The four works described below, all written by Black Philadelphia women, appear in my new anthology, “A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings about the City of Brotherly Love.” I’m a professor of English at Long Island University, and I’ve edited several anthologies of African American and Afro Caribbean authors as well as a collection of writings about Coney Island. My latest book features fiction, nonfiction and poetry written by Philadelphia-based writers from the city’s founding to the present day.
Despite the daunting challenges Black Philadelphians have faced throughout history – including racial prejudice and gender inequality in housing, public transportation, education, public health and criminal justice – these four writers convey an enduring faith in family and community, and a hope that Philadelphia will fulfill its promises of equality to its Black citizens.
