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House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	April 12, 2022 08:19 PM
From:	Representative Christopher M. Rabb and Rep. Donna Bullock
To:	All House members
Subject:	Honoring the 235th anniversary of the founding of the Free African Society

235 years ago today, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, two prominent Black ministers and formerly enslaved men, founded the Free African Society in Philadelphia.    The founders created the organization to deliver multi-dominational mutual aid for formerly enslaved Black Philadelphians with the goal of developing leaders and cultivating community-based strength. The Free African Society (FAS) was one of the first organizations of its kind in the United States.   Throughout out the late 18th century, FAS led the way in Philadelphia’s philanthropic sector. The organization helped individuals with services such as health care, housing, burial costs, financial aid, apprenticeships, unemployment services and tuition assistance.    Perhaps FAS’s largest city-wide impact was during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 when prevailing thought at that time was that African Americans were immune to this deadly disease. Members provided critical care Philadelphians of all races who were sick, transported patients from one location to another, and assisted with burial arrangements.    In addition to the impact their services made, as the abolitionist movement grew throughout Philadelphia in the mid-nineteenth century, FAS served as a catalyst for the formation of other Black mutual aid funds in the city.   Many of the services FAS provided throughout the 18thcentury shone a light on the glaring inequities faced by residents of Philadelphia and beyond, primarily minoritized individuals and communities – most of which continue today, such as access to jobs, housing, healthcare, education, voting, and other critical resources.    The impact organizations like the Free African Society need to be entered into public record to provide crucial historical context for the pressing issues of the day that are so often influenced by past events and institutions.    This forthcoming resolution formally acknowledges the lasting effect FAS has had on Philadelphia and the commonwealth over generations and centuries.

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