Will Smith performs at the One Philly: Unity Concert for America to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary on Sunday, July 5, 2026 at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

While triple-digit temperatures led to events being cancelled or moved indoors, Philadelphia celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary by giving flowers to achievers with local ties.

By Denise Clay-Murray

No one could blame you if you spent the entirety of the Fourth of July weekend indoors.

Because Mother Nature decided to celebrate America’s 250th with a heat wave that led to a heat emergency being declared due to days of triple-digit temperatures, many of the events scheduled as part of the city’s Welcome America celebration were either delayed, canceled or moved into smaller outdoor venues.

Because of severe thunderstorms that blanketed the region, the One Philly Unity Concert was postponed for several hours. Once the rain ended, the concert resumed at approximately 12:30am on July 5 with a set featuring The Roots, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith, Kathy Sledge, State Property, and Meek Mill. Fireworks followed.

Prior to the concert, the Avenging The Ancestors Coalition held its annual event honoring the formerly enslaved Africans that lived in the President’s House in Philadelphia.

“We’re here to avenge our ancestors,” said Michael Coard, the attorney and activist who leads ATAC. “We’re here to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about America. People talk about how much they love this country, but you can’t love something unless you know it. We need to talk about the truth, and that includes the good, the bad and the ugly.”

In addition to a reading dedicated to those ancestors, Coard spoke about the current status of ATAC and the City’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration regarding the dismantling of the current President’s House exhibit.

The city has filed for a reconsideration of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals’ June 18 decision allowing the Trump administration to replace the panels that currently tell the story of President George Washington and those he enslaved and replace them with panels that tell a much more muted version of that story. In addition to those options, Coard told the audience that they are also considering a request for all 14 of the Third Circuit’s judges to hear the case or possibly looking into a more expansive lawsuit.

Several events — including the Salute to Independence Parade, and concerts featuring Kirk Franklin and Queen Latifah — were cancelled.

But in the case of two events in particular, the National Constitution Center, located across the street from Independence Hall at 6th and Market Streets — was pressed into service.

On July 3, in a ceremony featuring reflections on faith and its importance in American life from many of the city’s most prominent faith leaders, including Mayor Cherelle Parker and Gov. Josh Shapiro, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received the Liberty Medal from the center.

Pope Leo, a graduate of Villanova University, and the first American to serve as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, was actually presented with the award earlier this year, but delivered thank you remarks as part of the ceremony live from the Vatican in Rome.

At a time when American unity seems to be fraying, Pope Leo called on those gathered to remember that America is only as good as the sum of its parts.

“The forbearers of this country, men and women of diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, were able to find that common ground and the strength necessary to pursue a better future,” he said. “The principles that inspired America’s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person, brought them together in a single cause, a common dream. Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. E pluribus unum — out of many, one. In order for a nation to flourish, it must be truly united; united not by goals bound to momentary endeavors, but by ideals that do not fade with the passing of time.”

“I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart,” Pope Leo said.

On July 4, Mayor Parker presented the annual Celebration of Freedom Awards to several local dignitaries. Emceed by NBC-10 anchor Lena Tillett, and featuring entertainment from Grammy-award winning artist Yolanda Adams, and Paula Holloway and the Leviticus Ensemble, awards were bestowed on the following people:

*Former ambassador and city official David L. Cohen — Philadelphia Freedom Award for Civic Devotion
*Bishop Dr. Millicent Hunter — Philadelphia Freedom Award for Faith, Courage and Service
*Comcast Spectacor CEO Daniel J. Hilferty — Philadelphia Freedom Award For City Champion
*The Neubauer Family Foundation and Joseph and Jeanette Lerman Neubauer — Philadelphia Award for Transformative Philanthropy
*Nasir “Gillie Da King” Fard and Wallace “Wallo267” Peeples, anti-violence activists and co-hosts of the podcast “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” — Philadelphia Freedom Award for Restorative Justice and Resilience
*Oscar-nominated actor and West Philadelphia native Colman Domingo — Philadelphia Freedom and One Philly Award for The American Voice.

During the ceremony, Mayor Parker announced the creation and placement of three statues honoring women who have made history both and Philadelphia and the country at large.

The Harriet Tubman statue will be placed on the North Apron of Philadelphia City Hall in spring 2027, according to Valerie Gay, the city’s chief cultural officer. Sculptor Alvin Pettit was selected to create the statue in 2023, and the statue will be the first honoring a Black, female, historical figure in the City’s collection of public art once installed.

Sadie T. M. Alexander, the first Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D in Economics the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania’s law school, and a former assistant city solicitor, will be memorialized with a statue in front of the Municipal Services Building. That statue is also scheduled to be installed in early summer 2027, Gay said. While a member of Philadelphia City Council, Parker, and former Councilmembers Jannie Blackwell and Blondell Reynolds-Brown advocated for Alexander to receive this honor.

The third statue, a statue honoring activist and organizer Blanche A. Nixon, will be placed at the library that bears her name in West Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek section later this year.