World Heritage Week
World Heritage Week is a celebration of the World Heritage City Designation of Philadelphia. The last Thursday of May is set as World Heritage Day by the City. 
The city of Philadelphia declared World Heritage Day on the last Thursday of May to celebrate Philadelphia's World Heritage City Designation. Today, we celebrate World Heritage Week with a selection of events to highlight Philadelphia's international heritages and communities.
This week is a collaborative celebration featuring valued community partners, the Office of the City Representative, and GPA-hosted events.
Community Partners
Woodmere Art Exhibit - educational art program with Philadelphia school district schools
Through a partnership between Global Philadelphia Association and Woodmere Art Museum, the organizations offered an art education program to Philadelphia district schools. Eight Philadelphia schools have participated in the program, including Esperanza Charter Academy, McClure, Solis Cohen, Kennedy Crossan, Spring Garden, Lingelbach, Shawmont, and Jenks Academy for Arts and Sciences Schools, culminating in an exhibition in Woodmere Art Museum’s Millard Children’s Gallery.
6ABC press coverage of the exhibit
Throughout the opening reception on Sunday, May 19, attendees were invited to view students’ work, inspired by the artwork of Philadelphia-based, Venezuela-born artist, Henry Bermudez. The artist’s multi-media paintings are filled with vibrant colors, patterns, and dazzling textures that convey the richness of Latin America’s rainforests and his respect for its cultures and mythological deities.
Sustainable Development Goal #2 Unveiling - Zero Hunger with Philabundance
Global Philadelphia Association unveiled Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Zero Hunger at BUDD Bioworks. This piece, sponsored by GIANT Foods, hosted by BUDD Bioworks, and painted by Branche Coverdale, highlights the Sustainable Development Goal #2 which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
Our non-profit grantee for this mural was Philabundance. The artwork unveiling included a speaker portion presenting speeches regarding the efforts to end hunger within the city of Philadelphia.
City Hall Tour
World Heritage Week is all about heritage in our city, this year GPA offered a tour of City Hall for our Young Professional Network. The tour covered the exterior and interior architecture of the building and also offer access to several offices of city council members.
World Affairs Council - Diplochat: Denmark
GPA and the World Affairs Council held in-depth conversation between World Affairs Council, CEO, Lauren Swartz and H.E. Jesper Moller Sørensen, the Ambassador of Denmark to the United States. The month of May saw the launch of a direct flight from Philadelphia International Airport to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Caribbean Transnational Identity in Art Lecture with Sharon Bloomfield Hicks
The Caribbean Lecture Series, proudly sponsored by the Caribbean Community of Philadelphia, delved into the fascinating intersection of transnational identity and art literacy. Our guest speaker, Sharon Hicks, took center stage, sharing her personal narrative of navigating the intricate landscape of local and global identity as a second-generation Caribbean-Jewish immigrant from Jamaica.
Summer Heat Safety Workshop - City of PHL Health Department
The City's Health Department hosted a virtual workshop to educate community members about heat related illness, utility assistance, and places to stay safe and cool during extremely hot days.
Virtual Event was held via Zoom.
Dare to Declare! A Conversation About the Declaration of Independence
PHILADELPHIA250 and The Welcoming Center presented "Dare to Declare! A Conversation About the Declaration of Independence". As the nation's semi-quincentennial approaches in 2026, we reflected upon the meaning of our nation's founding document and the ongoing influence of its ideas.
PHILADELPHIA250 and The Welcoming Center hosted a civic conversation and networking event for friends and participants of The Welcoming Center's programs to learn what Philadelphia's immigrant and international communities think about this anniversary and how they believe the ideals of the Declaration resonate today.
GPLEX360: Recruitment and Networking Event
The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia hosted their Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange (GPLEX) recruitment and happy hour. Attendees were able to dive into our vibrant community at the Writers Room and connect with like-minded individuals to immerse themselves in the distinctive conversations that define GPLEX. GPLEX has been building civic muscle since 2005, convening diverse cross-sector leaders for highly curated learning and networking experiences.
Soccer Clinic with Philly Parks & Recreation
In collaboration with The Philadelphia Parks & Recreation we hosted a world-class compilation of coaches, captains, and players from the Philadelphia International Unity Cup soccer tournament to conduct a fun-filled youth soccer clinic. Youth ages 4 to 14 years of age participated in skills and drills taught by some of our area’s most talented athletes. In collaboration with Global Philadelphia Association, families also enjoyed fun heritage-themed activities. All participants will received soccer-themed giveaways.
Echoes of the Land: Chronicles of West Africa - HYENAS
“An enthralling Senegalese adaptation of the play ‘The Visit’, director Djibril Diop Mambéty masterfully blends critiques of neocolonialism into an evocative narrative of a woman’s high-stakes return home for vengeance.” The Philadelphia Film Society presented a new film series- Echoes of the Land: Chronicles of West Africa. Launching Saturday, April 27, with two weekend screenings of MANDABI, the series took place at the end of each month this quarter. MANDABI is the first predominantly Wolof language film from renowned director Ousmane Sembène. The other films in this series included HYENAS and EMITA.
Tango Dance Workshop - Beginner
The Philadelphia Tango Festival explored the theme, La Poesia del Abrazo (The Poetry of the Tango Embrace). The premise of this three-day festival was that, whether or not we speak Spanish, if we invest just a bit of time and effort to explore tango’s poetry, we can enormously enrich our experience of dancing and listening to tango. The festival drew together dancers, musicians, vocalists, poets/lectures, and DJs who expertly guided participants in this exploration.
Global Philadelphia Digital Archive: SDG Murals Drone Video
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Project calls attention to crucial sustainability issues with a timeline to make significant progress by 2030.
Global Philadelphia and local partners have created a comprehensive set of public artworks to raise awareness of these 17 elemental goals.
World Heritage Week Advisory Committee
Carol Wong, Chinatown Learning Center, Director
Jeannine Cook, Harriett’s Bookshop, Owner
Layla Tannir, Director of Entrepreneurship at The Welcoming Center
Toyin Ogunfolaju, Jacobs, Director Social Value & Equity Americas
Jane Grabias, Philadelphia250, Director of Programs
Bill Salvatore, Deputy Commissioner of Programs; Director of Philadelphia International Unity Cup
Jazelle Jones, City Representative and Director of Special Events
Val Kogen, Mid-Atlantic - Eurasia Business Council
