Democracy for All Week: Freedom of Expression

Image: Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration, © 2024, Mark Loughney. Presented in Collaboration by Mural Arts Philadelphia and Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.

This Constitution Day—and all week long—join us as we consider how freedom of expression is both limited and fought for in the American criminal justice system. Enjoy family-friendly, interactive programs that explore the impact of the First Amendment and the power of journalism and art behind bars. What is the role of natural rights inside prisons? What limits are in place, and are those limits fair and just? What does free expression mean for those who are not fully free? 

These daily programs are included with your historic site admission: 

• Self-Guided Tour: Music — Examine the role of music as an important tool in the struggle for humanity and survival inside prisons, past and present. Reflect on how identity takes shape through melody, what voices are amplified through performance, and the power of music as an act of resistance. 
• Mini Tour: Making Headlines — Through discussion, storytelling and exploration of archival materials, learn about the powerful intersection of journalism, incarceration, and censorship in prisons throughout time. Consider the role of imprisoned writers, and reflect on who gets to speak, what stories are told, and how resistance takes shape through words. 
• Museum Activities — Drop-in writing and art-making activities are available on all festival days between 11:00 am and 4:30 pm ET. 
  • Found Poetry — Use words and phrases clipped from historic sources—including prison publications—to craft your own blackout or collage poem. Make meaning from the margins. 
  • Collaborative Crossword –— Solve a real puzzle from The Eastern Echo, a newspaper written and published by people incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary. Connect with the humor, intellect, and daily lives of writers from behind the walls. 
  • Voices of Change Zine Making — Inspired by the counterculture power of the DIY zine, tell your own story of liberty and cut-and-paste their own vision of justice.