Portraits of Possibility; Experiencing Amy Sherald’s American Sublime at the Whitney Museum by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

I’m so excited about my upcoming trip to New York to see Amy Sherald: American Sublime at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The exhibition closes on Sunday, August 10, 2025—so if you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time! 

Portrait Artist Amy Sherald/Photo-Harry McNally

This show feels especially important to catch in person since Sherald recently canceled her upcoming exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, originally scheduled to open this fall in Washington, D.C. (Click) Read why here.

I’ve long admired Sherald’s body of creative work. Like many, I was introduced to her work when her portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama debuted in 2018. I was immediately taken by how Sherald captured Mrs. Obama’s softness and seemingly effortless elegance. When fine art prints of that portrait became available, I ordered one right away. Sojourner and I thoughtfully chose how it should be framed. We ultimately went with a simple red frame with just enough of a pop of color without overpowering the portrait itself. We hung it in Sojourner’s room with great care and joy.

Michelle Obama Portrait

As an aside, Sojourner had previously been welcomed to the White House by Michelle Obama; twice. First, as part of the National Student Poetry Program, and later when she was invited back to read alongside former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins at a reception for a visiting dignitary. She was just a teenager then, and we were all so proud and thrilled. Sherald’s portrait of Mrs. Obama became, for us, a gateway into a deeper appreciation of her work and artistic voice.

Sherald's Michelle Obama Print in Sojo's

Room!  

 

Here in Philadelphia, we are especially proud of Sherald’s stunning five-story mural in Center City, featuring teenager Najee Spencer-Young. It’s a

Sherald's Mural in Philadelphia. * Photo Matt Rourke

 

striking celebration of young Black girl/womanhood and a powerful public work. Click here to Read the story behind the mural and how Spencer-Young became its subject.

Sherald, who is so stylish in her own right, portrays ordinary people with extraordinary presence. Her figures are rendered in rich shades of gray and brown, full of grace and authority. She brings forward a quiet power and dignity that insists on being seen.  

Sherald's portrait of Breonna Taylor 

If you’re planning to be in New York, don’t miss this rare opportunity to see American Sublime. Click: Here are the exhibition details.

                            Here is Sojourner, with First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, 

                            wife of  the then Vice-President Joe Biden, visiting the White to read

                            her poetry. 

1,863 × 2,000

Then and Now: West Philadelphia Honors Dr. King and the Black Bottom by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

 

There’s so much to love about living in Mantua, West Powelton, and Powelton Village. These West Philadelphia neighborhoods are not only rich in history, but they’re full of people actively preserving and celebrating it.

This Sunday, August 3, 2025, marks the 60th anniversary of a powerful moment in that history. On August 3, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a landmark speech at 40th and Lancaster Avenue during his “Freedom Now” tour. Speaking to a crowd of over 10,000 people, Dr. King called for racial justice and an end to segregation in the North.

image: Courtesy of the Special Collections Research Center. Temple University Libraries. Philadelphia, PA

Martin Luther King Jr. at 40th and Lancaster streets in Philadelphia, 1965.

Today, that moment is honored at the very intersection of 40th and Lancaster with a mural, a historical marker, and a striking bronze bust of Dr. King created by West Philadelphia native and third-generation African-American sculptor Rebecca Rose.

In commemoration of this monumental visit, the community will host a vibrant celebration on Sunday, August 3, 2025. Planned in partnership with community leaders, institutions, businesses, and grassroots organizations, this commemorative event will take place at 40th & Haverford and throughout the surrounding Black Bottom neighborhood.

From 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the day will feature a rich lineup of programming, including live performances, spoken word, storytelling, wellness services, free classes, food trucks, and a historical guide tracing Dr. King’s 1965 route through the neighborhood.

Highlights of the day include:

• “Then & Now” Photo Installation showcasing legacy Black Bottom residents

• Oral History Booths in collaboration with Scribe Video Center

• Artist Showcases featuring civil rights–inspired works and MLK tributes

• Wellness Stations offering hair and scalp exams, medical screenings, and emergency preparedness resources

• Street Activation with food trucks, youth activities, storefront exhibits, and community resource tables

• Jantra Morris is organizing  a children's book fair as well. If you'd like to support the Children's Book Fair as part of this commemorative event, please reach out to Jantra Morris via her Facebook page for details on how to donate books.

Dr. King’s 1965 visit also included stops at Girard College, where he joined Cecil B. Moore ( pictured in King Mural) and other civil rights leaders to demand desegregation, and at The Baptist Temple (now Temple Performing Arts Center), where he addressed the urgent housing crisis rooted in segregation.

