Written by Naima Small

_{50,000 Black Lives Matter protestors gathered on the Art Museum steps.}

The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s iconic steps, located at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, are popularly known as the “Rocky Steps” due to their usage in the 1976 film Rocky. One of the key designers of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s current location was Julian Abele, the first Black graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s architecture program. The new building was opened to the public in 1928. Despite Abele’s vital contributions to the museum’s design and architecture, his role was obscured throughout much of the 20th century. However, he has received renewed recognition in recent decades and the Philadelphia Art Museum erected a historical marker in his honor in the 1980s.  

The Rocky statue was created for 1982’s Rocky III and has since become a frequent photo spot for tourists and visitors. In addition to its popularity among tourists, the museum and its steps have also been the site of numerous protests and demonstrations due to the location’s significance as a “symbol for the spirit of Philadelphia itself,” according to Penn scholar Bridget A. Brody. Notably, 2020 was a year of massive protests against police brutality following the killings of Breonna Taylor in March and George Floyd in May, among many other unarmed Black individuals. Over 50,000 protestors gathered at the Art Museum steps to protest, making it the largest “Black Lives Matter” demonstration the city had seen so far. 

However, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps have a much more extensive history of Black protest and resistance, with several groups and organizers utilizing the centrality of the location to call attention to their causes. In 2017, Black Lives Matter Philly held a demonstration in honor of Aiyana Stanley–Jones, a 7–year old Black girl who was killed by police when sleeping in her Detroit home. BLM Philly also protested for the #SayHerName movement, which calls attention to the fact that many other Black women and girls killed by police often do not receive the same amount of coverage as that of Black men. In 2020, the Black Philly Radical Collective organized a tribute to Delbert Africa, a member of the MOVE Nine.

_{A tribute to Delbert Africa on the Art Museum steps.}

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Bibliography

Brody, Bridget A. “Steps Toward Change at the Rocky Steps.” Philamonuments. 2022.

Billy Penn Staff. “Huge Protest At Art Museum Brings At Least 50,000 to Philly’s Largest Rally for Justice.” Billy Penn at WHYY. 2020.

Cohen, Amy. “Unraveling Myths About Philly’s Pioneering African American Architect.” Hidden City Philadelphia. 2019.

Johnson, Greg. “The Unbridled Brilliance of Julian Abele.” Penn Today. 2021.

Leduff, Charlie. “What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?” Mother Jones.

“The Rocky Statue and the Rocky Steps.” Visit Philadelphia.

“Tribute to Delbert Africa.” Black Lives Matter Philly.