Just North of the enormous shed on Independence Mall that houses the Liberty Bell sits an exhibit that memorializes the first Executive Mansion of the United States, where George Washington lived during his presidency.  Parts of the foundation are visible at the bottom of a hole covered by a glass box. The site as a whole is an interpretation of the domestic and civil lives of nine enslaved Africans who lived there along with Washington and his family.  Its posters and videos tell many of their stories, and impart a great deal of solid historical information about slavery at the birth of the U.S.A.

The exhibit is the result of a long, unrelenting campaign, led by attorney Michael Coard, to convince a reluctant National Park Service that African American history deserves a place in our Freedom narrative.  It has  undoubtedly helped a lot of people see that, and has been a source of enormous satisfaction for Philadelphia's Black community.

Now it is likely that the Trumpists will destroy it, along with every other public reminder that Black lives matter.  Philadelphians will save what we can.  These panoramas are my part.