Becoming American: Philadelphia's Story - WHM

Uncovering the history of the largest free and literate Black community in a resilient, multicultural town in the early United States

This is a story that must be told — not just for Philadelphia, but for America.

-Oliver St. Clair Franklin

🎉 Excitement is in the air! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts' screening of the movie "Becoming American: Philadelphia Story". It's an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 🎉

Set against the backdrop of America’s founding, “Becoming American: Philadelphia’s Story” explores the lives of the racially diverse early communities in the city — men and women, both white and black, whose resilience and intellect helped to enhance the original Quaker vision and principles; people who, through cooperation and conflict, strove to shape the nation from its very beginning.

Unlike traditional narratives that center only on the well-known founders, this film shines a light on the everyday people, whose lives, struggles, and triumphs are often written out of history.

Through rich storytelling and historical depth, it celebrates a community that built, resisted, and thrived in the era that promised liberty and equality, revealing how their contributions were essential to the making of a new America and what it was to find their identity in this radical new nation.