American democracy as we think of it was enshrined within the institutions, laws, and organizations first formed in Philadelphia.
So it should come as no surprise that the issues our country faces started here. It was that realization that led to this project; understanding Philly is vital to understanding systemic racism.
A special project from The Inquirer examining the roots of systemic racism in America through institutions founded in Philadelphia.
A More Perfect Union is produced with support
from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism,
Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden,
Peter and Judy Leone, and Surdna Foundation.
Editorial content is created independently
of the project’s donors.
ARTWORK BY IRA SHANDER
Looking back
Retrospective
It’s been a year since The Inquirer’s A More Perfect Union series began exploring the unjust legacies of some of Philadelphia’s biggest institutions.
“THEREISNOBETTERPLACETORECKONWITHTHEFUTUREOFOURCOUNTRYTHANPhiladelphiaTHEBIRTHPLACEOFOURINSTITUTIONSANDTHEIREVER-PERSISTINGINEQUALITY.”
Read the preamble by series editor Errin Haines.
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chapter one
media
The American media aims to be a free and democratic press, but it has long been dominated by the white people and ideas centered in the stories we tell about our democracy and society.
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chapter two
americana
Icons such as the flag, the Liberty Bell, and the Stetson hat have sold the myth of a monolithic white America for centuries. Though these symbols purport to unify, their enduring legacy may be division.
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chapter three
suburbia
Philadelphia’s Main Line stands today as one of America’s wealthiest enclaves, with enviable schools, parks and majestic homes. But it was never intended for Black families.
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chapter four
incarceration
Philadelphia built the first penitentiary in America. Inside its walls began a racist social experiment that continues to this day.
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chapter five
medicine
America's first hospital and medical school opened in Philadelphia. These institutions laid the groundwork for a maternal care system that disproportionately harms Black families.
chapter six
recreation
America’s first outdoor city pool opened here. Racism was never far from the surface.
chapter seven
Labor
The building trades first organized in Philadelphia. Their promise of solidarity and workers rights has never fully transcended racial lines.
chapter eight
Higher Education
In a nation built on enslaved people’s labor, universities can no longer deny their ties to it. What does repair look like?
chapter nine
Fine Art
PAFA has collected 595 works by Black artists in the last decade. Is it enough?
chapter ten
Money
What is a Black life worth to insurance companies?
chapter eleven
Infrastructure
The utopian plan that failed Black Philadelphians
chapter twelve
Faith
The history of the African Methodist Episcopal church is not one for the faint of heart.
