Playful New Wheatpaste by Faith Davis in Fishtown

Really liking this series by Faith Davis (aka @FaithsFunnn). I’ve seen a number of them around the city lately, but this was the first time I saw one with my camera on me! You can find it under the El on Front street between Master and Jefferson streets.

Side thought: My skin just crawled a bit writing Master and Jefferson… Master Jefferson. How have I never realized the significance, intended or otherwise, of those two streets being next to one another?

Thomas Jefferson being the (at best) hypocritical Founding Father who wrote the bulk of the Declaration of Independence including that “all men are created equal” line all the while himself owning people as slaves. And who unlike many of his contemporaries, never freed any of his slaves – not even in his will after his death like George and Martha Washington, for example. Of course, Thomas Jefferson’s history with slavery is complex. While at the same time he was actively involved in legislation that he hoped would result in slavery’s abolition, Jefferson believed that blacks were racially inferior and that white Americans and enslaved blacks constituted two “separate nations” who could not live together peacefully in the same country. Much more context and information on Thomas Jefferson and slavery can be found here.

Lastly, if you haven’t checked it out yet, there’s a great podcast by The Washington Post called Presidential which explores the life of each American President. It ran last year during the election, but I just found it and am about halfway through. I really couldn’t recommended it more highly!