CGRC Honors MLK at The African American Museum!

Child Guidance Resource Centers has been granted the opportunity to present an exhibition and program, at The African American Museum, about Fellowship Farm. The presentation will be held on January 18th, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fellowship Farm has been in the care of Child Guidance Resource Centers since April 1, 2013. The farm is located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on 126 acres and is a hidden treasure that hosted many historical events and visits from prominent trailblazers throughout the years.

The farm started as Young People’s Interracial Fellowship of Philadelphia in 1931, and was later created into Fellowship House in North Philadelphia. Fellowship House joined forces with three other organizations giving birth to the Fellowship Commission. Marjorie Penney became the first director of the organization and Dr. Herbert Haslam, a Baptist pastor became the Administrator. In 1948, Dr. Haslam started the Fellowship House choir, which is now known as Singing City. In 1949, a young seminarian, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited the Fellowship Church hosted at the training center in Fellowship House, and heard a sermon on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi by Dr. Mordecai Johnson, president of Howard University. Dr. King described the message as profound, electrifying and influential, setting him on a path of social reform marked by love and nonviolence. Dr. Haslam brought many speakers to Fellowship House: Eleanor Roosevelt, Ralph Bunche, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Margaret Meade and many more. Later, at the House’s invitation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Fellowship House Jr. High and Sr. High Fellowships. Fellowship Farm moved to its current location in 1950. There are a lot of stories to tell about Fellowship Farm, backed by several articles and artifacts to display like the Doll Library created in 1945.

Child Guidance is taking this wonderful opportunity to showcase how the farm’s mission helped to shape many segments of our history. The display will be exhibited throughout the day in the auditorium of The African American Museum, located at 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa. A special one hour program of storytelling about Fellowship Farm will take place from 1:00-2:00 pm. Participants include, Valda Branison, an educator who spent many years at the farm as a program supervisor, Dr. Elizabeth Haslam, daughter to Dr. Herbert Haslam, the original Administrator of Fellowship Farm, and broadcast television icon Monique Braxton. We hope you will join us in our celebration of this unique journey.