Dr. Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr

A Guggenheim Fellow and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. is a music historian, pianist, composer, and Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Pennsylvania.

A widely-published writer, he’s the author, co-author, or editor of four music history books and many essays and articles. Dr. Ramsey was the editor for the series Music of the African Diaspora at the University of California Press for ten years and founding editor of the blog Musiqology.com.

Ramsey hosted the Musiqology Podcast, and Musiqology Rx is his community arts initiative that provides quality arts programming to under-served communities. He has written for and consulted with museums and galleries such as The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and the Barnes Foundation and was co-curator of the acclaimed exhibition Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2010. Dr. Ramsey has lectured on music nationally and internationally.

Jackie Jonas

Jackie Jonas is a storyteller, actor and educator. She is a founding member and board President of Grounded Theatre Company, a theater company focused on telling the stories of the African Diaspora. Jackie grew up in Tennessee, received her MBA from Loyola University in Chicago, and spent 20 years living, working and performing in Pittsburgh, PA. She is currently a proud and happy resident of the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. When not performing, Jackie teaches cooking classes and makes Ankara dresses for all the little girls in her life.

Regina Robinson

Regina Robinson has lived in the Tulpehocken Station Historic District since 2004. Her interest in African American history dates back to her childhood where she loved listening to her elders tell stories of their lives and the accomplishments of their heroes such as Madam C.J. Walker, Josephine Baker, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Marcus Garvey. Ms. Robinson is a consultant in the field of workplace education and training. She specializes in classroom instruction, curriculum
development, product design, and project management for individuals and adult education organizations. Regina holds a master’s degree in Media Ecology from New York University.

Shav’on Smith

Shav’on Smith is a native to Philadelphia, and attended the public school system. Shav’on has her Bachelors of Arts Degree in theatre from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. She is currently the founder and Artistic Director of Grounded Theatre Company which was started in April 2018. Shav’on is currently a Recreation Leader Trainee with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Grounded Theatre Company’s inaugural season begins January 31, 2020 with the production of Middle Passage written by Jackie Jonas.

Julie Rainbow

Julie Rainbow is an author, scholar and social entrepreneur who implements effective programs that amplify the voices of the aging population in modern society. While a W.K. Kellogg Foundation, International Leadership Fellow, she launched an oral history project that was edited into a book, “Standing the Test of Time: Love Stories of African American Elders” published by Pilgrim Press. Rainbow’s recent project Journey to Sanctuary: The Philadelphia Story of the Second Great Migration of African-Americans from the South has received funding from the Leeway Foundation, Pennsylvania Council for the Arts and the National Endowment of the Humanities. Her projects integrate her love of history and the arts. She earned a Master’s degree from the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.