PHL Watchdog

Judge Orders Trump’s Name Removed from Kennedy Center

In a blow to President’s Trump’s fragile ego, a federal judge ordered his name removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center was unlawfully renamed. Judge Cooper ordered Trump’s name removed from the front portico of the building, website, physical or digital signage, and official materials within 14 days of the date of his order:

The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump… As a result, the Kennedy Center Board’s decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump’s name to the building’s façade, violate Congress’s unequivocal mandate. As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.

The lawsuit was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board of trustees. In a press release, Rep. Beatty said:

Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law. The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.

Congresswoman Beatty took a victory lap on X/Twitter.

In a Truth Social post, President Trump had an epic meltdown in which he threw in the towel. Trump said he has “instructed the Department of Commerce to make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation, Maintenance, and Management.”

Trump followed up his meltdown with an epic whine:

[Judge Cooper]… decided, unprecedentedly, to not allow a desperately needed Building Renovation to go forward. On top of that, he said, “Rip his name off the Building, he’s got 20 days to do so,” even though a large Board of some of the most distinguished people in the Country voted unanimously to put the name up.

Whatever, dude.

Judge Cooper’s order and Trump’s capitulation happened on the 109th anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s birth. Happy heavenly birthday, JFK.

The Black Origin of Memorial Day

Originally called Decoration Day, Congress established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in 1968. The undertold history of Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War.

First observed on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina , thousands of African Americans, including formerly enslaved, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, and 34th and 104th United States Colored Troops, were led by children as they gathered to honor 257 Union soldiers who were buried in a mass grave on Washington Race Course which was used as a Confederate prison camp.

The ancestors exhumed the mass grave, reburied the bodies and decorated their graves with fresh flowers; hence, Decoration Day.

Remembering Ona Judge

Ona “Oney” Judge (c. 1773-1848) was an enslaved Black woman held in bondage by George Washington and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon and the President’s House in Philadelphia. As Martha Washington’s personal servant, Ona was responsible for dressing and bathing her, managing her wardrobe, mending clothing, and cleaning personal rooms.

Ona “absconded” from the President’s House on May 21, 1796.

Ona was never caught.

Philadelphia City Council recently passed a resolution designating May 21 annually as “Ona Judge Day.”

City Council also recognized Michael Coard and Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) for their “sustained advocacy to ensure the truth about slavery at the President’s House is told, preserved, and publicly recognized.”

Join ATAC on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 3:30 pm for their 23rd annual Ona “Oney” Judge celebration at the President’s House Site.

For more information, visit Avenging The Ancestors Coalition.

Preservation Month 2026

May is Preservation Month, an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the importance of preserving historic places and cultural heritage. This year’s theme, “all people are created equal,” focuses on places that tell the full American story.

As the nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, preservation demands urgency, honesty, and accountability. The words “all people are created equal” did not include Black people. The built environment carries the evidence of that contradiction.

At its core, historic preservation is about storytelling. At my upcoming walking tour, Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia, we will visit historic landmarks to tell the story of President George Washington’s enslaved chief cook. Places like Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Old City Hall and Christ Church.

We will stop at sites that hold Hercules’ story. Sites such as Ricketts Circus and the High Street Market. We will also stroll down the 100 block of Black Horse Alley which was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places’ Historic Street Paving Thematic District in 1998. Some of the granite blocks date back to Hercules’ time in Philadelphia.

Walking in Hercules Posey’s Footsteps will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is free but reservations are required. To reserve a spot, go here.

George Washington and Slavery

In arguable violation of U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe’s order, the National Park Service, without notice or collaboration with the City of Philadelphia and Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), uploaded digital renderings to the President’s House Site webpage. The alternative interpretive panels erase the truth about George Washington and slavery.

In a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed, Michael Coard, founder of ATAC, wrote:

These were not restorations. They were revisions — an attempt to soften and sanitize George Washington’s deep involvement in slavery, recasting a man who enslaved African men, women, and children from the age of 11 until his death as someone merely “uncomfortable” with the institution. They even suggest the enslaved in Philadelphia experienced a “modicum of autonomy.”

Let’s be clear: There is no autonomy in enslavement.

If Washington felt “discomfort,” imagine the lived reality of the 316 African descendants he held in bondage. If NPS believes “autonomy” applies to human beings in chains, then it fundamentally misunderstands the brutality of slavery.

