Name: Life and Legacy of Alain Locke (2/21)
Start: 2026-02-21T13:30:00-05:00
Location: Church of the Crucifixion

$Life and Legacy of Alain Locke (2\/21)$

During Black History Month, we invite you to the Church of the Crucifixion for an event filled with history and music. (Please RSVP as this event is capped at 75 people.)
Author, philosopher, and educator Alain Locke (1885-1954) was a leader in the Harlem Renaissance, a period of significant contributions of African Americans to the nation's arts and culture community. He mentored writers, such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston as well as actors like Ossie Davis.
Locke and his family were members of the Church of the Crucifixion. Locke himself was a chorister at the church before going on to become the first Black graduate of Harvard University as well as the first Black Rhodes Scholar.
This will involve a panel discussion with:
• Dr. James Earl Davis is the Bernard C. Watson Chair in Urban Education at Temple University and Professor of Higher Education in the College of Education and Human Development. Davis holds a BA in Sociology from Morehouse College and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. Davis has done much research on the life of Alain Locke.
• The Rev. Canon Betsy Ivey, Director for the Philadelphia Fund for Black Sacred Places at Partners for Sacred Spaces, worked extensively with the Church of the Crucifixion during its rebirth in 2018. Ivey holds a Masters Degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania; a degree of Divinity (Lancaster Theological Seminary) Sacred Theology cum laude (General Seminary).
• Hazelita Hayes, Vocalist, who performs frequently in the Philadelphia region will provide selections performed at African American churches in Philadelphia during the time of Locke's youth.
• Michael Krasulski, the diocese’s volunteer archivist, will provide additional information about Crucifixion as a beacon of the Philadelphia community. Krasulski who serves as department head of the Community College of Philadelphia library, will also talk about Henry Phillips, the transformational rector of Crucifixion who went on to serve as Archdeacon in the diocese for "colored work."