Extraordinary Ordinary: Black People in Northern Liberties before 1860
Artist: 1838 Black Metropolis
Category: Walking Tour
Location: Northern Liberties
Date & Time: Sunday, July 27th, 4:00-6:30PM
Paschall’s Alley was once a major Underground Railroad site, tucked quietly into the fabric of everyday life in Northern Liberties. This upcoming experience from 1838 Black Metropolis uncovers how ordinary Black residents helped build this area of safety and resistance in the 1830s and 1840s, shaping a vibrant community rooted in faith, family, and freedom.
We begin with a walking tour of the neighborhood, visiting Zoar and Union Churches, and the unassuming rowhomes, still standing today, that were owned by Black families whose stories have been hidden in plain sight. Along the way, we’ll explore the people and institutions that made this neighborhood a foundation for future generations.
The tour culminates in a poetry takeover of Paschall’s Alley, honoring the legacy of Jessie Redmon Fauset, whose father grew up here. We’ll install works by Harlem Renaissance poets she championed, like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, and invite contemporary poets to improvise in real time, drawing inspiration from the lives, spaces, and spirit of the past. In the very alley where freedom was built, we’ll speak their names and celebrate their legacy through poetry and performance.
Explore the StoryMaps for the tour here.
Cultural Workers
Michiko Quinones
Michiko Quinones is the co-founder of 1838 Black Metropolis, a public history nonprofit dedicated to restoring lost or marveled Black narratives in Philadelphia. A public educator and historian, she was a docent for over a decade at both the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the Rosenbach Museum. She holds a BA in African American Studies and Government from the University of Maryland-College Park (1992), an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University (1999), and an ALM (MA) in Museum Studies from Harvard University (2024). Her work at 1838 Black Metropolis is part of a broader movement to reclaim historical narratives through Black social museums, which center memory and heritage as a foundation for reinterpreting the past. As part of this effort, she is studying how Black social museums worldwide are engaging in similar work to own and rewrite their historical narratives, ensuring that Black history is told with accuracy, depth, and community-driven insight.
Morgan Lloyd
Morgan Lloyd is an Afro-Indigenous public historian and cultural worker committed to a joyful and holistic recentering of Black, Brown, and American Indigenous histories, with a focus on the 18th and 19th centuries.She is the Co-founder and President of 1838 Black Metropolis, a research-driven nonprofit and National Park extension that explores the lives of the 18,768 free people of color living in Philadelphia when Harriet Tubman was just 16. Through storytelling, education, and public programming, the organization reclaims and reanimates forgotten histories from the region.Morgan’s work has earned wide recognition, including the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance 2024 Award, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society's 2024 Award, The Library Company’s 2023 Biennial Innovation Award, and the Black Hero in Health Equity Award from Penn’s Pair Center. She’s held fellowships at institutions such as the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.Her mission is to create spaces, programs, and art that connect Black and Brown communities with their pasts—and with expansive visions of the future. She currently serves on the Public Programming team at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.