Photo by Lavonne Nichols
TissaRose had her hands full creating her eye-catching floral display, which the world saw at the just-ended 2026 PHS Philadelphia Flower Show. The Philadelphia-area cosmetologist, who branched out in the “therapeutic” universe of flowers, dug deep into the soil, depicting the roots of agriculture with these African hands embracing the beauty of flowers.
After the winter storm comes the calm of spring. Maybe. Fingers crossed, as March 20th (at 10:46 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S., if you are counting) is braced to usher in the official reawakening of (the astronomical) spring. And with luck, the Kodak moments, nowadays called Instagrammable moments , shall soon begin with a flourish. The late comedian Robin Williams described spring as “Nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s Party!’ So, let’s start the party early with these mostly low-cost or free fun festivities.
Waters Overflows With Spiritual Joy
Pianist Kayla Waters-Medley. Photo courtesy of yamaha.com
Thursday, March 12, 2026. Kayla V. Waters-Medley proves that the apple does not stray far from the musical tree. Her father is the renowned urban jazz saxophonist Kim Waters. She has followed in his nimble fingerprints. Water-Medley brings her musical genes to the Philly stage as a gifted pianist, composer and producer. The classically-trained Waters-Medley will perform songs from her album Anew, a soul-stirring, piano-driven showcase of her joyful creativity and versatility. She was the first female pianist to top the contemporary jazz charts for multiple weeks and is a six-time No. 1 artist on Billboard and Mediabase. She has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Patrice Rushen, The Jacksons, Regina Belle, Sheila E., Dave Koz, and her dad, Kim Waters.
$39 per person, 9 p.m. EST. Unscripted Jazz at SOUTH, 600 N. Broad St. 267-225-8018 or https://www.exploretock.com/south-unscripted-jazz-philadelphia/
Be First To Visit Philly’s ‘52 Weeks of Firsts’
The Mother Bethel AME Church in Center City is located on the oldest piece of land owned continuously by African Americans.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, to Thursday, December 31, 2026. Philadelphia has always been a ‘city of firsts.’ It has been so since its founding, producing the first abolitionist society (1775), first balloon flight (1793), first pro basketball team (1889) and many more innovations. As part of the ongoing America250 anniversary celebrating the Declaration of Independence, check out a weekly event series honoring Philly’s pioneering contributions.
The series will begin this week. Hosted by the Philadelphia Historic District, 52 Weeks of Firsts pays tribute to Philly as a trailblazing city for 250 years. Featured Philadelphia “firsts” include inventions like the bifocals, cultural milestones such as Mother’s Day, and historic sites like the Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Mother Bethel sits on the oldest land continuously owned by African Americans (1794) and is a 19th-century landmark with religious artifacts displayed in the church’s Richard Allen Museum. Events will take place citywide at original locations and include speakers and a deep conversation into history by the group of storytellers, Once Upon a Nation. Various locations, including Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 419 S. 6th Street https://globalphiladelphia.org/events/52-weeks-firsts or https://www.visitphilly.com/52-weeks-of-firsts/#public-girl-scount-cookie-sal
He Wrote The Book On Abolition
Friday, March 13, 2026. Check out a book discussion with Tom Weiner, co-author of In Defiance: 20 Abolitionists You Were Never Taught in School. The event will focus on the United States’ first public anti-slavery protest, which was inspired by the power of a document of resistance in Historic Germantown in 1688.
Go deep into America’s abolitionist history and its timeliness today. The book chronicles 20 unheralded stories of those who fought bravely to end enslavement. The conversation is a follow-up to the 52 Firsts Firstival last month, celebrating the first protest against slavery in America.
Free, 7 p.m. EST. Historic Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse, 6119 Germantown Ave. Email: gmht@meetinghouse.info, 215-843-0943 or https://historicgermantownpa.org/
Play Looks at Race & Power
Playwright James Ijames
March 17 to April 5, 2026. The inspiration and setting are based on the Colonial era, but the theme is relevant today. Check out the riveting production of The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington by James Ijames and directed by Brett Ashley Robinson. The play depicts the United States’ first First Lady on her deathbed. Martha Washington is put on trial by the enslaved people who will be freed after her death. The interpretation, featuring this hallucinatory fever dream, has been described as “a raucous and real reckoning” created by Pulitzer Prize winner Ijames and the Wilma’s Hothouse Acting Company. The satire looks candidly at racism and power from America’s birth.
