Black History

Saying goodbye to a local legend

THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE — The Belmont Mansion Museum, a historic stop on the Underground Railroad, was transformed into an appropriate homage on Friday to the person responsible for its existence. The body of Audrey Patrick Johnson-Thornton lay in state Friday afternoon inside the museum atop the Belmont Plateau as a steady stream of visitors paid their final respects to the former director who saved the site from demolition more than 30 years ago.

Published

6 years ago

April 22, 2019

ALONZO KITTRELS

By John N. Mitchell

The Belmont Mansion Museum, a historic stop on the Underground Railroad, was transformed into an appropriate homage on Friday to the person responsible for its existence.

The body of Audrey Patrick Johnson-Thornton lay in state Friday afternoon inside the museum atop the Belmont Plateau as a steady stream of visitors paid their final respects to the former director who saved the site from demolition more than 30 years ago.

“She was a pioneer and a visionary that wanted to make sure that there was a physical representation of our history here, and she single-handedly in many ways made sure that Belmont Mansion was revitalized, institutionalized and set for a future,” said Sandra Dungee Glenn, who thought of Johnson-Thornton as a mentor. “I’m glad I had a chance to see her here at the mansion a couple of weeks before her transition.”

A colonial-era home of an abolitionist family (Peters), the site first went through extensive renovations that began in 1986. When it was discovered that the location was a stop on the Underground Railroad, part of it was converted into a museum. And more recently, a state-of-the art meeting facility was added that hosts gatherings from weddings to sorority and fraternity meetings and other events.

The mansion was transformed into a museum honoring her many accomplishments, which included establishing the American Women’s Heritage Society, serving on Lincoln University’s board of trustees, serving on the Mayor’s Commission for Women, and working with the Urban League of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia orchestra’s cultural diversity initiative.

As the American flag flew at half-staff under cloudy skies, those entering the museum were greeted by students in green blazers from the Global Leadership Academy where Johnson-Thornton’s daughter, Naomi Johnson-Booker, is the CEO.

Beyond the students, in a warmly lit foyer, a number of covered tables supported dozens of awards and honors that Johnson-Thornton had accumulated over a lifetime, including the Martin Luther King Drum Major Award from the city of Philadelphia. Purple and lavender flower bouquets were placed throughout the mansion. Johnson-Thornton was a one time fashion model known for her stylish hats, and many of the women paying their respects did so wearing purple hats.

“This is a wonderful way to honor a person who was a warrior for the city and the history and legacy of the Underground Railroad,” said longtime friend Kim Fuller. “She was a jewel. The Belmont Mansion is the crown jewel of Philadelphia and we would not have the Belmont Mansion or the American Women’s Heritage Society without her.”

This article originally appeared in The Philadelphia Tribune.

ALONZO KITTRELS

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

4 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.