Byberry Quaker Meeting of Friends

06/10/2026

Byberry African American Burial Ground Clean Up

Come help clear and bag brush and litter at the Byberry African American Burial Ground located in Benjamin Rush State Park. There will be a dedication later this month. Please see the flyer below.

Entrance to the park is near 2727 Southampton Rd, zip 19154, just east of the Boulevard. Please find the park entrance signs and follow the drive; continue as it loops around the Community Gardens on the left. At the end of the loop, just past the gardens, is the parking area nearest to the Burial Ground. Park there, and walk down the path to the Grounds.

Registration link : https://www.friendsofpoquessing.org/events/june-cleanup-with-the-byberry-friends

Thanks to our partners at Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets , Poquessing Trail of History and poquessingcreek

06/09/2026

We are pleased to announce that our updated website is now live. (Byberryquakers.org)

All our events and links to anything and everything Byberry Friends Meeting will all be available in one place!

We will be adding updates and pages as time goes on!

Check out our robust calendar for our June Events and come back often to look for updates!

Special thanks to the Grants Program at quakerspym underwriting our endeavors! We are wound grateful for the support!

Peace ✌️

06/09/2026

**This Friday, June 12, 7–8:30pm**
Screening: Expanding Sanctuary + Community Discussion. A film by kristalsotomayor

Join us for a screening of Expanding Sanctuary where an immigrant mother emerges as a community leader during the historic campaign to end the sharing of the Philadelphia police database with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Expanding Sanctuary tells a rarely told story about a Latinx immigrant community’s successful journey to change legislation and protect families.

The screening will be followed by a community discussion. Together, we will unpack the emotional aftermath of community violence, explore ways to better support our immigrant neighbors, and discuss how to keep our home towns safe, resilient spaces for all.

Thank you to dofdnational for organizing this wonderful event!

*For more information and signup please visit the calendar on our website at byberryquakers.org

06/02/2026

Don’t miss the chance to see a great performance this weekend!

Don’t miss this! 🕯️🕯️🕯️
Our friends at Poquessing Trail of History are presenting a powerful and evocative performance about This Monstrous Law a/k/a The Fugitive Slave Act.

Free tickets are going fast.

This Monstrous Law!
*dramatic performance*
Saturday, June 6, 2026
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Byberry Quaker Meeting of Friends
What happens when you recreate a historic event just steps from where it happened?
We’ve partnered with Millicent Sparks Productions to create an original living history performance of abolitionists Robert Purvis and Harriet Forten Purvis, who boldly responded to an inhumane law by rallying local citizens to defy it. Concert singer, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, “The Black Swan,” lends her melodic support to the proceedings.
For more information and to reserve your FREE seat, please visit
https://preservationalliance.com/all_events/this-monstrous-law-robert-and-harriet-purvis-and-the-fugitive-slave-act-dramatic-presentation/

04/21/2026

04/21/2026

04/20/2026

The Quaker community is excited to announce screenings of Becoming Benjamin Lay, a documentary, in the Philly suburbs. Benjamin Lay was the Quaker “prophet against slavery” who, in the 1700s, pressed Quakers to the forefront of the anti-slavery movement.

Screenings are free and open to everyone of all ages:

- Abington Meetinghouse, 520 Meetinghouse Rd, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, at 7pm on Friday 29 May.

Radnor Friends Meetinghouse, 610 Conestoga Rd, Villanova, Pennsylvania, on Saturday 30 May at 2-3pm.

Newtown Friends Meetinghouse, 219 Court St, Newtown, at 9:45-11am on Sunday 31 May.

Friends can learn more at the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting website.

***

Photo of historian/playwright Marcus Rediker and filmmaker Tony Buba. Credit: Darin DiNapoli.

04/13/2026

Earth Day is almost here! Join us for a great multi-organization event April 18th. Please see flyer below for details. 🌍

04/10/2026

Don’t miss the Northeast Philadelphia History Network History fair tomorrow !!!

Saturday, April 11 -- 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
Cannstatters -9130 Academy Rd, Phila 19114
Key Note Speaker Jack McCarthy: Northeast
Philadelphia & the Declaration of
Independence
Sam Katz presents “In Pursuit…” view the
Revolutionary War episode of his acclaimed
series and discuss it with Sam himself!
The Threads of History participatory history/art
project
Featuring Bob the Blacksmith
Historical presentations, over 3 dozen exhibits,
books, prints, maps, etc.
email [email protected]
or follow the Northeast Philadelphia History Network page!

04/06/2026

Lecture by award-winning biographer Stephen Fried

A renowned physican, founding father, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush was one of Philadelphia’s leading citizens in the late 18th and early 19th century. Award-winning writer Stephen Fried, author of Rush: Revolution, Madness & The Visionary Doctor Who Became A Founding Father, will speak about Rush’s life and times and activism.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Free parking.
Monday, April 6, 2026
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush High School
11081 Knights Road
Philadelphia, PA 19154

FREE — Registration Required

https://preservationalliance.givecloud.co/Benjamin-Rush-Citizen-Activist