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❦ In the year 1838 ❦

Nearly 20,000

free Black Philadelphians
built a Metropolis that became
a Sanctuary of Freedom
and a Laboratory of Civil Rights

The 1838 Philadelphia Black Metropolis is a movement to reclaim, rewrite and restore the histories of this population so that their local, national and global impact are never lost again.
Reclaim.
Rewrite.
& Restore.
Reclaim. Rewrite. & Restore.

The 1838 Philadelphia Black Metropolis is a movement to reclaim, rewrite and restore the histories of this population so that their local, national and global impact are never lost again.

A movement to

Reclaim, rewrite & restore

the histories of 20,000 free Black Philadelphians, so that their local, national and global impact are never lost again.
Our mission
Reclaim Rewrite Restore

The histories of Philadelphia's free Black population, so that their local, national and global impact are never lost again.

 Meet the People →

A census of the Black population of Philadelphia in 1838 revealed 18,769 free Black people in a three-mile radius. This site restores the histories of this national Black center — so that its local, national and global impact are never lost again.
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The People of the
Black Metropolis

Meet the People →
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What we do
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Our recent
findings

All findings
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❦ Notice to the public

Discover untold histories

Fifteen ways in. Pick the one that pulls at you; the rest will still be pasted up when you get back.

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❦ Follow along

See events and the latest info on Instagram

@1838blackmetropolis
Live from @1838blackmetropolisOpen
❦ Support this work

Fund
the dig.

1838 Black Metropolis is a registered non-profit 501(c)3. Donations are tax-deductible.

1838
Black Metropolis, Inc.
Philadelphia, Penn.