Black History in Philadelphia Landscape: Preserving Christian Street

In this richly illustrated presentation, author Amy Jane Cohen will examine the many ways in which history is acknowledged in our built environment. Her talk will focus on the historical importance of Christian Street in the Black Philadelphia experience. She will describe the history of the First African Baptist Church and efforts to save the building from demolition. She will also look at the successful campaign to create the Christian Street/Black Doctors Row Historic District. This talk has been developed explicitly for the Preservation Alliance, so people who have heard other book talks by Amy Jane Cohen are encouraged to attend.

Amy Jane Cohen spent twenty years as a middle and high school social studies teacher. In 2013, she became the Director of Education at the film company History Making Productions, where she developed educational materials to accompany documentaries, mostly about the history of Philadelphia. Amy produced Octavius V. Catto: A Legacy for the 21st Century which won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Historic/Cultural Program Feature. Amy is a frequent contributor to Hidden City. Her first book Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape: Deep Roots, Continuing Legacy was published by Temple University Press in 2024.