DESTINATIONS // The Mummers Museum
image of Mummer John Holland and daughter Farrah by Roberto Quezada-Dardon
We Will Survive
The cultural evolution of the Philadelphia Mummers
by Lauren Earline Leonard
EXCERPT //
“We’re all doing our part to keep the arts alive. I wish more people would recognize us for that,” says Jeff Crompton, a 30-year veteran of Philadelphia’s iconic Mummers Parade. “We have a choreographer, a costume designer, costume constructors, arrangers doing something very unique … but to this day, when I tell people I’m a Mummer, I do it with a little bit of a cringe, ’cause I know—here comes the blackface comment.”
It’s indisputable that blackface was worn in the parade as recently as 2019, and that there have been instances of cultural appropriation, transphobia, and xenophobia during the parade. But all of the Mummers I’ve spoken to for this article condemn this kind of behavior. The Mummers underwent sensitivity training some years ago learning how to “punch up” at people in positions of power rather than “punching down” at the disenfranchised. And they’ve opened their doors to new members more than some might imagine. (In addition to the legacy clubs, there are also, as of a few years ago, LGBTQ, Mexican, and Trinidadian clubs.)
But still, the reputational costs of the parade are usually calculated by adding up the aforementioned instances of bigotry and bad behavior. Another common complaint against the Mummers Parade is that it’s a financial and reputational burden to the city. At their worst, any big community event can be disruptive, offensive, or alienating for some.
At their best, though, these events foster emotional connections across class, culture, and generations. The Philadelphia Mummers are “costumed citizens” who value tradition and community and celebrate the New Year on Broad Street with the oldest running consecutive folk parade in the United States. Just like many other arts institutions, the Mummers are undergoing both slow and radical change necessary to their survival, and to the thriving of neighborhood connections. //
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