From his first breath at Pope’s Creek to his last breath at Mount Vernon, Washington was surrounded by enslaved people. Throughout his life, he was involved with the institution of slavery. While his views on slavery changed over time, Washington’s private musings are trumped by his public actions.

Fact is, Washington did not emancipate an enslaved person during his lifetime.

Washington “owned” outright 123 Black people. His personal servant, William “Billy” Lee, was the only one given “immediate freedom” upon Washington’s death. The remaining 122 enslaved people were to be freed upon the death of Martha Washington.

Washington owned, bought, sold, rented and bargained for Black people. He pursued those who dared to seek their freedom. From 1771 to his death in 1799, he pursued freedom seekers including Harry, Hercules Posey and Ona Judge.

I am nominating President Washington’s enslaved chief cook, Hercules Posey, for a Pennsylvania historical marker. I will submit the nomination on May 15, 2026, the 214th anniversary of his death.

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, I will lead a walking tour of people, places and events in Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia. To join us, send your name and email address to phlwatchdog@gmail.com.

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, a nationwide celebration to recognize jazz as a uniquely American art form rooted in Black history and cultural expression. Established in 2001 by the National Museum of American History, people of all ages are encouraged to engage with jazz through education and performance.

Jazz at Lincoln Center recently launched JazzCall for Freedom, a “coordinated civic response to a moment of deep division in our country.” The bandstand is turned into “a public square for civic expression and renewal.”

JazzCall for Freedom is a call to action against “a rising movement towards authoritarianism.” The social media campaign uses jazz to engage with ideas about democracy and freedom.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis notes that “jazz has always been a civic minded music and it gives us a chance to be a part of that legacy.” That legacy dates back to Billie Holiday whose 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit” is the first protest song of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Each Friday, Jazz at Lincoln Center will share a video featuring an artist performing a chorus of a song embodying the spirit of democracy. This week’s song is Stevie Wonder’s “Visions” performed by Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner.

For information on how you can add your voice to this national “call and response,” visit jazz.org/jazzcall.

Erasing History from National Parks

This weekend, I led a teach-in at the President’s House Site organized by the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides.

There was a steady stream of visitors to the site. Most were aware that the National Park Service removed the interpretive signs and were ordered to reinstall them. However, they were surprised the President’s House Site has not been restored to its physical status as of January 21, 2026 as ordered by U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.

The Department of the Interior appealed Judge Rufe’s order to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Full restoration of the site was paused by Judge Thomas M. Hardiman. As the lawsuit, City of Philadelphia v. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, et al., moves through the federal courts, the President’s House Site will remain partially restored.

On the two-month anniversary of the removal of the interpretive panels, CBS Sunday Morning aired a report, “Signs of the times: Removing stories of America’s past from our national parks.”

Jim Axelrod interviewed Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources at the National Parks Conservation Association.

Spears has a clear message for those who cannot handle the truth about the “nuanced nature of our history”:

If you are thinking about visiting a national park, if you don’t want to tackle any of these large issues that make you think critically about race and slavery, and gender and other things like that, there are hundreds of thousands of places in the United States where you can go. Knock yourself out at Six Flags but don’t ruin it for the rest of us who have come to rely on national parks as places for that learning.

We want to maintain their ability, unimpaired, to be able to talk about the full scope of our history – wonder, warts and all.

President Trump wants to erase the fact-based history told at the President’s House Site. Removal of the interpretive panels is a “sign o’ the times.”

Let the Sun Shine In

This is Sunshine Week, a time to celebrate transparency, and the public’s right to know what government officials are doing and saying behind closed doors. PHL Watchdog is a Sunshine Week partner. It is serendipitous that I will be at City Hall in Courtroom 275 during Sunshine Week.

For more than two years, the City of Philadelphia has fought release of records related to the Philadelphia 76ers’ now abandoned proposal to build an arena atop SEPTA’s Jefferson Station. Perhaps the City thought I would give up. But giving up is not in my DNA. And an awesome team of lawyers, led by Paula Knudsen Burke of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Temple University Law Professor Mary E. Levy, has my back.

The City appealed the Office of Open Records’ final determination to turn over responsive records to the Court of Common Pleas Philadelphia County on June 27, 2025. Judge Christopher Hall will hear oral arguments on March 18, 2026.

