A BLACK HISTORY REFRESH

OUR PROGRAM HAS BIRTHED A RECORDING!

Our latest labor of love, RAISE [Resurrect, Amplify, Inspire, Share, Educate] has concluded, and has yielded an incredible EP of 6 tracks. The project merges samples from sermons delivered by the late Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan with contemporary hip-hop production from celebrated beat maker Hezekiah Davis III and original verses from our participants.

What we hope you will gain from listening to and supporting this project is deeper insight into the wisdom and activism of Rev. Sullivan himself, and how hip-hop is a multigenerational bridge to teach history and any other subject our youth need to learn. Adults can also better understand the energy that inspires hip-hop expression and culture, and how it can be used as a tool for advocacy and activism. We are now ready to bring this show on the road to educational and cultural institutions, offering a one-day or multi-session module for teen and adult students. Reach out on the CONTACT US page to schedule a meeting to discuss details.

Here is a 2-minute video highlighting our RAISE interns, ambassadors, and a description of the project.

May The Ancestors Be Pleased

Soul Sanctuary is also proud to offer PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY to interested schools and other public and private institutions.

Comprised of images from the late Maurice Sorrell, PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY can be offered as a physical installation or as a digital presentation. Sorrell served as the first credentialed Black person in the White House Photographers Corps, at the urging of President Kennedy, and as a 32-year photojournalist with Johnson Publications. These images represent some that never made it to the pages of newspapers or magazines, but offer an insider’s look at American society and politics, and Black American lives in their candid moments.

The video below offers a look at some of these amazing images from our premiere installation at Slought Foundation in West Philly (now known as Public Trust), along with captures from the opening reception and panel discussion.

Included below are images from our 2024 collaboration with William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, in conjunction with their Black Student Union, Photography and American Studies departments.

Media Literacy,
Through The Generations

In Soul Sanctuary’s early years, we were very focused on helping to train the next generation of cultural leaders, and offer practical skills as communicators, researchers, producers, and broadcast talent.

Using community space in North Philadelphia, we sowed the seeds of what would become GenIsUs: Revitalized Teen Talk, a youth-driven news magazine and talk program that aired on Comcast Cable Network’s public affairs programming and was recorded in their production studios in West Philadelphia’s Parkside neighborhood. After one-and-a-half seasons of the show, Comcast reached a deal with the City of Philadelphia to disband this facility. Future public affairs programming would then transfer to what is now known as PhillyCAM (Philadelphia Community Access Media).

Below you can view one of the interstitial clips that was produced to promote the program during its run.