In Pursuit of Preservation: A Community Conversation for our Black Historic District
Artists: The Dox Thrash House Project, Brewerytown-Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition, and Community Design Collaborative
Category: Panel Event
Location: 2100 Ridge Avenue
Date & Time: Thursday July 24th, 5:30-8:00PM
Come together with neighbors, cultural stewards, and design thinkers for a panel discussion to explore how historic district recognition can reflect who we are, protect what we’ve built, and shape a future that honors our roots. From the Civil Rights and Black Power movements to our legendary creative corridors and proud tradition of Black-owned businesses, it’s time to learn how historic district status can help us protect this legacy, pass it on to future generations, and bring the support and resources our thriving community deserves. Come out to hear from your neighbors about why this matters for us, learn how historic district status can benefit YOU and your family, and connect with experts and other communities like ours. Find out how to get involved and help shape Sharswood’s future. Let’s protect and celebrate Sharswood — by us, for us, for generations to come.
Panelists
Arden Jordan
Arden Jordan is a National Register Reviewer at the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), where she helps Pennsylvanians nominate historic buildings and neighborhoods to The National Register of Historic Places. Arden received her master’s in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA in public history from Bennington College. She has interned and worked at historic sites and research centers across the country, including Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH; Project Row Houses in Houston, TX; and the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites in Philadelphia, PA. She lives in South Philadelphia with her partner and senior cat Frankie.
Bernard Turner
Bernard Turner is the executive director of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area. A native of Chicago, Bernard taught German and Spanish for nine years and had a career in educational publishing, focusing on sales and marketing.
In 2002, Mr. Turner founded Highlights of Chicago Press with the publication of A View of Bronzeville, a neighborhood tour guide focusing on the important institutions and people that made Bronzeville a great neighborhood. A New View of Bronzeville followed in 2021. Turner also co-wrote and published Tate and His Historic Dream, a Phillis Wheatley Award Finalist. He has written articles for South Side Drive Magazine on Chicago’s Outstanding Black military history, Oxford University Press on Ferdinand Barnett. Turner is also a contributor to Black History 365.
Turner has worked alongside community planners and preservationists to save and preserve buildings in Bronzeville, curating and interpreting the story of the Great Migration as part of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area's goals, alongside other missions including conservation, recreation, and tourism.
Bernard also serves on the boards of the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation and the Bronzeville Trail Task Force.
More coming soon
Cultural Workers
The Dox Thrash House Project
The Dox Thrash House Project is a Black-led historic preservation initiative focused on restoring the former home of pioneering artist Dox Thrash and nominating the surrounding Sharswood neighborhood as a historic district. Backed by community leadership, the project trains residents in survey, documentation, and preservation practices to reclaim and protect their cultural heritage. It advances design justice and equity in the built environment through
Community Design Collaborative: Preserving Black Presence (PBP)
Community Design Collaborative: Preserving Black Presence (PBP) is an initiative of the Community Design Collaborative, a nonprofit that partners with communities to shape equitable, thriving environments. PBP supports Black-led historic sites by providing technical assistance, preservation planning, and capacity-building resources. The initiative aims to address systemic inequities in preservation and ensure long-term sustainability for culturally significant spaces
Brewerytown-Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition
BSNC: Brewerytown-Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition is a resident-led community group of Brewerytown + Sharswood in North Philly. They organize and mobilize holistically to meet the needs and interests of neighbors, families, and each other. They also build allyship with fellow North Philly neighbors!