In this episode, host Arrita Robinson addresses community rumors regarding the closure and sale of New Umbria Baptist Church, clarifies the legal framework governing nonprofit assets, explains the mission and funding of the Black Manayunk platform, and answers mailbag questions about how AI is integrated into their historical research and content creation.

In this episode, host Arrita Robinson sits down with Robin Shine Maddox, CEO and founder of She Shines Sisterhood, to celebrate the heavenly birthday of her mother, Sister Barbara Shine. Robin shares memories of growing up a "Preacher's Kid" at New Umbrea Baptist Church in Manayunk and Roxborough, the deep sense of community built around Sunday dinners and the Robinson family choir, and her mother's legacy of caring for the neighborhood's youth and elders alike.

The conversation also turns to a defining moment in her family's history: a violent encounter with police in the 1970s that transformed her father, Reverend Dr. Robert P. Shine, Sr., into a lifelong voice for civil rights and social justice.

As New Umbrea Baptist Church marks its 100th anniversary in 2026, this episode honors both a mother's legacy and a church's century-long place in the community.

This episode of the Black Manayunk podcast features host Arrita Robinson interviewing Glennie Clark, who shares personal memories, family history, and community stories about growing up in the Manayunk and Roxborough neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

This episode of the Black Manayunk podcast features an interview with Loretta Pettis Holland, an 85-year-old former resident who shares her firsthand memories of growing up in the Manayunk community.

Black Manayunk Stories is a podcast recovering the untold migration and labor history of Black families and laborers in Manayunk, Pennsylvania.

Manayunk's history has always been told through its mills, its rowhomes, and its Main Street. Almost never told is who the Black laborers and families were who helped build it. This podcast is where that history gets uncovered: oral history interviews, archival research, and conversations with descendants, elders, and community members who are helping piece together a story that was never fully written down.

Each episode digs into migration, labor, faith, and everyday life in Manayunk's Black community, past and present. This isn't just a history podcast. It's a living, community-owned archive, one story at a time.

Where to Listen

Black Manayunk Stories is available wherever you get your podcasts, including:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Amazon Music
• iHeartRadio
• Podcast Addict / Overcast / Pocket Casts and other podcast apps

New episodes available regularly. Follow or subscribe so you never miss one.

Welcome to Black Manayunk 🖤 We're building a community-owned archive of the untold Black history of Manayunk, PA, and we're glad you're here.