This is an art workshop and lantern light parade to honor the Underground Railroad in Frankford, hosted by our friends at Riverfront North Partnership!
*Please pre-register on Eventbrite here.
FREE – lanterns, materials, and hot drinks provided
Lantern Workshop 5-6:30 (Pre-register, spots are limited)
Light Parade 6:30 (Open to all, meet on the porch at Garsed Center) 1-mile walk
Walking artist Ken Johnston leads a lantern-making workshop and community light parade in honor of Black History Month. Adults and children are invited to decorate a lantern and join Ken in a walk retracing Frankford’s Underground Railroad history.
For enslaved Africans, Philadelphia was the threshold of freedom, and the nearby Delaware River was an important escape route. While most commercial ship traffic on the Delaware River traveled downstream, the Underground Railroad flowed in reverse. Walk with Ken and discover why Frankford’s location was the best kept open secret for freedom seekers.
To learn more about freedom seekers and the Delaware River, tune into Ken’s artist talk online: “Freedom on the Delaware River: The Maritime Underground Railroad.” Pre-register for that Zoom event here.
COVID guidelines:
All participants must be masked throughout the event. Registration for the workshop is capped at 25 people to enable social distancing indoors.
All participants must be masked throughout the event. Registration for the workshop is capped at 25 people to enable social distancing indoors.
About the artist:
Ken Johnston is a Philadelphia-based walking artist, who responds to the call of social change and history by walking to put the Movement back in Civil Rights. During the past two years, Ken has retraced the footsteps of Harriet Tubman between Underground Railroad communities from Maryland to New York City. He uses lanterns to shine a light on issues and bring communities together.
Ken Johnston is a Philadelphia-based walking artist, who responds to the call of social change and history by walking to put the Movement back in Civil Rights. During the past two years, Ken has retraced the footsteps of Harriet Tubman between Underground Railroad communities from Maryland to New York City. He uses lanterns to shine a light on issues and bring communities together.
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