PHILADELPHIA, May 20-21, 2021 — Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, Second District presented a $125,000 check to the African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) on Friday, May 21, to help with the planning and design of a future “Africa Town” in Southwest Philadelphia.
“Creating a section of Philadelphia that honors and celebrates the contributions of Africans and Caribbean people in Philadelphia is a good thing, and I am happy to have been able to find financial support from the City of Philadelphia for ACANA’s Africa Town Project,” Johnson said.
The proposed “Africa Town” has been in the development stages for years and is being led by ACANA, which is a non-profit organization that serves African and Caribbean immigrants by providing access to social and legal services, community development programs, health services, organizing African arts and culture events, and an array of many other services.
The community destination of “Africa Town” will serve to rebrand and improve the image of a part of Southwest Philadelphia, which would be generally bounded by 58th to 71st and Woodland Avenues and 58th to 71st and Elmwood Avenues. The vision of Africa Town will be the establishment of a business development center, a performing arts center, quality and affordable housing, health centers, and financial institutions.
The area is in Councilmember Johnson’s Second District and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s Third District, where African Americans constitute an estimated 84% of the population, of which 57% are African immigrants, 23% Asian, and 17% Caribbean immigrants, according to ACANA.
ACANA also hopes to promote the Africa Town section of Southwest Philadelphia as a must-go-to designation area for tourists and Philadelphians alike, just like Chinatown in Center City Philadelphia.
Councilmember Johnson, a former Pennsylvania State Representative, represents the Second Council District which includes parts of Center City, South Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia. He is Chairman of the City’s Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.
