News

Stay up to date with the latest announcements, milestones, and media coverage from
DiasporaDNA Story Center and Save Philly Festivals.
Our newest press release shares exciting updates about our work to preserve Philadelphia's cultural celebrations, strengthen community partnerships, and expand opportunities for residents to experience the city's vibrant festival traditions.
Whether we're launching a new initiative, announcing a major event, celebrating a funding milestone,
or sharing our programs' impact, you'll find our latest news here.

DiasporaDNA Press Releases

2026

August: Kinkeeping Summit: A Celebration of Ancestry, Archives & Family Stories

July: Celebrating New Support: Philadelphia Cultural Fund Awards Grant to DiasporaDNA Story Center

April: Philadelphia’s Stories Take the Streets: Monica O. Montgomery Launches “Save Philly Festivals” Bus Tour to Celebrate Culture, Community, and Memory

March: DiasporaDNA Story Center Receives $100,000 William Penn Foundation Grant To Bring Living Legacies To Philadelphia

February: DiasporaDNA Story Center Launches of Patterns of Our Diasporas Podcast Episode 2: “Curation: Black Art & Access”

February: DiasporaDNA Appoints Damarius Johnson as Scholar-in-Residence; Announces Virtual Public Talk Celebrating Black History as a Living Past

December: DiasporaDNA Story Center Launches ‘Patterns of Our Diasporas’ Podcast Episode 1: Kinkeeping for the Holidays

October: Save Philly Festivals! Philly Festivals Network Convenes Think Tank and Alliance to Counter Rising Cost Threats

June: Releasing Grief. Reclaiming Power: How DiasporaDNA Is Helping Reimagine Hamilton Hall and Restore What Was Lost

March: New Local Nonprofit, DiasporaDNA Story Center, Partners to Launch First-ever Philly Festivals Mixer!

February: DiasporaDNA Announces a Collaboration with The Luster Company

2025

Don’t Forget to Check Out Our Blog

December - Save Philly Festivals: Why Philly’s Festivals Need Saving — And How DiasporaDNA Is Stepping In

December: Introducing the DiasporaDNA Rebrand

November - Recap Blog: Philly Festivals Network Kick-Off Event: Recap & Reflections

November: The Enduring Legacy of Doctor Montgomery

October: The People’s Media Bazaar Recap

September: Reflections on Liberation Through Engaged Dialogue: Facilitating the Mütter Museum Town Hall

July - Special Blog: Monica’s Story: MISSION Story Slam Transcript

July: Healing Through Story: Mandela Day Workshop Brings Art, Movement, and History to Philly Youth

June: Celebrating Juneteenth Through Negro Heroes of Emancipation: Spotlight on Richard Allen & Phyllis Wheatley

May: Edify: Showcasing Tantra Texts - Honoring AAPI Month Through the Archives

May - Guest Blog: Amplify: LeadLab

April: My Why! The need for PhillyFestivals.org

March: Introducing the New Philly Festivals Website and Upcoming Toolkit

February: DiasporaDNA Story Center & The Luster Company Unite for Black History Month Initiative

January: Our First Blog Post!

2025

May - Behind the Scenes: Building a Curriculum With Community

May - Recap Blog: Ancestral Wisdom for a Weary World: Reflection on an Evening of Grief, Memory, and Collective Imagination

May: On Public History

March - Recap Blog: Save Philly Festivals Think Tank Recap

March: “The Ancestors Are Still Speaking”: Scholar-in-Residence Damarius Johnson Inaugurates DiasporaDNA as Doing the Work of Public Memory

February: Progress Trust, Inc. and DiasporaDNA Story Center Present the “Meeting of the Griots”

2026

Take a Glimpse at Our Past Newsletters

2026

April: Our New HQ! DiasporaDNA @ Cherry Street Pier

February: Celebrating 100 Years of Black History Month!

December: Save Philly Festivals! On #GivingTuesday

July: DiasporaDNA Summer 🌞 Call for Artists 🎨 Workshops ⏳️ Festivals 🎉

June: Juneteenth Art Ventures ❤️🖤💚 Releasing Grief - Reclaiming Power!

May: Summer Sun & Program Fun with DiasporaDNA!

April: Welcome Spring 🌸 It's Festival Time across our Diasporas!

March: DiasporaDNA Celebrating Women's History Month♀️with a Rebel Beat!

February: Happy Black History Month! Uplifting Diaspora Orgs we Admire

January: Honoring Venerable Ancestors! Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

December: Thank you for being in community with us!

2025

2024

DiasporaDNA in the Press

Logo of Evening Words radio station with frequencies 96.1 FM and 900 AM, featuring the tagline Black Talk Media.

Evening WURDs

Listen to Monica and others chat with Dr. Peterson about how community groups share their mission and work with the MISSION Story Slam.

Curating Courage & Culture: Monica O. Montgomery on Storytelling and Representation in the Arts

Monica sat down with Anisha Jennings to talk about DiasporaDNA and the role of museums in our society.

MISSION Story Slam: Monica O. Montgomery - The Time is Now

Watch Monica tell her story at MISSION Story Slam!

Two people sitting at a table engaged in conversation, with drinks and napkins on the table, in an indoor setting with brick wall and window in background.

The Citizen Recommends: MISSION Story Slam

In this edition of The Citizen Recommends, MISSION Story Slam is highlighted along with DiasporaDNA Founder and President, Monica O. Montgomery, who planned to tell her story at the event on June 10th.

People celebrating at Phillys Festivals with a city skyline background, including children in costumes and traditional dancers, and a DJ with headphones.

Philly Festivals Fueling the Future

Blog post by Monica for AAC.

Composite poster for an event titled "Critical Futures: The Future of the Un-Museum". The poster features a cosmic background with stars. The upper left has the event title in purple text with a heartbeat line motif. To the right, there is an artistic illustration of a blue figure with an inspired expression, surrounded by colorful rays and bubbles. Below, there are two photo portraits of women: on the left, Monica O. Montgomery with short curly hair, earrings, and a yellow top, labeled as guest from Diaspora DNA Story Center. On the right, Amber Johnson with short braided hair, smiling, and wearing a blue top, labeled as host and co-founder of IHJE.

Critical Futures: The Future of the Un-Museum

This episode is part of an ongoing series titled THE FUTURE OF…, where we chat with experts in various sectors to learn about what they are doing to shift the critical now for a radical new future.” Hosted by Dr. Amber Johnson.

Click here for the episode transcript.

Cover of a publication titled 'DiasporaDNA Story Center Museums & Change' with a photo of hands holding each other at the bottom.

Museums x Change: DiasporaDNA Story Center: The Journey to Launch a Modern Mindful Un-Museum

Presented by American Alliance of Museums’ Museums x Change series. Moderated and convened by Avi Decter.

People viewing various posters, paintings, and photographs in an art gallery with white walls and track lighting.

A Germantown museum is honoring the art and activism of formerly incarcerated people

By Nate File for The Philadelphia Inquirer

No parking or stopping sign with arrows pointing left and right, crossed out.

Job Hop or Career Climb: Let’s stop demonizing non-linear career paths

By Monica O. Montgomery for Museum Next Op Ed

Colorful concentric circles in red, blue, yellow, and orange on a white background.

The Smithsonian social justice museum curator, returns to neighborhood as Director of Community Engagement and Programs of Historic Germantown

By Rasheed Ajamu for Resolve Philly

A woman with glasses and a green and black dress speaking into a microphone in a room with wood-paneled walls, large curtains, and portraits, while an audience watches.

The Mütter’s Museum held a town hall to discuss their use of human remains. Things got tense.

By Rosa Cartagena & Rita Giordano for The Philadelphia Inquirer

A display featuring a detailed scale model of a futuristic city with water features, surrounded by mannequins dressed in science fiction costumes, set in an exhibition with colorful lighting and architectural models.

Social Justice curator Monica Montgomery has big dreams

Smithsonian Torch

Group of diverse young adults sitting at a table during a meeting or workshop in a bright room with brick walls and large window, engaging with their phones and laptops.

Building Philly’s Future Through Festivals: A Celebration of Culture, Community, and Connection

Blog post about the Philly Festivals Network: Planning Session by Harry Hayman.

Logo for Axios Philadelphia with the word 'Axios' in black and blue with a stylized 'A', and 'Philadelphia' in blue beneath it.

Philly's nonprofit storytellers take the mic

By Isaac Avilucea for Axios Philadelphia.

Close-up of a circular Philadelphia World Heritage City emblem in red and white, featuring an outline of the Philadelphia City Hall with surrounding text and stars.

World Heritage Month: Global Philadelphia

The month is a collaborative celebration, presented in partnership with valued community organizations, the Office of the City Representative, and GPA-hosted events.

Listen to Patterns of Our Diasporas

Episode 1: Kinkeeping & Genealogy: Creatively Inserting You and Your Family Into History (w/ Eboni Zamani & Christopher "KP" Brown)

Episode 2: Curation: Black Art & Access (with Ginger Rudolph & Angela N. Carroll)

Episode 3: Women’s History Month – Philadelphia Rooted in Story

Episode 4: Save Philly Festivals : Full Press Conference

Episode 5: How Philadelphia’s Festivals Preserve Diaspora Culture

Book cover titled 'Patternd of Our Diasporas' featuring a globe with a magnifying glass and the subtitle 'Story Center', hosted by Monica O. Montgomery.