The Saturday Free School

09/19/2026

From Philadelphia to India | A Pilgrimage of Peace and Friendship

You are invited to our celebration as Dr. Anthony Monteiro and members of the Free School embark on a Pilgrimage to six cities in India, in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois during this time of war.

Date/time: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 5-7 pm
Location: Church of the Crucifixion, 807 Bainbridge St

Free and open to the public, with food and refreshments provided.

Featuring:
— A free photo exhibition on the historic, revolutionary relationship between the Black Freedom Movement and Indian Freedom Struggle (to be later displayed at Mother Bethel AME Church through October)
— Cultural performances by Adhyaathma School of Performing Arts, and by Jillian Pirtle of the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society
— Speakers from the Peace Pilgrimage advisory committee: Brother Gregory Muhammad and Rev. Carolyn Cavaness

09/19/2026

This Saturday, we will discuss Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Freedom Movement after Birmingham: The move to the North.

09/15/2026

Rekindling a relationship between two civilizations

From October 1st to 16th, Dr. Anthony Monteiro, a life-long participant in the Black Freedom Movement, and several members of the Saturday Free School will embark on a pilgrimage of peace and friendship to India at the invitation of a coalition of organizations.

We seek to renew the historic relationship between the two civilizations of India and Afro-America. The relationship between Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi remains one of the most significant intercivilizational exchanges of the 20th century. Further, W.E.B. Du Bois was a great friend of India, and was close to Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai among others. He corresponded with both Gandhi and Tagore, publishing their messages in his journal The Crisis.

To explore this history of exchange and reintroduce Indian audiences to these two figures, Dr. Monteiro will participate in a series of events in 6 different Indian cities. On Gandhi Jayanti on October 2nd, 2026, an exhibition will be put up at the Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore along with a discussion. Following this, events will be organized in Madurai, Mumbai, Shantiniketan, Kolkata and New Delhi. This tour will ideologically retrace the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr. during his tour to India. We will explore ideas of nonviolence and peace in this time of war.

We are fundraising to cover international travel as well as make provisions for a send-off and report back in Philadelphia, which will include a photo exhibit of the historical linkages and friendship between India and Afro-America and various cultural performances. This is a people’s effort and we are relying entirely on the generosity of individuals for our fundraising.

“It may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of non-violence will be delivered to the world” - Mahatma Gandhi, 1935. A coalition of organizations in India including the Intercivilizational Dialogue Project, Gandhi Global Fami...

09/07/2026

Next month, Dr. Anthony Monteiro and members of the Saturday Free School will embark on the Martin Luther King Jr–W.E.B. Du Bois Peace Pilgrimage to India. This voyage seeks to rekindle the historic relationship between Afro-America and India at a time when world humanity stands on the brink of a new epoch, and the U.S. finds itself in a deep civilizational crisis as the American people demand peace.

Stay tuned for more updates, including a send-off event in Philadelphia this month that we will be announcing soon.

We are fundraising to cover international travel, as well as our send-off & report-back in Philadelphia. This is a people’s effort and we are relying entirely on the generosity of individuals for our fundraising. Please consider donating at this link: https://donorbox.org/tony-monteiro-peace-pilgrimage-to-india

09/03/2026

Week 6 | Philadelphia as a 21st Century Birmingham

On Saturday, September 5th at 10:30 am-1:30 pm we will gather for our final Week 6 of our Summer Freedom School on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Third American Revolution.

We invite you to join us as we meet in person at Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St) in Philadelphia. People of all ages are welcome to attend.

This week, we will cover the topic of “Philadelphia as a 21st Century Birmingham.” Having established war and peace as central to the struggle for freedom, we will ask what is to be done in our city at this time. We will reflect on our study of King to discuss what an American revolutionary in the 21st century must look like, and what it means for us to answer the moral imperative in our own lives.

During the session, we will listen to parts of a recording of King’s final speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” delivered in Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968, the day before his assassination. Dr. Anthony Monteiro will give brief remarks before we begin discussion.

09/02/2026

This Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6-8 pm (doors open 5:30 pm), you are invited to a free screening of 'King in the Wilderness' at Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St). The film covers the final 18 months of Martin Luther King Jr's life as he took on the three evils of white supremacy, poverty/exploitation, and the U.S. war in Vietnam. Pizza will be provided!

🎬 Join us for a FREE screening of King in the Wilderness!

Come together for an evening of film, reflection, community, and free pizza as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the continuing fight for freedom and justice.

📅 Thursday, Sept. 3 | 6–8 PM
📍 Mother Bethel AME Church, Philadelphia

Everyone is welcome!

08/28/2026

Thursday, Sept. 3rd at 6-8 pm: You are invited to attend a free screening of 'King in the Wilderness' hosted by the Saturday Free School and Mother Bethel AME Church.

Join us as we celebrate our 6-week Summer Freedom School program on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Third American Revolution, which concludes with its final session on Saturday Sept. 5th. Pizza will be provided!

Location: Mother Bethel AME Church, 419 S. 6th St, Philadelphia

The film documents the final 18 months of Dr. King's life, as the Black Freedom Movement took on the challenges of poverty and white supremacy in the urban North, and as King moved to openly confront the American empire amid its war in Vietnam.

The revolutionary vision that crystallized during the Birmingham campaign of 1963 propelled the Movement to greater heights and greater stakes, before it was cut down with the assassination of Dr. King in April 1968.

The question remains how will the American people today pick up the unfinished battle for peace, freedom, and revolutionary democracy.

08/26/2026

Week 5 | War, Racism, and Democracy: Our Moral Duty

On Saturday, August 29th at 10:00 am-12:30 pm (*please note updated time for this week only*) we will gather for Week 5 of our Summer Freedom School on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Third American Revolution.

We invite you to join us as we meet in person at Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St) in Philadelphia. People of all ages are welcome to attend.

This week, we will cover the topic of “War, Racism, and Democracy: Our Moral Duty.” Any discussion of American democracy today must start with the question of war. The unresolved evils of war and poverty, in many ways, define Philadelphia in the 21st century. We will revisit King’s opposition to the U.S. war in Vietnam and his prophetic statement that white supremacy, war, and materialism will bring down Western civilization.

During the session, we listen to parts of a recording of King's 1967 speech “The Three Evils of Society.” Dr. Anthony Monteiro will give brief remarks before we begin discussion.

08/19/2026

Week 4 | Nonviolence: The Weapon That Heals

On Saturday, August 22nd at 10:30 am-1:30 pm, we will gather for Week 4 of our Summer Freedom School on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Third American Revolution.

We invite you to join us as we meet in person at Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St) in Philadelphia. People of all ages are welcome to attend.

This week, we will cover the topic of “Nonviolence: The Weapon That Heals.” Nonviolence, as it was practiced in Birmingham, has been largely misunderstood. King and others in the SCLC saw it as a new science of social change, providing a mass democratic path to freedom. They saw it as an active moral philosophy that breaks with the old concepts of American society and works to transform the people. We will thus approach nonviolence in its full context, as intrinsically linked with both love and revolution.

During the session, we will read aloud from chapter 2 in King’s book 'Why We Can’t Wait' and watch footage from an interview with Diane Nash, one of the leaders of the 1960 Nashville sit-in movement. Dr. Anthony Monteiro will give brief remarks before we begin discussion.

08/13/2026

Week 3 | Children and Youth: Their Revolutionary Consciousness

On Saturday, August 15th at 10:30 am-1:30 pm, we will gather for Week 3 of our Summer Freedom School on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Third American Revolution.

Join us as we meet in person at Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St) in Philadelphia. People of all ages are welcome to attend.

This week, we will cover the topic of “Children and Youth: Their Revolutionary Consciousness.” During the Birmingham campaign, thousands of children and teenagers marched against segregation, filling up the jails of the city. Through their courage, they decided the fate of the Birmingham struggle and saved the Civil Rights movement as we now know it.

We will use this as our starting point to discuss how children are capable of understanding and making profound moral choices that lead the way to revolutionary change.

During the session, we will watch footage from episode 4 of the 'Eyes on the Prize' documentary series, titled “No Easy Walk.” We will read aloud from the beginning of chapter 6 in King’s book 'Why We Can’t Wait.' Dr. Anthony Monteiro will give brief remarks before we begin discussion.