A wisecracking rabbi, a tearful Council President, slam poetry from an Abbott Elementary star, a cameo by the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Philadelphia’s mayoral inauguration was quite a show.
Much of the four-hour long program on Tuesday was taken up by traditional swearing-ins and speeches. New Mayor Cherelle Parker delivered a nearly hour-long address and new Council President Kenyatta Johnson spoke for about half an hour; there were remarks by his departing predecessor Darrell Clarke and earnest prayers from several members of the clergy.
But the traditional oath-takings, vows to uplift the city, and lengthy recitals of anti-crime and pro-education strategies were also studded with unexpected moments of emotion and humor.
With its celebration of the city’s first woman mayor and first Black woman mayor, and performances by church choirs in the grandly renovated space of The Met theater on North Broad, the event at times also recalled a rousing Sunday service at one of the city’s Baptist churches.
Here are a few of the memorable moments from the Tuesday morning celebration.
A city to die for
The program began with an invocation by the Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler of Mother Bethel AME Church. After the presentation of colors, attendees sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which the NAACP calls the National Black Anthem.
Tyler spoke about the hard work of making a democratic city and the many “gaps” citizens are trying to fill, like gun violence, homelessness, mass incarceration and, perhaps most vividly, the “trash gap” — with its “mountains of trash on the corners that depress the spirits of the residents and the neighbors.”
After performances by two school choirs, outgoing Council President Clarke came up and named the dignitaries on the stage.
He listed off HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, state legislators, and a few past Philadelphia mayors, including “former — current — I’m not quite sure — Mayor James F. Kenney,” which drew laughs from Kenney and the audience. “We’ll see in a moment,” Clarke added.
Next came prayers from Bishop James Darrell Robinson, Rev. Bonnie Camarda, Amir Qasim Rashad, and Rabbi Solomon Isaacson.
Isaacson, of Congregation Beth Solomon in Northeast Philadelphia, is originally from Crown Heights and still has a distinct Brooklyn accent. Before starting his prayer, he took a moment to warm up the crowd.
“You know, when I looked at the invitation, and I saw my name at the bottom of the page, I figured anybody would be happy to see me because they’d know the program is over,” he said, drawing a burst of laughter. “But then I realized, I didn’t read it right.”
A couple minutes into his remarks, he alluded to a minor controversy over when, exactly, Parker official took office. “May the Almighty bless our new mayor — our incoming mayor, because she hasn’t sworn in yet, right?” he said, turning to look to where she was sitting. (In truth, rebbe, it turns out she was privately sworn in shortly after midnight on Jan. 1.)
Isaacson said he hoped and prayed everyone in city government would work with Parker and Johnson “to make this city better than any other city in the country,” which drew loud applause and cheers. “To make this city a place where people will want to live, where people will die to come to Philadelphia.”
“Not die, but, you know…” he trailed off, waggling his hand in a “well, not exactly” gesture. The crowd burst into laughter, and councilmembers on the stage exchanged grins. The rabbi then concluded his remarks to appreciative applause.
“Trials and tribulations”
Next up, the council clerk read off the names of the City Council members. Each name drew cheers from family and supporters in the audience. Newly elected Superior Court Judge Timika Lane swore them in, and the councilmembers formally voted to make Johnson their president.
Johnson thanked his wife, talked about parenting their two sons during a busy life of public service, and noted his admiration for Kenney, Clarke, Sen. Anthony Williams and others. He launched into detailed descriptions of his five priority areas for the next four years: gun violence, poverty, homelessness, education, and business and workforce development.
Pretty typical stuff — until the end, when he said he was going to take a few moments “to clear up some misperceptions about me as a person, as a leader, as well as address the footnote that is consistently a part of every article written about me and my family.”
“Take your time,” a man called out. The audience murmured and clapped.
“As everyone knows, in recent years, my wife Dawn and I went through trials and tribulations that made a lot of people across this region question our integrity,” Johnson continued. “Those were challenging days.”
He was referring to a federal indictment handed down in 2020 that alleged that he and his wife accepted bribes in exchange for taking action on behalf of real estate developers.
Johnson said many of his council colleagues and other people stood by him despite the allegations. “They knew our integrity. They knew our work ethic. They knew our hearts,” he said. “And they knew our innocence.”
After a mistrial, in November 2022 a second jury “saw through the falsehoods” and found them not guilty, he said. “This sounds like something out of a Hollywood script, but it’s not,” Johnson said. “It is a real-life story. It is our real-life story, that played out in front of the entire city and world. And at the end of the day, we are here on this stage because of the grace of God —”
Johnson teared up, his mouth twitching. His wife, sitting off to the side, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. The applause and cheering swelled, and people on stage came to their feet.
“Today, 14 months later, we are still here, still standing, stronger than ever,” Johnson said, with a smile. “And I have the distinct honor of being the new president of the Philadelphia City Council, one of the greatest cities in the world. What a difference a year makes.”
Anointing the first feeee-male mayor
More prayers and singing followed, including an energetic rendering of “For Every Mountain” by the Monumental Baptist Church Choir. In the audience, people stood in their seats, waved their arms, and sang along.
Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, who Johnson introduced as “another one of my spiritual big brothers,” offered a prayer, and his church’s choir performed “God is Able.”
The choral groups were followed by a special guest who hadn’t been announced in advance: Sheryl Lee Ralph. Ralph is one of the stars of the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, which is set in a Philadelphia school, and is married to state Sen. Vincent Hughes, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
In a deliberate cadence, heavy with pauses, Ralph delivered a poem on the historical significance of the moment. “The occasion — the inauguration — of the first — feee-male — mayor — of the city — of Philadelphia. A poem — written — by none other — than me,” she intoned. The audience laughed and clapped.
She praised Parker, calling her voice “a beacon — for change — transcending time.”
“Her — mayoral throne — a symbol — profound,” Ralph said, raising a fist and spreading open her hand, “breaking barriers — as the walls — oh, they will — come doooown,” her voice falling to a guttural groan.
From the side of the stage, Parker watched with what might have been a perplexed look.
“The city — Philadelphi-AAAAAA! — will echo — her historic name — a testament of courage — for-ev-uh!” Ralph said.
A moment later she called Parker “a Black queen,” at which point the mayor gently shook her head and bent down to talk to her son. “Firmly fetched — the honorable — Mayor — Cherelle — L. — Park-eeeeeeeeeer!”
To applause, Ralph walked over to Parker and the two women embraced.
“We love our mayor, baby baby!” a man yelled from the audience.
A friend in high places
Finally, Parker’s moment approached.
For the ceremonial oath-taking, Johnson called on Fudge, the HUD Secretary who was previously the mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, a member of Congress, and president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Parker belongs to the sorority and knows Fudge through the organization.
“It is my singular and high honor to have been asked to administer the oath of office to my friend, whom I know will be the greatest mayor the city of Philadelphia has ever seen,” she said.
“And to her family, having been a mayor — it is not easy. People say it’s lonely at the bottom? It’s lonely at the top,” Fudge said. “So stay with her. Have her back.”
She swore Parker in and offered her congratulations. The crowd clapped and clapped, Johnson re-introduced the new mayor, and she launched into her speech.
