The Friends of the Tanner House

Friends of the Tanner House is committed to the preservation and growth of the rich Black cultural wealth of North Philadelphia — a neighborhood of which the Tanner family was part, and a community which continues to dream, evolve, and invent opportunities to thrive.

The Friends of the Tanner House, Inc, is an organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the historic Tanner family property at 2908 W. Diamond St. Through our heritage stewardship, the Friends of the Tanner House honors the growth, development and sustenance of the rich Black cultural life of North Philadelphia with family-centered artistic, intellectual, and cultural programming.

Organizing since December 2021, The Friends of the Tanner House evolved from a grassroots community advocacy group into a registered non-profit in November 2023.

Friends of the Tanner House Organizational Values

Friends of the Tanner House strives to be accountable to the historical contributions, contemporary experiences, and future visions surrounding the preservation of Black cultural heritage in North Philadelphia, with an emphasis on the 19121 and 19132 zip codes. We center appreciative inquiry approaches that uncover and highlight existing assets, strengths, advantages, and/or local opportunities to further community self-determination.

Friends of the Tanner House strives for an ethic of authentic engagement that moves at the speed of trust and nurtures relationships that may well extend beyond the life of any single collaboration. We strive for outcomes that are fueled by intentional and iterative processes. We balance urgency and timeliness with purposeful reflection.

Friends of the Tanner House is committed to collaboration with individuals, organizations, and institutions, yet emphasize maintaining enduring relationships with those that share our values and honor a sense of reciprocity. We intend for our words and actions to be aligned in pursuit of a culture of collective care, repair, and safety for all.

Friends of the Tanner House is informed by anti-oppressive practices, recognizing a responsibility to support community-led movements against systemic injustice. We begin from where we are in North Philadelphia and extend to reflect upon our global interconnectedness with other communities, land(s), and life itself.

Our values have been informed by the work of Monument Lab, Allied Media Projects, adrienne maree brown, and various other antecedents. We are grateful for their influence.