With Black History Month entering its final few days, an open house at Nicetown’s Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center on Wednesday highlighted the depth and vitality of the Black experience.
The event, hosted by Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB), included an open house and conference focused on Black-owned businesses and resources, and also evaluated the current perceptions of Black History Month within the local African American community.
The “Labor of Love, a Black History Month” event in the center’s Cohen Family Civic Dialogue Arena honored “the labor and legacy of the African American community,” offered a space to connect, and provided “quality conversations” for roughly 50 people in attendance.
Syreeta Martin moderates panels at Philadelphia Youth Basketball’s “Labor of Love, a Black History Month” event on Feb. 26, 2025. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) 
Panelists Nisiar Smith (from left), Felicia Williams, Kojo Marfo and Ron Sizer discuss workforce and economic empowerment at Philadelphia Youth Basketball’s Black History Month event at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) 
People play basketball at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center, in North Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) 
Philadelphia Youth Basketball’s Director of Older Years Zuri Stone speaks during the “Labor of Love, a Black History Month” event. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) 
School District of Philadelphia’s Director of Social Studies give the keynote speech during the “Labor of Love, a Black History Month” event at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center, hosted by Philadelphia Youth Basketball. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) 
Guests attend a Black History month panel a the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center in NIcetown. (Cory Sharber/WHYY) 
People play basketball at the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center, in North Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood. (Cory Sharber/WHYY)
Syreeta Martin moderated two groups of panelists, covering community and mental health, and workforce and economic empowerment.
The seven panelists shared their backgrounds and influences, remembered the challenges they faced and the choices, influences and actors that guided them through those, outlined their efforts to liberate their communities through their work, and each issued a call to action for the audience going forward.
Keynote speaker Ismael Jimenez, the School District of Philadelphia’s Director of Social Studies, outlined the history of Black History Month and challenged the audience to evaluate how they’ve been taught about the month, and what they can do to improve their understanding of it.
“What happens to a person who is taught to forget their past and distrust their present? What happens to their future?” Jimenez asked with one slide of his presentation.
The discussions were complemented by a “Black Wall Street Market,” which included vendors and businesses, including Ruth’s Pies, SV Sports, Creative Praxis, NotWrightBrand and Yogi Den. Food was provided by Black-owned caterers, including Triple B, Let’z Eat, 721 by DSC and Victoria’s Kitchen, who provided food tastings for the event. PYB’s Program Operations Coordinator Simonne Jordan performed “I’m Here” from the musical “The Color Purple” in between the two panels.
Opened last July, PYB says that it “provides a safe, nurturing environment for young people to build the skillsets and mindsets they need to succeed on the court and in their education, careers and lives.” While the event was going on, a group of young children were practicing basketball nearby. Another group upstairs were attending a STEM learning program.
“Any young person that walks in this door, whether they love basketball or not, there is a space and a place for them,” said PYB Director of Older Years Zuri Stone.
