Voices of Freedom: "The Nine O'Clock Whistle" and Dr. Willa Cofield
How does memory shape progress? Join us to celebrate Juneteenth at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for a powerful program for A Nation of Artists with Dr. Willa Cofield, an educator, author, and filmmaker. Through her story, explore how art and activism intersect to protect the voices of freedom and progress.
This special event features a screening of the documentary "The Nine O'Clock Whistle" and a special conversation with Dr. Cofield about her life as an American artist.
Following the screening, we will host a post-film discussion with Dr. Cofield followed by a book signing and social reception with the audience. We are excited to partner with Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books, who will be providing copies of Dr. Cofield's book The Nine O'Clock Whistle!
Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
On June 19, 1865, 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and ensure freedom from bondage for all African Americans, representing the true end of slavery. Juneteenth marks America's second independence day. Celebrate with us at PAFA with our distinguished guest on June 20!
The Nine O'Clock Whistle
For years on Saturday night, white authorities in Enfield, N.C. blew a siren, warning Black people to clear the downtown streets. This curfew was one of many demeaning practices used to keep the Black population separate and unequal.
One fateful night, three days after the March on Washington, hundreds of Black people on the streets of downtown Enfield refused to heed the blowing of the nine o’clock whistle.
The Nine O'clock Whistle tells the story of a dramatic cultural shift that rocked the segregated town of Enfield from 1963 to 1965 through the narratives of Willa Cofield, her former students, and current residents of the town. The video documents the racial indignities, segregation practices, and labor exploitation of the time.
The story offers a supreme example of how the civil rights grapevine grew from one small act of resistance in Enfield to envelope an entire region. The documentary brings hope, spirit and encouragement to those struggling to overcome entrenched, powerful, and oppressive forces.
About Dr. Willa Cofield
Willa Cofield is a retired educator with deep roots in Enfield, North Carolina.
Cofield researched and documented the history of the Joseph Keasbey Brick School and Junior College, a Black school that operated in North Carolina from 1895-1933.
She organized a photographic exhibit, “Answering the Cry for Life and Liberty,” and produced an award-winning documentary The Brick School Legacy (2003) with Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia.
Recipient of numerous awards, Cofield collaborated with a few of her former Enfield High School students writing a companion text to The Nine O'Clock Whistle film about the impact of the 1960s on their identities as youth cultural workers.
Cofield is 97 years young. She has a daughter, Tanya Watson; two granddaughters, Erika and Korey, and three great-granddaughters.
About Uncle Bobbie's
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books is a coffee shop and bookstore located in the heart of the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
Founded by Marc Lamont Hill in 2017, Uncle Bobbie's was created to provide underserved communities with access to books and a space where everyone feels valued.
In addition to our specially curated book selection, we also serve high quality coffee, food products, and more, including apparel and children's games.
We are also a community space that holds free author talks, workshops, and other events, including weekly story time for kids and back to school drives.
We're so excited you're planning to visit PAFA!
Make time for art — visit us Thursday to Sunday.
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