Afromation Avenue

As two Black Philadelphia-based teachers we always encourage our students to “celebrate yourself on a daily.” After the murder of George Floyd we started a small initiative to create spaces of joy for our students. Our school communities were struggling with unpacking their feelings and emotions regarding police brutality against Black bodies, and we wanted to reaffirm to our students that they matter. We chose to redirect the grief, rage, and frustration of our communities and pour into Black joy curating thoughtful proclamations to encourage and empower our learners. Our positive affirmation series, Daily Afromations is a means to promote self-love, Black culture, and voice. In August of 2021, we took it a step further and developed a public arts initiative “Afromation Avenue.” Afromation Avenue is a collection of curated positive affirmation street signs personalized by predominantly Black/African American communities throughout the city of Philadelphia. We want to create spaces for reflective thought and conversation while honoring the cultural identity of each community. 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 where community members feel encouraged, valued, and respected.