Eastern State Anchors March Around Women and the Justice System, Civic Learning, and Spring Break Programming

Philadelphia, PA (March 2, 2026) — This March, Eastern State invites visitors to explore programming focused on women and the justice system, civic engagement, and stories of resistance and creativity. March’s calendar features Women and the Justice System Month, Civic Learning Week, and Spring Break: The Great Escape — a ten-day immersive experience featuring interactive mini tours on Prohibition-era policing and historic escape attempts, music woven into a 1920s speakeasy setting, a sitewide secret letter delivery activity, and hands-on art-making.

“Our March programs aim to deepen public understanding of how civic systems shape people’s lives and communities, particularly women during International Women’s Month,” said Dr. Kerry Sautner, President & CEO. “By centering lived experiences and encouraging open dialogue, we hope to foster informed civic engagement and thoughtful reflection on the evolving realities of justice in America.”

Eastern State’s March calendar features:

Women and the Justice System Month
Sunday, March 1 – Tuesday, March 31, 2026
During International Women’s Month, Eastern State explores the enduring struggle to hold America accountable to the promises set forth in the Declaration of Independence — that all people are created equal and endowed with fundamental rights. Through storytelling, historical interpretation, and creative engagement, the programming highlights the voices and actions of women and girls connected to Eastern State. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on the connections between past and present struggles for justice and to consider how the pursuit of freedom and equality continues today. Included with admission, activities for Women and the Justice System Month are:

• Women's History Self-Guided Tour
  Join this powerful, self-guided tour to connect the past and present of women’s incarceration. You will explore the complex and diverse stories of those who were incarcerated here, the staff who worked within these walls, and the advocates who fought for change. Engage with these vital histories to gain a deeper understanding of the pressing issues this population faces today.
   
• Women's History Public Tour
  Uncover the history of women's incarceration and its lasting impact. This tour explores the lives of women and girls who served time at Eastern State Penitentiary to shed light on the pressing challenges faced by women in prison both in the past and present. Hear their stories of courage and resilience and see how they continue to inspire modern movements for justice and equality.

Civic Learning Week
Sunday, March 8, 2026 – Friday, March 13, 2026
Civic Learning Week, created by iCivics, is a nationwide initiative highlighting the critical role civic education plays in sustaining constitutional democracy. The week brings together students in grades 6–12, educators, policymakers, and community. Students visiting the site can engage with a Making Civic Connections handout designed to spark conversation about civic responsibility, public policy, and the criminal justice system — reinforcing Eastern State’s mission to deepen public understanding of the justice system and inspire a more just future.

Reentry and Restorative Justice Day
Wednesday, March 11, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Open exclusively to School District of Philadelphia groups, this free, hands-on program explores the structural barriers women face when returning home from prison. Students are assigned a fictitious persona and navigate real-life scenarios such as finding a job, reporting to parole, and paying bills, followed by a guided discussion on reentry and the criminal justice system. This program is presented in partnership with Why Not Prosper.

Justice 101: The Business of Second Chances: Economic Empowerment for Justice-Involved Women
Wednesday, March 11, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
In person at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site and Online via Zoom and YouTube
Eastern State will host a conversation exploring the challenges and opportunities women face as they reenter society following incarceration. The panelists, Tess Hart, Cofounder of Triple Bottom Brewing; Celeste Trusty, State Legislative Affairs Director of Families Against Mandatory Minimums; and Tonie Willis, Founder of Ardella's House, will examine the unique practical barriers women encounter when applying for jobs, with a focus on the importance of skill-building initiatives and addressing employer bias. 

Moderated by Assata Thomas, Executive Director of the Division of Reentry for the City of Philadelphia, the program will feature leading voices in reentry and fair chance hiring. Together, panelists will consider how the current reentry system can be strengthened and reimagined to better support women returning to their communities. Guests can register online here.

