Photo by Marisa Riley / Ris Productions courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
The 2026 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, with its theme “Rooted: Origins of American Gardening,” will have a new spring in its step, February 28 to March 8. Check out the fun activities: tickets.phsonline.org, or visit phsonline.org/the-flower-show.
FunTimes ‘Culture & Entertainment’ Column, week of February 16, 2026
As winter stubbornly clings to the bone-chilling cold, spring is antsy ready to bloom, idling just around the corner. The highlight of February is that it’s chock-full of activities observing history. Black History Month shines boldly in the spotlight. Here are some free or affordable events that will take your breath away. Just don’t forget to wear a scarf.
FunTimes’ Community Event To Connect ‘Bridge of Freedom’
Thursday, February 19, 2026. Take a journey with FunTimes, as it celebrates Black History Month with Bridge of Freedom: A Fireside Conversation on Freedom and Global Black History. The fireside conversation is part of FunTimes oral history initiative designed to reframe the ongoing story of American independence by connecting it to the global Black liberation movement.
The Bridge of Freedom event will be a riveting discussion featuring community leaders and scholars who will take a deep dive into the themes of the state of freedom, history, and solidarity, as America observes its 250th anniversary this year. The event will be moderated by Mikhael Simmonds, a former Executive Director of the Center for Community Media at CUNY and Mid-Atlantic Manager of Solutions Journalism Network. Panelists will be: David W. Brown, Associate Professor & Assistant Dean for Community and Communications at Temple University; the Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, Pastor of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, and Dr. Tiffany R. Pennamon, Assistant Professor of African American Literature at Lincoln University.
It will focus on an enlightening program including the panel discussion, audience participation, entertainment, and showcase of FunTimes’ community partners, followed by a networking reception. Enjoy a performance by the West Philadelphia String Music & Mentorship Program. Free, pre-registration is encouraged; 5 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, 419 6th St. Email: info@funtimesmagazine.com, 215-954-6300 or https://funtimesmagazine.com/
Chef Valerie Erwin
Learn About Cuisine From The African Diaspora
Saturday, February 21, 2026. Sample benne wafers, a traditional African cookie, at The African Influence on American Food. Learn all about the history of African cuisine in America from activist and longtime chef Valerie Erwin. She will present a more nuanced version than the popular notion of the “soul food.” Explore dishes unchanged from the continent, those adapted to accommodate new ingredients and environment, mixed in with new fare invented in the Americas.
Chef Valerie will treat you to a homemade African dessert from the Low Country, the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, where her grandparents were born. Free but register, 2 p.m. EST. Paschalville Library, 6942 Woodland Ave. 215-685-2662 or https://libwww.freelibrary.org/programs/black-history-month or https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/163132r
Professor Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
Delve Into A Century Of Black History
Sunday, February 22, 2026. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) will celebrate 100 years of Negro History Week and 50 years of Black History Month at A Century of Black History Commemoration with Dr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham.
The program will salute the history, legacy, and preservation efforts by ASALH and its founder, Carter G. Woodson. The American historian, author and journalist, was one of the first to study the history of the African Diaspora in the United States. Based in Washington D.C., the Association for the Study of African American Life and History researches, promotes, and preserves information about Black life, history and culture.
The event will feature a discussion led by acclaimed historian and Harvard scholar, Dr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, a reading of the 2026 Black History Month proclamation, and a document display. In person and online. Free but pre-register, 2 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St. 202-238-5910 or asalh.org
Explore Black Faith In The Colonial Era
Sunday, February 22, 2026. Take an insightful dive into the religious lives of Black people in colonial-era Philadelphia at the discussion, The Black Religious Experience in the Colonial Period.
Learn about the legacies of Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, formerly enslaved men who became visionary faith leaders and founders of the historic Mother Bethel African Episcopal Church and The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. The event will be moderated by the Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, Pastor of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Canon Martini Shaw, Rector of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. The event will be part of Religious Freedom: Then & Now, an initiative that explores 250 years of interfaith engagement in Philadelphia.
The goal is to preserve and learn from the full stories of our shared past. Free, but pre-register, 1 p.m. EST to 3 p.m. EST. Mother Bethel AME Church, 419 S. 6th St. Email: jas@interfaithphiladelphia.org, https://www.interfaithphiladelphia.org/phila250_motherbethel/
Honoring The Fight For Educational Equality
Through Friday, February 27, 2026. The Philadelphia City Archives is celebrating Black History Month during this year’s 250th anniversary milestone with a special exhibit. The city Archives is recognizing the history and legacy of the Institute for Colored Youth and three inspiring pioneering educators who changed Philadelphia’s public-education system.
The exhibit will focus on the work of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, Dr. John Turner, and Caroline LaCount. Dr. Clayton was the first Black female superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. Her longtime leadership transformed the public-school system. Dr. Turner was the first African American to serve on the Board of Public Education. He broke barriers in educational governance and ensured that Black voices were represented in the schools. LeCount was an activist and teacher who forged the path for equal educational access and civil rights.
The Institute for Colored Youth educated some of Philadelphia’s most influential Black leaders during the segregation era. Free, Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 a.m. EST to 4 p.m. EST. Philadelphia City Archives, 548 Spring Garden St. 215-685-9401 or https://www.phila.gov/departments/department-of-records/city-archives/
Campaign for Working Families & ACHIEVEability Offer Free Tax Prep
Campaign for Working Families makes tax season easier with free tax assistance at ACHIEVEability: cwfphilly.org
Through Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Campaign for Working Families (CWF) and ACHIEVEability are making the tax season less taxing. The nonprofits are offering free tax preparation services by trained professionals to West Philadelphia residents this tax season. The goal is to tackle poverty and financial inequities in communities. Millions of dollars in tax credits are left unclaimed by individuals and families annually. More than 1,000 residents benefitted from tax assistance through the program last year, resulting in $855,292 in refunds. Get your $hare. Free, Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST and on select Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CWF’s host location: ACHIEVEability, 5901 Market St. (Suite 410). You can schedule an appointment by email: benefits@cwfphilly.org, at 215-454-6483 or https://www.cwfphilly.org
Photo by Morgan Horell courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Flower Show’s Workshop Is More Than Pot Luck
Friday, February 27 to Sunday, March 8, 2026. What does 197 years old look like? Well, it resembles the award-winning 2026 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, known as the United States’ largest horticultural event.
The annual show supports the Pennsylvania Historical Society’s mission to create healthier, greener communities in Greater Philadelphia. To mark America’s 250th anniversary, the 2026 theme, Rooted: Origins of American Gardening, will honor the people, places, and traditions that have shaped gardening through personal stories, culture, and creativity.
One of the new floral experiences will be the LEARN: Potting Parties — Floral Arranging Made Fun. Polish up on the basics of design with seasonal botanicals in this one-hour container gardening workshop. Led by Tu Bloom, the botanical artist of the Grammy Awards, create your own potted arrangement to take home. The class accommodates every skill level and will be a chance to learn and be creative. $20 per person (the admission is separate from a Flower Show ticket), times vary. Email: flowershowtickets@pennhort.org; tickets.phsonline.org or phsonline.org/the-flower-show.
Black History At Your Fingertips
Take the time to visit the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia’s website recommending a treasure trove of children’s books. The must-read selection accompanies the museum’s “Black History Walk,” a Black History Month exhibit spotlighting Philly’s Black heroes.
The wealth of books covers biographies of historical figures like civil rights leaders Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, Paul Robeson, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The book list also offers parental guidance on topics such as how to talk to kids about race, and the history of African Americans, in titles like Rio Cortez’s “The ABCs of Black History.” https://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/learn/black-history-month/
