Founded by former Philadelphia school teachers Brittni Jennings and Kristin Kelly, Afromation Avenue is a community street art initiative working to preserve the cultural integrity of Black spaces throughout the city of Philadelphia.
In collaboration with local Black artists and community members, personalized positive affirmation street signs find a permanent home within the landscape of historically Black communities.
Street signs are used to guide and regulate the traffic flow of people; they assist in helping others get from one familiar place to another. Afromation Avenue lends itself as a social emotional guide in hopes of cultivating spaces of reflective thought and conversation while honoring the cultural identity of each community.
“Through creative placemaking Afromation Avenue lends itself as a social emotional guide where our stories are heard, our communities are seen, and our joy is felt.”
Our Story
Our Why
As creators and curators of public art, Jennings and Kelly are dedicated to our mission of challenging the monolithic narratives surrounding Black culture and history in America. Afromation Avenue’s why honors Fanon’s position on the most valuable asset for a colonized people;
“ …the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity.”
This street art project is a permanent fixture of a long history of Black resistance, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