This event is not just a remembrance. It's a celebration of resilience, community power, and the enduring legacy of the Civil Rights Movement in West Philadelphia.

Help Us Send French-Language Books to African Migrants in ICE Custody by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

 

Illustration-Mitch Blunt

In the growing conversation around immigration and detention in the U.S., one group remains heartbreakingly invisible: African migrants, particularly French-speaking men from countries like Mauritania, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who have been quietly detained by ICE.

These young men, many of whom arrived here seeking asylum from deeply entrenched systems of racial, ethnic, and political violence, are now imprisoned in facilities far from community, legal support, and basic human connection. They are frightened. They are confused. And they are largely forgotten.

I know this personally. A dear friend of mine, a Mauritanian asylum seeker, was detained after showing up as he was supposed to for his annual ICE check-in. He is now held in an ICE facility in rural Pennsylvania. His story is not unique.

What is not making headlines is that hundreds of French-speaking African migrants have recently been detained in similar ways. Many of them did nothing wrong. They followed the rules, checked in regularly, worked hard and lived peacefully in our communities. But they now sit in ICE detention centers, facing an uncertain future and an immigration system that is rarely prepared to support non-Spanish-speaking detainees. Language barriers, cultural isolation, and legal confusion compound their fear.

According to the independent news outlet Prism, as the number of African migrants in ICE custody grows, “ICE still fails to collect or report accurate racial and ethnic data. Advocacy groups like the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and the American Immigration Council have found that many Black African detainees from countries like Mauritania, Mali, and Senegal are routinely misclassified as “white,” effectively erasing their experiences and making it nearly impossible to address the racial disparities they face in detention.”

This data gap means that Black African detainees, already vulnerable, are pushed further into the margins, their needs unseen and their stories untold.

So what can we do?

         

These titles represent the kinds of French-language books that can uplift and connect African migrants currently held in ICE detention. You don’t need to send these exact books, just let this image serve as inspiration for the kinds of stories, voices, and formats that resonate.

We can offer books which are a lifeline for the spirit. A means of connection. A

form of resistance.

I’ve recently reached out to Books Through Bars Philadelphia to raise awareness about this urgent need. If enough of us express interest and send appropriate French-language books, they may be able to help get these materials to African detainees in ICE custody in our region. I encourage you to contact them directly to ask about donating books specifically for this purpose and to let them know there’s a community ready to support this mission. I'm calling on those who care about justice and human dignity to donate French-language books to Books Through Bars Philadelphia. This incredible grassroots organization has long worked to send books to incarcerated individuals.

But not just any books. These men need books that reflect their experiences

that are accessible to those with interrupted education and that affirm

their cultural identity.

You don’t have to order these exact titles.
This list is meant to serve as a guide for the kinds of French-language
books that would be meaningful and accessible to African migrants
 currently in ICE custody.

What to Donate:

• French-language African literature, especially short stories
  
  

• Graphic novels like the Aya series by Marguerite Abouet
  
  

• French-language nonfiction on African history or diasporic identity
  
  

• Poetry or spiritual reflection (in French)
  
  

• Simple grammar books or dual-language readers
  
  

Other Tips for Donors:

• Please choose paperback editions only (no hardcovers).

• Avoid highly academic texts, dense literary criticism, or old-fashioned French.

• Used books in good condition are welcome.

• Donating multiple copies is helpful for shared reading circles.

Many of these young men were not able to finish high school or university. That’s why accessible language, engaging plots, and strong cultural relevance matter. Books can offer relief, affirmation, and a reminder that they are not alone.

For those who want to drop off books directly, call Books Through Bars Philadelphia and find out from them as to the best dates and times to get books to them.

If you can’t donate books, please share this post. And if you would like to sponsor shipping costs or volunteer with Books Through Bars, reach out to them directly.

Together, we can bring light into dark places.

Here is needed contact information.

Books Through Bars Philadelphia

4722 Baltimore Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19143

Visit: booksthroughbars.org

215-727-8170

info@booksthroughbars.org

* If you’re moved to take action, whether by donating a book, sharing this post, or reaching out to Books Through Bars Philadelphia, I’d love to know. Feel free to leave a comment at the end of this blog. It can be submitted anonymously. This helps build a sense of collective care and momentum.

