10 Murals Honoring Women

Building on Germantown’s rich cultural legacy as a home for artists and writers, We Still Here!, by Jetsonarama and Ursula Rucker, highlights poetry from local youth and community members. Emanating from a megaphone, Rucker’s call that “We Still Here! ” amplifies the community voices that have long championed Germantown as one of Philadelphia’s gems. Her poem celebrates the diversity and brilliance of this historic community.

This mural, by artist Amy Sherald, is based on a portrait of Najee S., a young Philadelphian and participant in Mural Arts’ Art Education program. Sherald made headlines worldwide with her stunning official portrait of Michelle Obama, our first African-American First Lady.  Like the First Lady’s portrait, Sherald’s mural challenges ideas about identity and the public gaze, asking the questions: “Who is allowed to be comfortable in public spaces? Who is represented in art? How can one woman’s portrait begin to shift that experience for others?”

This mural at 2985 Germantown Avenue in Philadephia celebrates the courageous work of Harriet Tubman and Philadelphian-area abolitionists, including William Still, Lucretia Mott, Robert Purvis, and Jacob Blockson.  Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.

The Women of Germantown on the historic YWCA building celebrates three influential women born in the neighborhood: Louisa May Alcott, a writer known for the novel Little Women; Clarice Herbert, the first African American woman on the YWCA’s central board of directors; and Sarah McClean, whose patronage built the Germantown Y in 1912.

Mamie Nichols was a community leader who advocated fiercely for her community by serving as the Executive Director of the Point Breeze Federation.

Marie Dendy served as a block captain in her North Philly neighborhood and devoted her life to improving her community. It is through her hard work that the Dendy Recreation Center was constructed and later renamed in her honor.

Lieutenant Joyce Craig of Lawncrest’s Engine 64 lost her life in the line of duty in 2014, while fighting a massive fire and saving lives.

Singer-songwriter Patti LaBelle is the Godmother of Soul, a force of nature in the entertainment world, and a local hero.

Following the alphabet from start to finish, this mural from Shira Walinsky features pioneering pilots, activists, teachers, explorers, artists, and so many more.

This mural pays tribute to the unnamed and unacknowledged women throughout history.