Have you had a chance to check out Chronicling Resistance: The Exhibition yet?

Open now at the Parkway Central Library and in its satellite location at the South Philadelphia Library (1700 S. Broad Street), this groundbreaking exhibition and related programming reveal what eight local activists, cultural organizers, and artists unearthed when they dug deeply into the same Philadelphia archives that have historically excluded their voices and perspectives. Through archival items, rare books, oral histories, and original artwork, Chronicling Resistance counters the erasure of Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ people from the historical record, breaks silences, and uncovers new ways of understanding and enacting resistance.

The exhibition at both locations was recently extended through January 31, so you still have plenty of time to visit! At the South Philadelphia Library, visitors can explore more deeply the spirit of Philadelphia's Southeast Asian resistance history. This piece of the project features the work of two of the eight fellows, Lan Dinh and Katherine Antarikso, and recognizes the narrative of many immigrant communities: from displacement following war and political upheaval to establishing and growing community through mutual aid and holding onto cultural traditions.

If you're interested in learning more about the fellows and their important work, browse our YouTube channel for interviews and a deeper dive into their projects and the exhibition.

These videos were produced by PhillyCAM, specifically Darien Woodard, Keyssh Datts, Ramses Montes, Summer Blake, and Jade Lewis-McFall, with support from Ariel Taylor and Laura Deutch.

Earlier this fall, we gathered to celebrate the opening of the exhibition, and captured photos from the evening courtesy of Daniel Jackson. Here's a sneak peek, but there's much more to see, so we hope you'll join us over the coming weeks at the Parkway Central and South Philadelphia Libraries! Chronicling Resistance is over two years in the making, and is preserving and illuminating centuries of systematically excluded history while highlighting stories from current and historical movements resisting oppression and marginalization.

As a fellowship program, institutional-community collaboration, and exhibition, Chronicling Resistance has been supported by generous grants from the Mellon Foundation and The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Chronicling Resistance also would not have been possible without archivists and librarians within the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL).