Immigration and the Dignity of Labor

Immigration and the Dignity of Labor was artist David McShane’s first commission for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. It took the artist two and a half months to paint and was installed on the exterior wall of a drug rehabilitation center. This mural was the second of three murals with Quaker themes funded by the William Penn Foundation. It celebrates some of the many Quaker contributions, both in the past and present, related to the concerns of immigrants and migrants to Philadelphia.

At the bottom of the mural is the quote by Quaker founder George Fox: “Walk cheerfully over the world answering that of God in everyone.”

-Above the quote from George Fox on the left are figures representing immigrants and migrants. They are headed into the building of the Friends Neighborhood Guild for assistance (established in 1879 and housed in the Greene Street Meeting House). Leaving the Friends Neighborhood Guild and moving to the right are former immigrants and migrants who are now preparing to work in Philadelphia, having been given assistance with literacy, health, job skills, and housing.

-The next level is a group of buildings. On the left side are nine recognizable houses of worship representing different faiths, standing as a testament to Penn’s establishment of religious freedom, which served as a strong stimulus for immigration.

-Above is a simplified version of Penn’s original design for Philadelphia.

-Above the city plan is a seascape with three vessels: the oldest is the Concord which, in 1683, carried Mennonites to Philadelphia to enjoy religious freedom; the second is the U.S.S. Ganges, which captured two illegal slave-running ships in 1800 and turned those passengers over to the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society, founded by Quakers; third is the Golden Venture, which ran around NY harbor in 1993, carrying 150 illegal Chinese refugees, many of whom were imprisoned. Several Friends organizations are currently still involved with their plight.

The mural was restored in 2001.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (lost to demolition ca. 2006?).