Program Portfolio
A look and listen into programs, podcasts, and videos author and “Black History Maven” Kalela Williams has been a part of.
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello’s new series of dynamic conversations with leading thinkers exploring Jefferson's world, ideas, and legacy. Kalela Williams is in conversation with author Jocelyn Johnson.
Ben Franklin’s World speaks with Aaron Sullivan, author of The Disaffected: Britain’s Occupation of Philadelphia during the American Revolution; George Boudreau, author of Independence: A Guide to Historic Philadelphia; and Kalela Williams, founder of Black History Maven.
Finding Frances is a podcast series exploring the life and work of 19th century Philadelphia luminary Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911), hosted by Kalela Williams and produced by JourneyArts, formerly Intercultural Journeys. This four-part podcast talks with scholars, activists, poets, archivists, and musicians as they explored Harper’s legacy, and work to honor her memory.
A first person interpretive performance, followed by a discussion about James Forten, a Free Black and Revolutionary War Privateer. This virtual program was hosted by the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. A performance by Nathan Alford-Tate opens the program, followed by a dialogue with Alford-Tate, Michael Idriss, and Kalela Williams at 18:58.
Opera Philadelphia showcased the life and work of 19th century poet, abolitionist and women’s rights activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper in a premiere a new work by composer Tyshawn Sorey, inspired by the 1887 poem “Save the Boys.” Kalela Williams led a workshop for educators on teaching F.E.W. Harper’s poem, as well as discussed her life in Philadelphia in a short video.
These Roots is a series that explores the day to day lives of Black people across America in the 18th and 19th centuries. This episode follows Judith, a free Black Woman who worked as a Pepper Pot vendor in Philadelphia at the beginning of the 19th century.
A Census Story
The census helps determine federal funding of communities and to draw political districts, so it’s vital that we fill it out. The 1920 and 1930 censuses give me hints as to my grandmother’s childhood…
Historical interpreter Kalela Williams sat down with Museum Gallery Interpretation Manager Tyler Putman to talk about bringing African American experiences of the Revolution to life. Watch the interview as Williams discusses the character she portrays – an African American teacher in Philadelphia in the 1790s – and explores the challenges of developing a character based on scant historical material.
Brooklyn, Black Girlhood, and the Great Migration
I choose to speak with Gladys Simmons Suddeth and share her story, because her past dovetails with Jacqueline Woodson’s beautifully-wrought novel, Another Brooklyn.
Following the Footsteps of Octavius V. Catto
Where can we find traces of Octavius V. Catto in Philadelphia? How can we discover more about him? Can we walk where he once did? What is left to us and what has time taken?
