street Friends. “The mural honoring Frances Ellen Watkins Harper reflects this truth beautifully.”
Harper (1825–1911) was born free in Baltimore, orphaned at an early age, and adopted into her activist uncle’s household. She broke through barriers as a woman anti-slavery speaker, as an educator, as a writer, as a co-founder of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), and as an organizational leader in the movements for Black and women’s rights.
She moved to Philadelphia, where she lived for more than 50 years, at 1006 Bainbridge St., which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The mural also includes other notable 19th-century abolitionists with Philadelphia roots: Harriet Forten Purvis, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, and Charlotte Forten Grimke.
The project was funded by Penn State’s College of Liberal Arts, the City of Philadelphia, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Leslie A. Fleishner.