Where History Lives: From The Gilded Age to the 7th Ward by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

                                        

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching HBO’s The Gilded Age and absolutely loving all the nods to my city of Philadelphia and its deep, enduring Black history. I was especially thrilled to hear references to the Institute for Colored Youth, where one of the show’s characters attended school, and to towering figures like Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. The Institute would later become Cheyney University, my beloved alma mater. Another Philadelphia gem is Erica Armstrong Dunbar, an esteemed historian and author, who is also co-executive producer of The Gilded Age.  

Well, this past Sunday, I put my boots on the ground to discover some of this history first-hand with a guided tour designed by The Black Journey; African-American Walking Tour of Philadelphia.   

Our tour began at Mother Bethel AME Church, an  historic church, founded in 1794 by Rev. Richard Allen. Built on the oldest U.S. land continuously owned by African Americans, it remains a powerful symbol of faith and justice. Here, Kenyan scholar Benard Koech listens as historian Mijuel Johnson shares Rev. Allen’s legacy

This public history tour group offers a variety of themed walking tours exploring Black history in Philadelphia. I took the 7th Ward Tour, led by the incomparable Mijuel Johnson, a gifted, young, Black-American public historian. I invited Kenyan academic Benard Koech  on the tour.  He is a Mandela Washington Scholar currently studying at Drexel University this summer. I wanted him to experience this legacy and to witness young Black historians like Johnson carrying that torch forward. I know how rare it is for visitors, and even many Americans, to be exposed to the full richness of Black American life, resistance, and contribution. 

Mural in progress on the historic home

of William Still (1821–1902), famed abolitionist

and Underground Railroad conductor,

and his daughter Dr. Caroline Still Anderson 

(1848–1919), a pioneering Black physician and 

educator.

I was deeply moved when we stood in front of William Still’s house, the Father of the Underground Railroad. I got goosebumps just being there, especially seeing the new mural being painted, of him and his daughter, on the side of his home. Then we visited the space where the Institute for Colored Youth once stood, and I couldn't hold back tears. I was standing on sacred ground, part of a legacy I carry as a Cheyney graduate.

     Site of the original Institute for Colored Youth, founded
 in 1837 by Quaker philanthropist Richard Humphreys.
This pioneering school laid the foundation for what would
 become Cheyney University of Pennsylvania; the nation’s
 oldest historically Black college (HBCU). 

This tour was astounding. 

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911),

poet, abolitionist, suffragist, and

one of the first African American women

to be published in the United States.

Philadelphia’s famous Seventh Ward was a thriving, multicultural neighborhood, which was home to many Black Philadelphians and immigrants from the late 1700s through the 1960s. By 1900, nearly 30% of Black Philadelphians lived in the ward. It was the beating heart of Black Philadelphia, filled with schools, churches, abolitionists, educators, athletes, and activists. It’s no wonder W.E.B. Du Bois came here to conduct his groundbreaking sociological study in 1899-The Philadelphia Negro. He lived among the residents, going door-to-door to capture the lived realities of Black life in America’s first great Black metropolis.

Yesterday’s walk was a full-circle moment. The history we carry is not just in books. It’s in our streets, our walls, our hearts. And it’s still unfolding.

The mural “Mapping Courage: Honoring W.E.B. Du Bois and Engine #11” is located at the corner of 6th Street and South Street in Philadelphia’s historic Seventh Ward. Painted on the side of the former Engine 11 firehouse which is a significant site as the city’s original Black fire company. This stunning public artwork commemorates Du Bois’s groundbreaking 1899 sociological study, The Philadelphia Negro, and the vibrant Black community that once thrived in the 7th Ward.

Click link to explore the full range of walking tours 

https://www.blackjourneyphiladelphia.com/

It was deeply moving to encounter so many historical markers which are public links to the past that honor the lives, struggles, and achievements of those who came before us. Among them, the marker for the Benjamin Banneker Institute, founded in 1854, stood out as a testament to Black intellectual life in Philadelphia, where members like Octavius Catto and Jacob C. White Jr. fostered civic leadership and debate.

From Scoliosis to Sisterhood; Reunited After 50 Years by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

I’m so excited to share this!

After 50 years, I reunited online with Helen Higginbotham last week, and what a powerful moment it was. We appeared on her platform, WBWG-When Black Women Gather- ,to talk about our experiences as young girls living with scoliosis and the extensive treatment we received at our beloved Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia.

We were also joined by Dr. Joshua M. Pahys, orthopedic surgeon and spine specialist at Shriners Hospital , who shared insights on how scoliosis is treated today.