While 76 Place is as dead as the 76ers’ chances of winning an NBA championship, the public has the right to know how unaccountable and self-serving billionaires hijacked city planning. The latest Market East fiasco shows that the City has learned nothing from the arena debacle.

It is imperative that public officials are held accountable. Transparency must undergird future development projects. So, let the sun shine in.

Women’s History Month: Hannah Archer Till

The fight to save the President’s House has brought renewed attention to the nine Africans enslaved by President George Washington in the shadow of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Washington’s enslaved cook, Hercules Posey, the nation’s first celebrity chef, managed the kitchen at the President’s House. He became an ancestor on May 15, 1812. To mark the occasion, I will submit my nomination of Hercules for a Pennsylvania historical marker on May 15, 2026.

Before Hercules, there was Hannah Archer Hill (1721-1826). Born into slavery, Hannah was General George Washington’s enslaved personal cook during the grueling winter at Valley Forge.

Hannah and her husband, Isaac, purchased their freedom in 1778. She continued to work for General Washington as a salaried cook through all of his campaigns for the next six and a half years. For six months, her services were lent to the Marquis de Lafayette, who led troops under the command of General Washington.

The position of personal cook to the Commander-in-Chief required culinary skills as well as unwavering loyalty due to the threat of assassination by poisoning.

Following the Revolutionary War, Hannah and Issac made Philadelphia their home where she lived until her death at age 105.

In 2015, Hannah was honored for her contributions during the Revolutionary War. She was recognized as a Patriot by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). A plaque was installed on her headstone in Historic Eden Cemetery. A DAR chapter was named in her honor.

During his triumphal tour of America, the Marquis de Lafayette stopped in Philadelphia in September 1824. Lafayette’s whirlwind of events included a three-mile-long welcoming parade, a temporary arch, and a Grand Ball where Francis “Frank” Johnson, a forefather of jazz, performed his composition, General La Fayette Bugle Waltz.

Lafayette made time to visit Hannah. When he learned that “Aunt Hannah” was behind on her ground rent, Lafayette sent her money to pay off her debt. The site of Hannah’s residence is a stop on my walking tour, Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia.

To be added to the mailing list for the walking tour, send your name and email address to phlwatchdog@gmail.com.

President’s House Update

President Trump issued an executive order that claims that telling the truth about slavery is “corrosive ideology” on March 27, 2025. In a statement, the Organization of American Historians said:

The recent Executive Order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” represents a disturbing attack on core institutions and the public presentation of history, and indeed on historians and history itself. The directive seeks to limit the ways in which history is taught to the public and understood, especially by discouraging the incorporation of perspectives that might challenge simplified, one-dimensional, and biased views of American history. The implications of this order are far-reaching and challenge the historian’s profession to its very core. It proposes to rewrite history to reflect a glorified narrative that downplays or disappears elements of America’s history—slavery, segregation, discrimination, division—while suppressing the voices of historically excluded groups.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. John Cole’s editorial cartoon, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, speaks volumes about President Trump’s efforts to censor uncomfortable truths about the paradox of slavery and freedom at the President’s House.

In her order, U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe directed the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to restore the President’s House Site to its physical status on January 21, 2026.

The Defendants appealed Judge Rufe’s order. Restoration of the President’s House was paused by Judge Thomas M. Hardiman of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The federal government does not have to fully restore the President’s House Site for the duration of the appeal. Judge Hardiman ordered the federal government to preserve the slavery memorial’s physical status on February 20, 2026.

Congressman Brendan F. Boyle has introduced legislation to permanently restore the President’s House Site. The Protecting American History Act requires the National Park Service to restore the federal slavery memorial to its physical status on January 21, 2026.

Congressman Boyle said:

The Trump administration’s decision to remove slavery-related exhibits at Independence National Historical Park was wrong. We are the United States of America. We don’t censor our history, and I am not going to allow the Trump administration to start censoring our nation’s history. So federal legislation is clearly needed.

Rep. Boyle’s bill would prohibit any future changes of any kind at Independence National Historical Park, which includes the President’s House Site, without prior approval from Congress. Reps. Dwight Evans and Mary Gay Scanlon are lead co-sponsors of the legislation.