The Sovereignty working group explored the concepts of the marketplace and cultural exchange as they relate to histories of self-determination and the preservation of community wisdom. PHLA partnered with various businesses along the 52nd Street corridor in West Philadelphia to offer spaces for creating unity and cultivating economic sovereignty.

Knitting together a rich history of unity through land and labor, the second Sovereignty “site” was envisioned as a network of four urban gardens located in North Philadelphia. Programming and installations across these gardens informed the ways in which plants, seeds, and land reinforce people's connection to ancestry and serve as vehicles for nourishment, healing, and future growth.