October 2025
The People’s Media Bazaar Recap
If I could describe the People’s Media Bazaar in one word, it would be enlivening. According to Merriam Webster is defined as “to give life, vigor, and spirit to.” The People’s Media Bazaar was the finale of a “three-day gathering for Philadelphia’s grassroots memory workers, community archivists, and storytellers,” organized by the People’s Media Record. The three-day camp consisted of workshops, skill-shares, roundtables, breakout sessions, and screenings. Lila Chaar-Pérez (she/they), Director of Archiving & Preservation, expressed that “one of the reasons we created the People’s Media Camp is the relative absence of grassroots spaces where people can come together to collaborate and cooperate with each other in preserving memory work.” Director of Strategic Planning & Resource Mobilization Winter Rae Schneider (they/them) added that the gathering is “a recognition that the archiving and preservation practices involved in this work are also often isolating and lonely–We hope that by offering a space to deepen our connections to one another, our knowledge, and our skills, this event can seed even more connection and mutual support in the future.” Community activation, affirmation, and reciprocity, just to name a few, encapsulated our experience at the People’s Media Bazaar and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you!
From beginning to end, our participation during the free vendors market was nothing short of joyful! We were joined by vendors from across the Philadelphia-area, including the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Narrative Sovereignty Project, and the works of photographer and writer, Tieshka K. Smith. The goal of the free vendors market was to connect community members to resources in memory work, affordable preservation practices, and providing a space to share their own personal stories.
The Diaspora DNA table was full of amazing resources that our community could take home with them and was the perfect opportunity to showcase what Philly Festivals meant to our audience. Our team member Eva created Philly festival inspired postcards calling on the community to save Philly Festivals and to share their story! Our team member Nideen created a zine, beautifully highlighting our purpose and continued expansion of the Montgomery Collection. Our team member Aria created a bookmark with a beginners guide on how to launch your collecting journey, starting with identifying items that mean the most to you. Ashley, our communications and marketing intern was able to harmonize our branding across each resource, beautifully capturing our purpose and Diaspora DNA’s new look! Lastly, we of course gave attendees a tiny glimpse of the Montgomery Collection and our commitment to preserving and sharing belongings and ephemera of the global majority community.
As previously mentioned, The People’s Media Bazaar was enlivening! Everyone was so welcoming and eager to understand and share one another's mission and goals. Many attendees shared their grievances on the increasing difficulty of launching a festival or neighborhood gathering of their own, often citing policies that hinder access to permits, event planning, and security needs. Through these grievances, there was an overwhelming sense of hope that carried through these conversations and sharing how we can overcome obstacles that too many of our most cherished gatherings have fallen victim to.