Here’s the link to that podcast episode—take a listen and feel free to share. Our story is one of resilience, sisterhood, healing, and how far we've come. Thank you, again, Helen!

https://youtu.be/jHD1XXaZ0Ng?si=IA4koRiwWSqMejXT

*Artwork by Rona Innes

Before the Stream: Reading Washington Black Together in Philly by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

 

Read it before it streams. 

   Before Washington Black premieres on Hulu July 23, let’s come together to read Esi Edugyan’s remarkable novel, the story of George Washington Black, a young boy born into slavery who escapes and embarks on a globe-spanning journey of invention, survival, and self-discovery.  Here’s a sneak peek at the series—watch the trailer:  https://youtu.be/0ImlSbn43MU?si=8JHKoG6tDRFMPi9K

   Washington Black is recommended for readers ages 16 and up, due to its mature themes of slavery, racial violence, loss, and identity. While it’s beautifully written and deeply moving, it does not shy away from the emotional and historical complexities of its subject. 

   This is more than a book club. It’s a moment to reflect on freedom, flight, and imagination and what those words mean in a city like Philadelphia;  a city shaped by both the ideals of liberty and the brutal realities of slavery, abolition, and migration.

    One of Wash’s stops is Morocco, so how about we gather, at the completion of reading the book,  at a local Moroccan restaurant to share reflections, food, and conversation? A global story, grounded in our city. 

Washington Black is the third novel
by Calgary-born writer Esi Edugyan. 
(Patrick Crean Editions, Tamara Poppitt)

   I know many of us enjoy reading at our own pace, so please feel free to approach Washington Black however works best for you. That said, I’ve put together this optional 2-week reading and reflection schedule for anyone who’d like a little structure as we journey through the book together.  

  Do read read along. And those in the Philly area who are interested in gathering to discuss the book at an local restaurant, do email me at om74@drexel.edu    Let’s read with purpose in the very city where freedom has always been both a dream and a struggle. 

  If you’re so inclined, you can drop your questions or comments below and they’ll be shared with the group. You’re also welcome to share your thoughts anonymously. Let’s read with openness and curiosity. *Click on image to enlarge and see more clearly. 

Compliant But Still Caged: Jailed Steps Away from the USA's Symbols of Liberty by Octavia McBride-Ahebee

*If you prefer to listen, I've recorded this piece for you. Click here to listen it.

* To protect his privacy and avoid any potential impact on his pending immigration case, I have chosen not to use my friend’s name in this essay, which quite honestly feels like another act of erasure. 

We met him a year ago over lunch—a kind, attentive waiter who made us feel at home. Last week he was detained by ICE during what should have been a routine, annual check-in. *Visual recreation for narrative emphasis.

  Two old ladies—myself included—were dining at one of our favorite small restaurants in Philadelphia, a cozy spot with good food and an atmosphere of quiet lushness. As we often do, we engaged in more than surface conversations with the staff taking care of us. Both of us had once waited tables in our youth and we know the labor of this job; the long hours, the hustle, the unspoken attentiveness required. We always made a point of acknowledging that labor.

That evening, the waiter moved with care and a quiet dignity. We thanked him sincerely for his care of us and asked him where he was from. In limited but eager English, he told us he was from Mauritania. He also told us he was working hard to improve his English, though his work schedule didn’t allow him to attend formal classes. Instead, he relied on YouTube courses and English-language movies to teach himself. We were moved by his determination.

    I’m a retired teacher of over 30 years, and there was something about his earnestness that reminded me of the hundreds of students I’d poured into throughout my career. I had missed that work. I missed believing in someone’s potential and helping them believe in it, too. So we got him English course books, tapes, and other materials. We encouraged him to go for his driver’s license. He did. Soon his posse of supporters grew and he became like family.  We learned from him as much as he learned from us.

   Over time, we learned more of his story; his journey to the U.S., his hardships in Mauritania, and the suffocating weight of growing up in a society still deeply entrenched in the legacy of slavery. Mauritania, unlike many of its West African neighbors, remains governed in large part by a lighter-skinned Arab-Berber minority who are often referred to as the Bidhan, or White Moor. They historically enslaved and continue to dominate Black Mauritanians. Slavery wasn’t outlawed there until 1981 and its practice lingers, embedded in social and economic structures that rarely face scrutiny from the outside world.

  He shared these truths quietly, not seeking pity but simply trying to be understood. He also often expressed how much he was growing in his admiration of the United States.. He loved the openness of the people, their willingness to live and let live, and the diverse ways in which communities embrace each other. As a restaurant worker, he saw the breadth of who Americans are and he loved us. Despite the long hours, the hard labor, and the often unfair realities of restaurant work, he still believed this country was a kind of fairytale. Not because it was perfect, but because of the way people from every corner of the world could meet here, share space, and make something together.

