On Exhibit at Robeson Library: Whose Story? Narratives of Philadelphia’s History

Whose Story? Narratives of Philadelphia’s History is an exhibition that explores the people, organizations, institutions, and communities that have shaped the narrative of Philadelphia’s past. It examines how traditional narratives such as Philadelphia as birthplace of American liberty and democracy came to be, the development of organizations dedicated to preserving and telling Philadelphia history, and the stories that have been challenged, censored, expanded and debated. The story of Philadelphia is always evolving, so when you talk about Philadelphia, what story do you tell?

The exhibit is curated by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH), a regional public humanities research and resource center in Camden. MARCH is a Humanities makerspace, the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia and public history projects illuminating the many lives and stories of our own neighborhood in Camden’s historic Cooper Street. MARCH has been thinking deeply and carefully about place for over twenty years, and asks us to consider “where do you find yourself?”