Newly dedicated ‘Ruth’s Room’ at Philly’s Juvenile Justice Center school offers students a safe, creative music space
Kevin Bacon and his brother teamed up with Rock to the Future to dedicate the room after their mother, Philly educator Ruth Bacon.
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Actor Kevin Bacon (Courtesy William T. Bradley)
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In the 1980s, Philadelphia educator and justice advocate Ruth Bacon championed a nursery program for the wives and girlfriends of incarcerated fathers at Graterford Prison. She believed that maintaining meaningful bonds eased the trauma and estrangement typically associated with incarceration, and she also helped create the school district’s Parents Cooperative Nursery.
Decades later, her legacy endures at the School District of Philadelphia’s Juvenile Justice Services Center, where a new music space now bears her name. The facility houses young people for the court system, while they await a hearing of the cases.
Dubbed “Ruth’s Room,” it was dedicated last week in a ceremony that drew her son, actor and Philadelphia native Kevin Bacon, along with his brother Michael and several district and city officials, including Mayor Cherelle Parker and School Superintendent Tony Watlington, Sr.
“Our Dad has a street named after him and a mural, so this is our mom’s chance,” said Kevin Bacon. “This is a beautiful room, and young people are going to get a chance to make music.” His father, Edmund Bacon, who died in 2005, was a renowned architect, educator and longtime executive director of Philadelphia’s City Planning Commission. Ruth Bacon died in 1991.
The new music facility is the centerpiece of Rock to the Future’s program for youth at the center. According to Jessica Craft, founder and CEO, the nonprofit began working with a small group of students in 2022 but has since expanded to serve hundreds every year.
“As we expanded, we realized that the young people needed a dedicated space for music, one where they could create, collaborate and perform with the support of amazing partners. We’ve built this beautiful, inspiring space where joy, creativity and community thrives in a room named in honor of Ruth Bacon, a devoted educator and justice advocate.”
Financial support for Ruth’s Room came from SixDegrees.org, a nonprofit Kevin Bacon founded in 2007.
The Bacon Brothers — Kevin and Michael — are known for performing in the Philly area and nationwide. Their recent track, “Philly Thing,” an ode to the city, was performed and recorded with some of the students from the Rock the Future program.
Stacy Huston, executive director of SixDegrees.org, said the organization seeks out grassroots nonprofits using the arts to improve young people’s lives.
“We believe in the power of collective action. That is why we’re so excited today,” Huston said. “It’s no secret that we are in really tough times, especially those in marginalized communities. Nonprofits are already fighting very hard with limited funding and resources to create lifesaving programs in a lot of ways.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker emphasized the unifying power of music:
“Music is part of our culture and how my generation learned to express ourselves,” Parker said. “So you help our young people move closer to the opportunity to share what is sometimes very difficult, and you can’t find the words to communicate about what is going on at home and in your community.”
She added that her administration’s public safety goals will require more than policing alone.
“We have to find a proactive way to engage with our young people, and this is a beginning,” Parker said.
Actor and Philadelphia native Will Smith, who grew up in West Philadelphia not far from the facility, offered a video message encouraging the students to seize this opportunity:
“We were doing it at a time when all we had was two turntables and a microphone, but the nature of this equipment that you are being afforded, use it to find your expression,” Smith said. “Use this music to say all of the things that are inside of your hearts and inside of your mind and use it to explore, use it to create. This is a fantastic opportunity.”
In January, SixDegrees.org announced it would partner with communities nationwide to establish similar projects — welcoming, functional spaces named in honor of Ruth Bacon, meant to serve people who need them most.
“We are thrilled to launch this program and invite communities across the country to join us in honoring Ruth’s legacy,” Huston said.
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeff Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.
This story has been updated to reflect the correct year SixDegrees was founded.

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