June 19, 2025, 10:45 am – 2:30 pm
Juneteenth 2025
In person at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Kids 12 and under: Free | Adults: $17 *
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Online via Zoom. Free.
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Join us at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site this Juneteenth for a meaningful day of reflection, learning, and community connection. Explore the powerful links between American history, mass incarceration, and the continuing struggle for racial justice through engaging programs that encourage dialogue, deepen understanding, and inspire civic action.
Event Schedule:
All times listed in ET.
10:45 AM – Discussion: David W. Brown, Assistant Dean for Community and Communications, Temple University. His talk will focus on the significance of commemorating Juneteenth in Philadelphia.
11:30 AM – Choir Performance Part 1: “Drowning in Shallow Water – Reflections on Resuscitation”: The Black Breath Collective and Community Choir
12:30 PM – Discussion: A conversation with Dr. Kerry Sautner, President and CEO of Eastern State, and Dr. Hasan Jeffries, Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University. Dr. Jeffries and Dr. Sautner will explore the history of Juneteenth and its connection to ongoing struggles for equity and justice today.
12:45 PM – Family Storytime: Children’s stories centering on the history of Juneteenth and celebrating resistance, read by local storyteller Thembi Palmer from Imagine More Story Adventures. Geared toward ages 5-12, but all ages are welcome.
1:30 PM – Choir Performance Part 2: “Drowning in Shallow Water – Reflections on Resuscitation”: The Black Breath Collective and Community Choir
About the Speakers:
David W. Brown has helped guide the strategic direction for nonprofit and other mission-focused organizations throughout his more than 30–year career. At Temple University, he is an assistant professor of instruction in Klein College and serves as faculty advisor of the student chapter of the Black Public Relations Society. Before joining Temple, he served as executive director of the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children—a nonprofit focused on child literacy by opening and operating previously closed public elementary school libraries. He is also founder of the Marketing Collaborative, a nonprofit that provides strategic marketing services to other Philadelphia nonprofits, and has run or owned five advertising and public relations agencies over the course of his career.
Hasan Kwame Jeffries teaches, researches, and writes about the African American experience from a historical perspective. He has chronicled the civil rights movement in the ten-episode Audible Originals series “Great Figures of the Civil Rights Movement,” and has told the remarkable story of the original Black Panther Party in Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt, which has been praised as “the book historians of the black freedom movement have been waiting for.” Hasan regularly shares his expertise on African American history and contemporary Black politics through public lectures, op-eds, and interviews with print, radio, and television news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, NPR, CNN, and MSNBC.
Why is Eastern State commemorating Juneteenth?
Acknowledging and commemorating Juneteenth at a historic site that is rooted in America’s complicated history with race and justice can also be an act of reconciliation. This day, in this place, is about acknowledging the pain of the past while highlighting the ways in which people have fought for freedom and dignity.
Juneteenth is a day for collective remembrance. Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site has the unique opportunity to convene conversations about race, justice, and history, helping to tell the story of American progress while also confronting the work that still lies ahead.
Juneteenth is not just a celebration, but a moment to reflect on the progress made and the work that remains. It provides an opportunity to honor the resilience of Black Americans, recognize the ongoing fight for justice, and reflect on how historic buildings like Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site fit into this larger story.
We strive to make the penitentiary and our site, programs, and exhibits accessible to all visitors. Click here to learn more about accessibility and accommodations at ESPHS.
* Discounted admission is available by request for Museums for All, ACCESS Card, and SEPTA Key REDUCED FARE card holders. These card holders will be granted $2 admission per person for up to four guests during daytime historic site hours. Visiting guests must present their valid ID upon arrival.
