Initiatives

Welcome to the Chester Black History Tour, produced and presented by the YES Center‘s Heritage Place with support from the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, Swarthmore College. The Tour is part of the YES Center’s larger mission to preserve, interpret, and amplify the proud history of Chester’s Black community and revise (and correct!) the narrative of our city. Through in-person events, tours and our many online initiatives, we offer several opportunities for

Chester’s community historian and founding director of the YES Center, Twyla Simpkins, aka Ms. T, is pleased to make available the stories of ten amazing women who work tirelessly to better the quality of life in our city. This information features the stories of activism and change making as told by women community leaders in Chester, Pennsylvania. The stories are part of the YES Center’s digital project on the legacy of Chester’s own Ruth L. Bennett, which explores Ms. Benn

“Beyond the Sunset: The Story of Greenlawn Cemetery” — a moving documentary by Twyla Simpkins that uncovers the history, challenges, and restoration of Greenlawn Cemetery in Chester Township, PA. For decades a segregated burial ground where African Americans were relegated, today it stands as a restored memorial honoring at least 200 veterans—including Civil War soldiers, Buffalo Soldiers, and men from WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. 0:00 Welcome & Overview 0:45 History of Gre