$20 (students) to $68 per ticket; show times vary: 2 p.m. EST & 7 p.m. EST; suggested for ages 13+. Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. 215-546-7824 or wilmatheater.org
The Women of Historic Fair Hill
Saturday, March 14, 2026. Try a guided Women’s History Tour during Women’s History Month, honoring the stories and contributions of remarkable women connected to Historic Fair Hill. It is a national historic site that once served as a Quaker burial ground in Historic Germantown from 1703 until the 1960s. It was one of Philadelphia’s first racially integrated cemeteries. Prominent women’s rights activists and abolitionists from the 18th and 19th centuries are buried at Fair Hill, 2901 Germantown Ave.
Free, but donations are accepted; 1 p.m. EST to 2 p.m. EST. Email: info@historicfairhill.com, 215-844-1683 or https://historicfairhill.com/events/womens-history-tour-2/ or https://historicfairhill.com/events/
Apply For A Scholarship To Study Abroad
By Monday, March 16, 2026. Get up to $6,500 through the United Negro College Fund’s The Beverly J. Gilliam Scholarship for Foreign Study, open to students pursuing summer study programs abroad. The goal is to help students obtain international experiences to compete in the global job market. Eligible students must be enrolled as a sophomore or junior at one of the UNCF’s member institutions during the 2025-26 academic year. The study-abroad program will take place in the summer of 2026, allowing recipients to earn credits toward their undergraduate degrees. Submit an online application, resume, transcript, essays, study-abroad details, and academic recommendation.
UNCF awards more than $62 million in annual scholarships to students from more than 600 schools in the United States, including its college network of 37 HBCUs. The foreign study scholarship application deadline is March 16, 2026, by 6 p.m. EST.
Email: William.dunham@uncf.org or https://opportunities.uncf.org/s/program-landing-page?id=a2iVJ00000go7hHYAQ
An Exhibit With A Stroke of ‘Feminist Thought
Artist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter. Photo by Eva Cruz courtesy of The Print Center.
Thursday, March 19, 2026. For a stroke of genius, check out Artist Talk with Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter at The Print Center. Baxter will discuss her career and the inspiration behind her current exhibition, “Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter: Epilogues of the Black Madonna.” The exhibit will be at The Print Center until Saturday, April 4, 2026. The promotional literature notes that the exhibit focuses on “…Christian worship furnishings, medieval Marian iconography, 19th century photography and self-portraiture. Rooted in Black feminist thought and transformative justice, Baxter envisions new ways to reclaim the sanctity of Black girlhood.” The Philadelphia artist’s work has been included in the monumental exhibition, Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, 2020, the Brooklyn Museum, NY, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, OH, and other notable museums. In-person and virtual event. Registration is not required for in-person attendance.
Free, 6 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St. Email: mhawk@printcenter.org, https://printcenter.org/ or https://printcenter.org/100/event/artist-talk-with-mary-enoch-elizabeth-baxter/
Eagles’ Saquon Barkley To Get Award At Mayor’s Masked Ball
Saturday, March 21, 2026. Drum roll, please, as the Cheyney University Gospel Choir, featuring selections like “Lift Every Voice & Sing,” will lead the way at the United Negro College Fund Philadelphia’s 2026 Mayor’s Masked Ball fundraiser and awards ceremony. It is UNCF’s signature event, supporting life-changing scholarship efforts. It will be a night to shine. Hosted by UNCF Philadelphia and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, five community and corporate difference-makers will receive the 2026 Mayor’s Masked Awards: Cheryl McKissack Daniel, President & CEO of McKissack & McKissack, who will be honored with the Individual Champion Award; the Exelon Corporation will receive the Corporate Champion Award, and The Michael Ann and Saquon Barkley Foundation will be the beneficiaries of the Community Support Champion Award. Joseph Hill, Managing Director of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, will receive the Advancing Young Leadership Award (ATLA), and hip-hop icons Philadelphia’s The Roots will be honored with a special Semiquincentennial Legacy Award to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
The evening will feature the awards program led by emcee Tamela Edwards of 6abc, a live and silent auction with exclusive items, and raffle with coveted prizes. Attendees will don their finest fancy masks and formal wear for a night of glitz, glamour and philanthropy to support the UNCF’s mission to provide educational opportunities for college students in need. Over the years, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to assist more than 550,000 students.
$450, 7 p.m. EST. (Doors open at 6 p.m. EST.) Downtown Marriott Hotel, 12th & Market streets, in Center City Philadelphia. Email: cstarling@uncf.org, 215-422-3373 or https://uncf.org/PhiladelphiaMMB
