Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society (PAS), one of the nation’s earliest organizations dedicated to ending slavery and advancing racial justice. HSP, which holds the papers of the PAS, is commemorating this milestone with a series of exhibits and programs highlighting the Society’s legacy and ongoing relevance.
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This past May, we honored the PAS with our Heritage Award in recognition of 250 years of advocacy on behalf of Black Americans.
Previous Exhibits
Voices of the Community: Local Black Preservation ​​
​On view June 12, 2025 - September 26, 2025​
Voices of the Community: Local Black Preservation explores the history, migration, and preservation of African American communities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Lawnside, New Jersey. Curated by community historians and activists, this exhibit uses archival documents such as personal papers, photographs, musical scores, and ephemera to highlight strategies Black individuals and communities utilize to preserve their heritage. The historical formation of organizations, creation of music, and building of communities have resulted in a cultural preservation movement based on principles of self-determination and collective action.
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Free, As One: Black Worldmaking in the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Papers
On view February 6, 2025 - May 23, 2025
In Collaboration with the 1838 Black Metropolis
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society's founding, this exhibit highlighted themes of Black self-determination and leadership from the 1770s onward in the anti-slavery movement of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Drawing from the Pennsylvania Abolition Society (PAS) collection and commemorating the 250th anniversary of its founding, this exhibit refocuses our attention on abolition as a global Black-led political movement championed by the PAS.
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Using | Doing | Teaching Black History
A Public History Workshop | April 25 & 26, 2025
In partnership with the 1838 Black Metropolis, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania hosted a two-day workshop, bringing together individuals dedicated to preserving and sharing Black history. This event served as a platform for community storytellers, historians, digital creators, students, activists, genealogists, poets, artists, and walking tour guides to connect, share their work, and learn from one another.​​
Keynote Address: Nell Irvin Painter
Historian and artist Nell Irvin Painter presented “Arrived, New Names,” as the keynote address Friday evening. Sharing insights about her artwork focused on William Still’s Journal C of the Underground Railroad, she set the tone for exploring how creative projects can share complicated and compelling histories.
Support for PAS 250 programming comes from The Haverford Trust Company and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society Endowment Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation.