Appeals court to determine fate of slavery exhibit at President's House Site in Philadelphia
A decision about whether the original slavery exhibit at the President's House Site in Old City must be restored is now in the hands of an appeals court.
The Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) organized a rally outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia Tuesday prior to a hearing to determine the fate of a historic plot of land located at 6th and Market streets.
A few dozen people were there calling for the full restoration of the slavery exhibit, which sits next to the Liberty Bell and was dismantled in January by the National Park Service following an executive order by President Trump.
Inside the courthouse, a panel of three judges heard from attorneys for the federal government arguing the National Park Service has the authority to make changes to the site.
Attorneys for the city of Philadelphia and other advocacy groups, including ATAC, argued the judges should uphold the decision from the lower court in February, which required the exhibit be fully restored.
Cara McClellan, an attorney representing ATAC who addressed the court Tuesday, said she thought the judges were open and really trying to understand the issues.
"You can't say that taking down all of all discussions of slavery and taking down other panels that talk about the nine people who were enslaved is just a minor change. That was the whole point [of the exhibit]," McClellan said.
After the Park Service removed the original slavery exhibits at the historic site in January, the city of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit and a district court judge ruled the exhibit must be restored.
The federal government appealed the decision and now an appeals court will determine whether the National Park Service can change the exhibit or must fully restore the original display. There is no clear timeline for a ruling.