To be honest, especially now, I’ve been increasingly critical of the U.S.; a country I love deeply but struggle with. His appreciation reminded us of the admirable possibilities this country still holds. It was grounding to be around someone who saw those qualities with such clarity and conviction.  We, who knew something about struggle and carried the history of this place in our bones, saw in him an opening to hope again. He gave us that.  This is why his sudden detention by ICE,  last Friday, during what he believed to be a routine, annual check-in, has shaken us to our core.

   He is an asylum seeker, legally working in this country while his case for protection status is under review. He pays taxes and contributes quietly, steadily like so many others building a life while waiting for a decision. His annual check-in with ICE was something he’d known about for weeks, and he approached it as he always had: with a sense of responsibility and trust in the process. He had no reason to fear it. For three years, he complied fully and consistently. But this year, on the heels of a quiet yet sweeping policy shift enacted on May 25, 2025, the rules changed authorizing ICE to detain asylum seekers even during routine check-ins, regardless of their history of compliance. He walked into that office and was detained without warning.

   I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize. Normally, I wouldn’t answer—but this time I did, and it was him, calling me hysterical and terrified from the ICE detention center in Philadelphia. He had tried frantically to reach his relatives but couldn’t, and when he finally reached me, he could barely speak through the panic. ICE had already confiscated his phone. He didn’t know why he was being detained. I don’t even know if his lawyer was with him at this time. I did contact his community members about his detention.

  .Since his detention, my family and friends—those who know and care for him—have rallied to send what we can: money, prayers, our love. But we feel helpless. We managed to contact his lawyer, and many of us wrote letters of support to be shared with the court. We also began the long process to get approved for visitation, though that can take weeks—and by then, he may be transferred to another detention center, hours from here, before even having a hearing. I can’t stop thinking about how alone, how forgotten he must feel. We want him to know he isn’t.

   Many people have never even heard of  his country of  Mauritania—not Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, but Mauritania in West Africa, a country still grappling with slavery today. There, a lighter-skinned Arab-Berber minority, sometimes called White Moors, holds power over Black Mauritanians, many of whom are survivors of hereditary slavery, passed down through generations. Remember, slavery only ended there 44 years ago and it still persists in deeply embedded ways.  A few years ago, CNN documented this reality so well with incredible photography. Here is a link to this story:

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/index.html

  How long will we, as a community, stand by in silence as our new neighbors, people who work, contribute, and live among us, are plucked from our neighborhoods without warning? At what point do we stop calling this policy and start calling it what it is: erasure?

*We recently learned he may be moved to another detention facility—far from Philadelphia, and even farther from the people who care about him.

_______________________________________________________

What You Can Do: Stand With Dignity

1. Reach Out to Elected Officials
   Call or write your local, state, and federal representatives. Ask them to investigate the detention of asylum seekers who have committed no crimes and are contributing members of their communities.

2. Support Legal Aid Organizations
   Donate to or volunteer with groups like the ACLU, National Immigrant Justice Center, or local immigrant legal defense funds that provide direct support to people like our friend.

3. Join or Start a Community Support Circle
   Form or join a group that supports newcomers with language learning, navigating transportation, job applications, and emotional connection. Offer rides, tutoring, or simple companionship.

4. Host a Storytelling Event or Vigil
   Create space for people to share their stories—especially those who are often silenced. Use poetry, photography, or just an open mic. Center empathy.

5. Amplify with Care
   Share Haj’s story (or others like it) on social media, in faith communities, or local newsletters—being mindful of privacy, dignity, and consent. Use your voice to counter fear with truth.

6. Push for Local Policy Change
   Advocate for your city or county to become a sanctuary or “welcoming” community. Encourage non-cooperation with ICE detainers unless there is a serious criminal concern.

7. Learn & Teach
   Host a film screening, book group, or panel on Mauritania, migration journeys, or the U.S. detention system. Invite others to question what it means to belong.

8. Create Art in Resistance
   Write. Paint. Compose. Use your craft to document this moment. Art can say what policy language cannot—and can reach those who turn away from headlines.

9. Show Up for Court Dates or ICE Check-ins
   Sometimes just being there is a powerful act of solidarity. Ask how to accompany someone to a check-in or hearing. Your presence can be protective.

10. Support People on the Inside
    Send letters. Fund commissary accounts. Let people in detention know they are not forgotten.