“They Helped Shape Philadelphia between 1950 and 2000”

About the Book

Compiled in this publication are interviews with community members and residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who lived through historical moments in the city’s history and many of whom fought voraciously for the rights of Black people in Philadelphia and beyond. Each of these interviews sheds light on these historical moments and details how each person helped shape the trajectory of Philadelphia. These oral histories allow us to understand the events of the past from a first-hand perspective and remain connected with those interviewed. Each of these interviews contributes to the broader history of Philadelphia and recognizes the lasting legacy of each of the interviewees.

About the Author

W. D. Palmer is the founder and director of the W. D. Palmer Foundation (est. 1955), a repository of information-gathering on racism in health, education, employment, housing, courts, prisons, higher education, military, government, politics, law, banking, insurance, etc. He is also the founder of the Black People’s University of Philadelphia (1955) Freedom School, which was the grassroots organizing and training center for grassroots community and political leadership in Philadelphia and nationally. These organizations were run as nonprofit unincorporated associations from 1955 until 1980, when the Palmer Foundation received its 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption status. W. D. Palmer has also been a professor, teaching American Racism at the University of Pennsylvania since the 1960’s and today he is a member of the Presidents Commission on 1619, the 400-year anniversary of African slavery in America. Professor Palmer has been a social activist leading the fight against racial injustice for over seventy years in Philadelphia and around the nation. In 2018, Philadelphia honored him for the organizing work he did to reform the Philadelphia school system in 1967.