‘First Wednesdays’ at the Please Touch Museum. Photo courtesy of the Please Touch Museum: pleasetouchmuseum.org.
FunTimes Magazine Culture + Entertainment column, week of March 10, 2025.
“Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed towards the sun, one’s feet moving forward.” — Nelson Mandela
March is filled with many notable observances like World Wildlife Day, World Water Day, and, of course, Women’s History Month, when history becomes herstory; it’s like a wonderful birthday for women all month long. March has been called “a canvas waiting for your unique brushstrokes of joy.” From jazz to comedy, find some of your joy through these great events. And don’t forget: When event-going, consider taking precautions, especially when among groups and while indoors, with the risk of COVID-19 variants and other infectious health concerns.
Three pieces of art from the City Hall exhibit, Neuroinclusion & Neurodiversity Under ONE Roof – The People’s Roof! Images courtesy of Creative Philadelphia (creativephl.org).
An Exhibit of Inclusion
Through Friday, April 25, 2025. To celebrate March’s National Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Month and National Autism Acceptance Month in April, Creative Philadelphia’s Art In City Hall program has created Neuroinclusion & Neurodiversity Under One Roof – The People’s Roof! It’s an engaging exhibition organized by the Autistic Art Coalition of Philadelphia (AACOP) and its community partners. The exhibit is comprised of 75 artists from the Autistic Art Coalition of Philadelphia, along with a long list of community partners. The Autistic Art Coalition of Philadelphia was founded in 2022 by photographer-artist Colleen Ott. As a former Community Autism Peer Specialist, Ott recruited artists. The goals were to foster acceptance and educate the public about the value of neuroinclusion and neurodiversity while creating a welcoming community of creativity and artistic expression. To mark the occasion, the city’s Creative Philadelphia presented a mayoral proclamation recognizing March as “National Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Acceptance Month” last month at a City Hall ceremony. Free, 9 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Weekdays City Hall (northeast corners of 2nd-and-4th-floor hallways). 215-686-8446 or https://aacophilly.org/ or https://taconylab.org/.
Rooted & Rich in Jazz
Thursday, March 13, 2025. The Women’s Coalition for Empowerment, Inc. presents Jazz First For A Queen is perfect for a Women’s History Month celebration dedicated to the contributions and talent of Black musicians. It demonstrates women’s indelible stamp on jazz, especially in a city so intimately stitched into the fabric of jazz. Hosted by Shekhinah B., vibe to the melodious sounds of Geri Oliver, Michelle “Songbird” Ray, Ella Ghahnt, and Mary Cross. $30 ($35 at the door), 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. EST. Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St. in South Philadelphia, 215-320-2601 or thewce.org/events.
Laugh Out Loud
Saturday, March 15, 2025. Tickle your funny bone at Comedy in Color: A Night for the Culture hosted by Dear Black Man, You Good. It will be a night of food, fun, and fundraising. Enjoy a great dinner catered by Dorsey Delish Catering and wine at an open bar before relaxing with a comedy show featuring Josh Kosh, Coby Jackk, and Tata Sherise. Single tickets: $50 (No cash: Venmo, Paypal, Zelle); 7:30 p.m. EST to 10:30 p.m. EST. Washington’s Events, 911 N. Broad St. eventbrite.com.
Christian McBride (left) & Ursa Major
Music Man McBride Shares His Name & Knowledge
Monday, March 17, 2025. Music education and advocacy are essential in the wake of rising cuts to the arts over the decades. Christian McBride, an eight-time GRAMMY-winning bassist-composer-bandleader, has stepped up for the cause. Check out the City Winery Philadelphia presents Christian McBride & Ursa Major Live in concert. Ursa Major, four rising young master instrumentalists, joins mentor McBride on stage. The group will feature saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Mike King, and drummer Savannah Harris. Through Ursa Major and other young emerging musicians, McBride has lent his name and celebrity as a champion for youth; he is the Artistic Director of Jazz House Kids and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions promoting youth development in music. McBride has dipped into the heart of jazz, R&B, pop/rock, hip-hop/neo-soul, and classical genres. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He is a national radio host. Individual tickets: $48 to $85; 7:30 p.m. EST. (Doors open at 6 p.m. EST). 990 Filbert St. 267-479-7373 or citywinery.com.
