William Penn Annex East in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Memorial

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 16, 2022

1. Memorial Marker

Inscription.

Memorial. .

"It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom…yes we can, yes we can." , Barack Obama

, The enclosed space is dedicated to millions of men, women, and children of African descent who lived, worked and died as enslaved people in the United States of America. They should never be forgotten. One of two smokehouse rooms in which three enslaved men slept, Giles, Paris, and Austin, once stood this area. The close proximity to the Liberty Bell Center reminds us that liberty was not originally intended for all., It is difficult to understand how men who spoke so passionately of liberty and freedom were unable to see the contradiction, the injustice, and the immortality of their actions. Enslaved Africans and their descendants endured brutality and mistreatment for over 200 years even as their labor built and enriched the nation. The struggle for freedom and political, social, and economic equality continued even after the legal ending of slavery. The devastating effects of slavery continue to affect race relations to this day. Yet, we must continue to strive for the ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America., The African symbols, words, and quotations on the exterior and interior walls speak to the spirit of hope, the resilience of the human spirit, and the determination of a people to arise out of bondage to freedom.,

"We have sought to bind the chains of slavery on the limbs of the Black man, without thinking that at last we should find the other end of that hateful chain about our own necks" , , Frederick Douglass, The Reasons for Our Troubles, National Hall, Philadelphia, January 14, 1862, "You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought sold, stolen arriving on a nightmare praying for a dream" , , Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning, written /delivered for President Clinton's Inauguration, 1993, "Either America will destroy ignorance or ignorance, will destroy the United States" , , W.E.B. Du Bois, "I ask no monument proud and high to arrest the gaze of the passers-by; all that my yearning spirit craves, is bury me not in a land of slaves" , , Frances Ellen Watkin Harper, Bury Me in a Free Land, "A people must have hope" , Nsoroma (N-soar-row-mah), Sankofa (Sang-ko-fah) , "Go back to the past, to build the future", Nkyinkyin (N-chin-chin) , One must change to survive

, Peoples , Akan . Ako . Asua . Bamana . Basaa . Bamun . Bamileke . Bini . Chewa . Chokwe . Edo . Efik . Eket . Ewe . Ewondo . Fang . Ga . Grebo . Gwari . Hausa . Ibo . Ibibio . Ishan . Ijaw . Jola . Kikongo . Kilani . Kimbundu . Kpelle . Kiu . Luba . Mandinka . Marka . Meta . Mende . Mbundu . Ngola . Owimbundu . Peul . Songhai . Tiv . Urhobo . Wolof . Yoruba . Zande, Places , from which Enslaved Africans descended , Mauritania . Senegal . The Gambia . Guinea Bissau . Guinea . Sierra Leone . Mali . Burkina Faso . Liberia . Côte d'Ivoire . Ghana . Togo . Benin . Niger . Nigeria . Cameroon . Congo . Gabon . Angola

"It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom…yes we can, yes we can."
Barack Obama

The enclosed space is dedicated to millions of men, women, and children of African descent who lived, worked and died as enslaved people in the United States of America. They should never be forgotten. One of two smokehouse rooms in which three enslaved men slept—Giles, Paris, and Austin—once stood this area. The close proximity to the Liberty Bell Center reminds us that liberty was not originally intended for all.

It is difficult to understand how men who spoke so passionately of liberty and freedom were unable to see the contradiction, the injustice, and the immortality of their actions. Enslaved Africans and their descendants endured brutality and mistreatment for over 200 years even as their labor built and enriched the nation. The struggle for freedom and political, social, and economic equality continued even after the legal ending of slavery. The devastating effects of slavery continue to affect race relations to this day. Yet, we must continue to strive for the ideals embodied in the

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Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.

The African symbols, words, and quotations on the exterior and interior walls speak to the spirit of hope, the resilience of the human spirit, and the determination of a people to arise out of bondage to freedom.

"We have sought to bind the chains of slavery on the limbs of the Black man, without thinking that at last we should find the other end of that hateful chain about our own necks"
— Frederick Douglass, The Reasons for Our Troubles, National Hall, Philadelphia, January 14, 1862

"You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought sold, stolen arriving on a nightmare praying for a dream"
— Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning, written /delivered for President Clinton's Inauguration, 1993

"Either America will destroy ignorance or ignorance, will destroy the United States"
— W.E.B. Du Bois

"I ask no monument proud and high to arrest the gaze of the passers-by; all that my yearning spirit craves, is bury me not in a land of slaves"
— Frances Ellen Watkin Harper, Bury Me in a Free Land

"A people must have hope"
Nsoroma (N-soar-row-mah)

Sankofa
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 16, 2022

2. Memorial Marker
(Sang-ko-fah)
"Go back to the past, to build the future"

Nkyinkyin (N-chin-chin)
One must change to survive

Peoples
Akan • Ako • Asua • Bamana • Basaa • Bamun • Bamileke • Bini • Chewa • Chokwe • Edo • Efik • Eket • Ewe • Ewondo • Fang • Ga • Grebo • Gwari • Hausa • Ibo • Ibibio • Ishan • Ijaw • Jola • Kikongo • Kilani • Kimbundu • Kpelle • Kiu • Luba • Mandinka • Marka • Meta • Mende • Mbundu • Ngola • Owimbundu • Peul • Songhai • Tiv • Urhobo • Wolof • Yoruba • Zande

Places
from which Enslaved Africans descended
Mauritania • Senegal • The Gambia • Guinea Bissau • Guinea • Sierra Leone • Mali • Burkina Faso • Liberia • Côte d'Ivoire • Ghana • Togo • Benin • Niger • Nigeria • Cameroon • Congo • Gabon • Angola

Erected by City of Philadelphia; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #42 William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #44 Barack Obama series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is January 14, 1862.

Location. 39° 57.02′ N,

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 16, 2022

3. Memorial Marker

75° 9.004′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in William Penn Annex East. It is on South 6th Street (County Road 2005) just south of Market Street (County Road 2004), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 S Independence Mall W, Philadelphia PA 19106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: History Lost & Found (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named History Lost & Found (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named History Lost & Found (a few steps from this marker); Awarding a Peace Medal (a few steps from this marker); "I and my household"

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 16, 2022

4. Memorial Marker

(a few steps from this marker); Washington's Death and a Renewed Hope for Freedom (a few steps from this marker); Strengthening Ties with the United States (a few steps from this marker); The President's House Site (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.

Other markers no longer nearby. "…is hereby empowered to sieze such Fugitives" (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); "Freedom might be too great a temptation" (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); Life Under Slavery (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).

Additional keywords. human trafficking; enslaved labor

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 16, 2022

5. Memorial Marker

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 16, 2022

6. Memorial Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 298 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 18, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.