Women Changing the City with the Center City Business Association
Wednesday, March 11, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
In person at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
Join Center City Business Association members and friends for a moderated conversation with a dynamic panel as they discuss business and share personal stories that motivate, influence, and create positive change. Hear how their experience, knowledge, and drive have enabled productivity and success, and how they as leaders are helping to change business in Philadelphia. Guests can register online here.

Spring Break: The Great Escape: Stories of Resistance and Creativity at Eastern State
Friday, March 27 – Sunday, April 5, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
This Spring Break, Eastern State invites visitors to explore powerful stories of resilience, creativity, and resistance within one of America’s most influential prisons, and to reflect on what those stories mean for communities today.  Through interactive tours, pop-up talks, music, poetry, and hands-on activities, Spring Break at Eastern State examines how incarcerated people have used creativity and ingenuity, art, faith, and humor in a system designed to contain, control, and isolate. Included with admission, activities include:

• Mini Tour: The Speakeasy: Prohibition, Temperance & Sound 
  Available all days, times vary
  In this short, immersive experience, visitors are transported to the 1920s, a period shaped by the Temperance Movement’s call for moral reform and the federal government’s sweeping ban on alcohol. While Prohibition was intended to strengthen families and communities, it also produced a vast underground economy, reshaped American cities, and changed the relationship between citizens and the state in lasting ways. Through the Speakeasy Mini Tour, guests encounter the sounds and stories of bootleggers and clandestine musicians whose performances animated hidden rooms, built community, and quietly challenged a rapidly expanding system of surveillance and control.
  
  Musical elements create atmosphere and anchor the historical narrative, offering a moment to reflect on how sound, storytelling, and shared experience became powerful tools for connection, identity, and endurance during one of the most transformative eras in American history. 
• Pop-Up Talk: Al Capone & Policing in Prohibition-Era America
  Available all days, times vary
  In this short pop-up talk, visitors will hear about Al Capone’s arrest and imprisonment and the broader rise of Prohibition-era policing practices, including early forms of stop-and-frisk, and how those systems shaped Philadelphia and American law enforcement and community relations. 
• Mini Tour: The Tunnel Story: Ingenuity, Surveillance, and Control 
  Available all days, times vary
  Learn about the most famous escape attempt in Eastern State’s history and how incarcerated people circumvented intense surveillance and restrictive architecture. This tour examines what “escape” meant inside a carceral system, the consequences that followed, and how these stories reveal the lengths people went to in pursuit of freedom and escape. 
• Interactive Activity: Secret Letter Delivery
  Available all days, times vary
  In this sitewide interactive activity inspired by historical communication networks inside prisons, visitors explore coded language and symbolism in music and letters. Follow clues to deliver “letters” between secret locations around the site, learning how incarcerated people found creative ways to maintain communication, preserve relationships, and share news. (Completing the route reveals the password to the speakeasy experience!) 
• Drop-In Art Activity 
  March 28, 12:00 p.m. – 2 p.m.
  Join Philadelphia-based artist Mark Loughney in his exhibit Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration, for a family-friendly, hands-on art activity that explores ideas of transformation through insect imagery. Inspired by the life cycles of insects — creatures that change form, adapt, and endure — participants will create an original artwork using simple materials. 
   
  Families will be invited to reflect on what transformation can mean in their own lives: growth, change, resilience, or new beginnings. Mark will offer demonstrations and creative guidance, encouraging participants to experiment with shapes, patterns, and textures to build an insect-inspired piece that expresses their ideas.
  
  All supplies are provided, and no prior art experience is needed. No reservations required. Visitors may drop in at any point during the workshop and stay as long as space allows. Space is limited. 

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Media Contact
Abby Kleman
Cashman & Associates
[email protected]
M: 302-668-4781

About Eastern State
Eastern State preserves America’s first penitentiary, advancing public understanding of the criminal justice system and its impact on the lives of those affected by it, to inspire a more just future. For more information, visit EasternState.org and follow Eastern State on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.