Nationwide — As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, three Black women are leading the effort to preserve one of the nation’s most significant historical landmarks, which documents the realities of slavery in America’s founding era. Located just steps from Independence Hall, Philadelphia’s President’s House Slavery Exhibit tells the story of the nine enslaved Africans held in bondage by President George Washington while he lived and worked in the nation’s first executive mansion.
To highlight the exhibit’s historical significance and the importance of protecting it for future generations, former Philadelphia City Councilwoman At-Large Blondell Reynolds-Brown, historical archaeologist Dr. Cheryl LaRoche, and attorney, historian, and author Sheilah Vance came together for a public forum on Monday, July 6, in Philadelphia.
Historians and advocates say the exhibit is essential because it ensures that America’s founding story includes the people whose lives and sacrifices were erased for generations. With the exhibit now the subject of ongoing federal court proceedings, preserving this powerful piece of history has become more important than ever.
“This event was never about the lawsuit. It was about the people,” said Xina Eiland, president and CEO of XinaPR (X+PR), who curated and moderated the evening. “Dr. Cheryl LaRoche, Sheilah Vance, and former Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown have each spent their careers making sure the country’s founding story includes the people it left out. The 250th was the moment to hear from them directly. For decades, these three women have contributed scholarship, advocacy, and public service dedicated to ensuring that Black history remains an inseparable part of America’s national story.”
Presented by X+PR, Same Ground: The President’s House, Valley Forge, and the Question of Whose Story Gets Told was held at The Fashion District (Love Lab), 932 Market Street, where attendees gathered for a reception, moderated discussion, and book signing.
The forum connected two of Philadelphia’s most important Revolutionary-era stories. At its center was The President’s House Slavery Exhibit, which has stood since 2010 as the city’s primary memorial documenting the lives of the nine enslaved men and women held by George Washington during his presidency. The exhibit, now at the center of ongoing federal litigation, has become one of the nation’s most important public acknowledgments of slavery’s role in the founding of the United States.
Dr. LaRoche served on the original archaeological team that excavated The President’s House site, helping uncover the physical evidence that made the exhibit possible. She is the author of Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad: The Geography of Resistance, Apostle of Liberation: AME Bishop Paul Quinn and the Underground Railroad, and the upcoming young adult book The Resurrectors.
Vance’s work shines light on another overlooked chapter of American history: the free Black people and enslaved Africans who served alongside George Washington’s forces during the six-day Gulph Mills Encampment immediately before the Continental Army’s winter at Valley Forge. Her book, Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment, is the first full-length account documenting those six pivotal days and the Black presence within Washington’s army.
Reynolds-Brown brought a civic and historical perspective to the discussion, drawing on her years as a Philadelphia City Councilwoman At-Large, where she authored dozens of bills advancing women, children, families, the arts, minority- and women-owned businesses, LGBTQIA rights, and environmental initiatives. She is also the author of the memoir Walking a Tightrope Backward in High Heels.
The evening also featured a surprise appearance by civil rights attorney Michael Coard, founder of the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), whose two-decade advocacy campaign helped lead to the creation of The President’s House Slavery Exhibit in 2010. Speaking from the audience, Coard provided attendees with a firsthand update on the federal court proceedings involving the exhibit.
The event was presented as part of Philadelphia’s America 250 programming. Photos from the evening are available upon request. Additional information about the speakers is available at their respective websites: Dr. Cheryl LaRoche (DrCherylLaroche.com), Sheilah Vance (SheilahVance.com), and Blondell Reynolds-Brown (MoxieBRB.com)
About X+PR
X+PR is a strategic public relations consultancy led by Xina Eiland, working at the intersection of generation, culture, and legacy. Learn more at xinapr.com.
For press inquiries, contact Xina Eiland, X+PR at xina@xinapr.com or 703-785-4358