Celebrating Black History: The Start of Media’s Afro-American Community

Media, the county seat, has had a thriving Black community since before it was founded in 1850. Dr. Sam Lemon, whose maternal great-great grandparents arrived in Media as runaway slaves during the Civil War, will discuss his ancestors’ journey to freedom and the start of Media’s thriving Black community. Given refuge and support by local Quakers, his family prospered and became prominent members of the Borough. Their descendants have lived on Olive Street in Media since 1872.

Dr. Lemon served for 15 years as an assistant professor and the director of a graduate program at Neumann University in Pennsylvania, and formerly worked in the fields of social services, education, and public television at WHYY in Philadelphia. He is the author of two books and is currently working on a third. His first novel, Go Stand Upon the Rock (2012) is based on his family’s strong oral and cultural traditions.