The Smooth Show
Jazz Quartet’s Groove Is Smooth
Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Jazz Bridge Board Member Kevin Valentine will host “Jazz in Germantown,” which is part of Tuesday’s Neighborhood Concerts series featuring The Smooth Show. The Philadelphia-based band flexes its musical muscle with a sweet blend of improvisational jazz, funk, R&B, and hip-hop through the nimble hands of the band’s founder and saxophonist Stephen Mitnaul, drummer Clayton Carothers and keyboardist David Criswell and bassist Lloyd Billups. Enjoy a question-and-answer session with the musicians after the concert. Single tickets: $15 in advance (online); $20 at the door; free for students and children; 7 p.m. EST to 8:30 p.m. EST. Settlement Music School Germantown Branch, 6128 Germantown Ave. 215-320-2610 or https://jazzbridge.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F8560.
Learn to Earn At Tech. Conference
Thursday, March 20 to Saturday, March 22, 2025. It’s advertised as “A Philly TechTakeover.” Check out Diversitech 2025 powered by Tribaja for yourself. It’s one of the United States’ largest three-day in-person events in the tech industry. The interactive conference will showcase growing career opportunities to help raise economic mobility and equity for Black and Latinx individuals. Said Shannon Morales, CEO of Tribaja, in a press release: “We’re uniting change-makers, innovators, and leaders to create a future where tech careers are accessible to everyone, regardless of their background.” Diversitech connects newcomers, rising tech stars, and seasoned professionals with inclusive leading employers and skills training. Learn about the latest innovations, tools, resources, and connections in the ever-changing tech field. Engage with industry recruiters while exploring professional development workshops on career coaching, job prep, and leadership. The event is designed for ages 18 and older. Inquire about pricing; 8 a.m. EST to 4:30 p.m. EST March 20 & 21: Rivers Casino Philadelphia, 1001 N. Delaware Ave. March 22: various venues. https://diversitech.tribaja.co.
‘Tides of Freedom: African-American Presence on the Delaware River’ is an exhibit about enslavement and emancipation.
History Project On African-American Women
History may die with those who created it without efforts to chronicle the aging who forged our past. For that reason, the Independence Seaport Museum (ISM) has established an oral history initiative, “Breaking Uncommon Ground on the Delaware River.” It’s an ambitious multi-generational endeavor to collect the unknown, or forgotten, stories of African-Americans who lived and worked along the Delaware River in the mid-to-the-late 20th and 21st centuries in Philadelphia. They are the genuine words of many of the eyewitnesses who shaped history. You are invited to contribute a related true story to the project. These accounts will inform and bolster the maritime museum’s ongoing exhibition, “Tides of Freedom: The African Presence on the Delaware River,” which looks at the history from the 1800s to the1920s. The museum will preserve the oral histories in an audio/visual component, an online presence through its YouTube channel, and an online archive. In addition to the original focus of gathering stories of people who were displaced by the construction of Interstate 95 through Philadelphia, the project will now include Black women who contributed to Black culture in Philadelphia and work connected to the Delaware River. That includes selling food and other items, babysitting river workers’ children, working in offices near the river, and those who labored as dock workers and shipyard employees. Paul D. Best, the museum’s director of the oral history project, noted in a press release: “Black women were the first to take charge. Stories of their initiative and impact are often put in the shadows and out of the history books, but they remain primarily through the oral tradition.” $15 to $30; 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST daily. Independence Seaport Museum. To learn more or contribute a story: 215-413-8655 or https://www.phillyseaport.org/breaking-uncommon-ground/ or phillyseaport.org.
