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Bishop Richard Allen was one of the most influential Black leaders of his time – and now, his influence will continue to live on in Philadelphia at 6th and Lombard streets.
Allen was born into slavery in 1760, and eventually bought his freedom at age 23.
He went on to found the African Methodist Episcopal Church and serve as its first bishop. Allen’s legacy in creating this church continues through to today, said Reverend Audrey Blackwell-Washington, a pastor at Sayers Memorial Methodist Church in West Philly.
“We’re very much a partner of the connectionalism that we have in the United Methodist Church today,” she said. “We may not all look alike, but because we love the same God, we can come together.”
She said the renaming of the streets to honor Allen’s legacy marks a historic time. But she also said there is a long way to go, but that the United Methodist faith has brought her and her community together.
“It was the same God back then, and the same God right now,” she said. “And we’re very proud of what’s going on in the city of Philadelphia.”
Religious and city leaders said they hoped the street’s renaming would remind others of Allen’s fight for freedom, including the Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw, the 17th Rector of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.
“May those who travel on this street be reminded of the faith that sustained him, the courage that moved him, and the hope that carried him through,” he said.
The process
Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla said the city discovered that there was a commemorative sign honoring Bishop Richard Allen — but that the street had never been officially named in his honor.
“There was a faded sign here for Richard Allen naming the street, and we were looking for when it was dedicated,” he said. “We went through the archives and could not find when it had happened.”
Rev. Carolyn Clarene Cavaness, the 53rd pastor at Mother Bethel AME Church, was the one who brought this to the city’s attention and helped to discover the change was only temporary.
“We found the actual city council resolution, which was passed on Feb. 19, 1976, where it stated that between Vine and Washington Avenue, 6th Street would be deemed temporarily as Richard Allen Avenue,” she said. “It was temporary, but thank you to whoever left this sign on the corner. That sparked this moment, which brings us together right now, and so we’re sparked because we wanted to make this permanent.”
Cavaness said the church and other groups worked with City Council to make this a lasting change. On June 11, City Council unanimously passed a resolution to rename 6th and Lombard streets “Bishop Richard Allen Way.”
Oct. 7 marked the ceremonial street renaming.
What the street stands for
Richard Allen’s street renaming is symbolic to his legacy, said Bishop Samuel Lawrence Green Sr., who oversees the First Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in parts of Bermuda, Delaware, New England, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.
“What is the Bishop Richard Allen Way?” he asked. “The Bishop Richard Allen Way is freedom. That’s why Allen purchased his own freedom, because he believed that all persons deserve and have earned the right to be free, and he stood on principles of freedom.
“The Bishop Allen Way was his protest against inequality, protest against injustice, protest against hate, racism and sexism, and any form of ‘isms’ that do not elevate and promote love, unity and happiness,” Green said.
Bishop Allen Way is also next to a “one way” sign — which he said is meaningful.
“The Bishop Allen Way is one way, and one way in the theme and the mission of the city of Philadelphia, which is brotherly love and sisterly affection,” Green said. “And we refuse to allow any other entity or any other divisive person to cause us to think any other way than to love, support and encourage one another.”
Squilla emphasized that Richard Allen’s legacy extends far beyond just this street.
“There are countless references to Richard Allen’s contributions and impact including the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s Richard Allen Homes, Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, the Richard Allen Lane SEPTA Station, the Legacy of Bishop Richard Allen mural from Mural Arts, and more,” he said.
Allen’s legacy has also been intertwined with that of many others.
The ceremony also honored Father Absalom Jones — the first African American priest in the U.S. Episcopal Church and a prominent abolitionist.
Absalom, along with Allen, led the Great Walkout of 1787 — a turning point where Absalom was asked to leave a church service at St. George’s and decided from then on that they would form a new denomination.
“That’s where Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, and others founded the Free African Society in 1787, a mutual aid organization which fostered identity, leadership, service, benevolence and unity,” Squilla said.
Pastor Stephanie Brown Wilson came out to celebrate Allen and Absalom’s legacy, which she said has inspired her since she was a young girl going to church.
“I grew up hearing the story of Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, who both went to St. George’s Church and because they were not treated in a Christian way, they actually kind of started history and started their own denomination,” she said.
Far before Allen founded the AME, he served as a strong advocate for African American believers – even serving as a preacher and leader for African American worshippers at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church for some time.
Allen eventually purchased a lot in 1791, at 6th and Lombard streets, to build the Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
“We are the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans, not just in Philadelphia, not just in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but in the entire United States,” Cavaness said.
The church officially opened in 1794.
Allen’s descendants, including seventh-, eighth- and ninth-generation family members, also attended the ceremony.
“This moment is more than a naming of a street,” said Yvonne Studegan, the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Allen. “It is a public declaration that Richard Allen’s life, faith, courage and contributions matter, and that his legacy will continue to move forward.”
“Through generations, street names tell the story of a community. They reflect whom society values, respects, remembers and chooses to commemorate. To rename a street after an individual is a powerful public honor,” she said,
Studegan emphasized that her great-great-great-great grandfather will live on as a “godly” and courageous man.
Preserving legacy moving forward
During Wednesday’s event, Squilla said Allen’s legacy was one of determination and not settling for less.
“Bishop Allen was somebody who didn’t take ‘you can’t do this’ and then just walk away,” he said. “He took that as a mission to create what he created right here at Mother Bethel.”
Cavaness said it is important to continue to embed and educate on this history as times change.
“We are at an interesting crossroads,” she said. “We’re in a moment where right down the street, there are those who are tearing down. But here, today, we are pulling up. Here today, we are showing, and we are fortifying, we are preserving and we are protecting.”
City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson attended Mother Bethel AME summer camps as a youth in South Philadelphia. He said he believes an important part of Allen’s legacy is preservation – or continuing to educate on and remember Black history.
“We recognize that African American history is American history, and in this day and time, there’s a movement to whitewash Black history here, not only in the city of Philadelphia, but all throughout this country,” he said.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker agreed.
“I’ll be the first to tell you that representation matters,” she said. “But if this legacy matters, that means that’s not enough for what legacy requires that we do when we get an opportunity to sit at the table.”
She emphasized that in a divisive time, Philly aims to be a spot to uplift the values of Allen’s legacy by uplifting others.
“There is one way, the Richard Allen way; and one Philly, where despite your race, class, socio-economic status, ZIP code, religion, sexual orientation or identity, there has to be room for you under our tent,” she said.
Richard Allen Way is not the first street to relish in its new name. LeCount Street, which runs 30 blocks from South to North Philly, was renamed to honor Black civil rights advocate Caroline LeCount. The organizers who pushed for this renaming worked for years to achieve this feat – and they said they hoped their hard work paved the way for others.
