City unveils Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan International Arrivals Hall at Philadelphia Airport

Nine years ago, Mable Ellis Welborn, chair of the board of the Leon H. Sullivan Charitable Trust, first asked city officials to rename Philadelphia International Airport’s International Arrivals Hall in honor of the late Sullivan.

Sullivan, the longtime former pastor of Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, was both a respected minister and a civil rights leader. He took the national job-training program, Opportunities Industrialization Centers, that he started in Philadelphia in 1964, and expanded OIC to several African countries, as well as to Haiti and Poland.

Sullivan was also an outspoken critic of South Africa’s apartheid policies and co-developer of the Sullivan Principles, a corporate code of conduct aimed at chipping away at apartheid.

Welborn made her initial request to rename the airport’s International Arrivals Hall for Sullivan in 2013, but that request was denied. She thought it was only fitting to rename the International Arrivals Hall for him “because he was in and out of the international terminals as he took his program to Africa.”

Finally, on Tuesday afternoon, Welborn’s request was granted. Mayor Jim Kenney officially proclaimed that the International Arrivals Hall would now be known forever as the Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan International Arrivals Hall.

“I’m really happy that the city is honoring him in this way.”

“I am humbled that our administration can recognize the exceptional life of Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan in this forum that will reach visitors from across the globe,” Kenney said. “Rev. Sullivan’s legacy has roots in Philadelphia, but his lasting impact is an international story. It is fitting that the city of Philadelphia pays homage to Rev. Sullivan on this scale as part of his ongoing centennial celebration.”

The ceremony included the unveiling of a permanent exhibition on Sullivan’s life and work. The exhibit was prepared by Tu Huynh, program manager for the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and overseen by Kelly Lee, the city’s chief cultural officer and executive director of OACCE.

The renaming ceremony was part of a month-long observation by the city and the trust to recognize Sullivan’s 100th birthday.

Sullivan, born Oct. 16, 1922 in Charleston, W.Va., was Zion’s pastor for 38 years, from 1950 until he retired in 1988 and moved to Arizona. He died in 2001 at age 78.

Last summer, while Kenney was visiting the Charitable Trust offices on North Broad Street, Welborn reminded Kenney that Sullivan’s 100th birthday was coming up in 2022. She again asked that the International Arrivals Hall be renamed for him. This time, the mayor said yes.

Welborn had high praise for both Kenney and OACCE, who planned the Sullivan exhibition.

» READ MORE: A city and church are celebrating the late Rev. Leon H. Sullivan, the ‘Lion of Zion,’ for his 100th birthday

“He recognized that Sullivan was deserving,” she said of Kenney, and added that he asked City Council to proclaim October as Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan month.

Among those attending the unveiling, in addition to members of Zion Baptist Church and board members of the Leon H. Sullivan Charitable Trust, were two of Sullivan’s children and a couple of his grandchildren.

Hope Sullivan, one of Sullivan’s daughters now of Washington, said: “It’s touching. We used to run back and forth to the airport all the time because he was always on the road. He traveled a lot. And we would come and meet him here. We would bring our homework and wait for him.”

“He would be so proud,” she added. “He started all of the [African and African-American] summits from this area.”

Howard Sullivan, Sullivan’s son who now lives in Phoenix, said: “I’m really happy that the city is honoring him in this way.”

“America was born of struggle and nurtured on protest and demonstrations.”

Keith J. Brune, Philadelphia Airport’s interim chief executive officer, said the airport is proud to rename the International Arrivals Hall.

“Rev. Sullivan’s legacy reflects the values of Philadelphia, which we are proud to display to visitors as they arrive in our city through the new signage and permanent exhibit.”

Huynh said in addition to photographs he obtained from the Charitable Trust, he used Sullivan’s own words from his speeches and books to tell his story.

One of those quotes from Sullivan said:

“It is not un-American to take a stand against what we believe to be wrong, for America was born of struggle and nurtured on protest and demonstrations.”