Several Black leaders throw support behind Sixers’ pivot with arena, after supporting Market East project

This story originally appeared in The Philadelphia Tribune.

Several Black leaders, who originally supported the Sixers proposal to build the team’s new arena in Center City, appeared Monday to be behind the new plan to keep the team in South Philadelphia.

The highly contested 76 Place on Market East was backtracked Sunday afternoon after an arduous City Council vetting process, protests and two-year negotiations. Comcast and the 76ers agreed to keep the sports team in South Philadelphia, with a new arena slated to be built by 2031 or earlier, said the companies in a press release.

Most Black civic leaders were called to testify in public hearings late last year before Council voted for the arena. Many endorsed the development as an economic win for the Black community who would have been vendors in the arena and given construction job opportunities. Though the Center City plan has been nixed, they still see the arena as a win for the organization’s members and the city.

Regina Hairston, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, said she is not concerned that the agreements won’t transfer to the new project.

“The city of Philadelphia will have two large-scale projects, which is amazing for the city and it’s also great for our members because now, instead of having one transformational project to have opportunities with, they will have two,” she said.

Hairston was given a preliminary call from Mayor Cherelle Parker before the announcement went public Sunday afternoon. When asked if the announcement prompted any disdain, Hairston readily assured that she was “surprised but not shocked” by the change.

“It’s a change of events,” she said. “We just got the legislation passed on the 19th. Had no idea that we would be here, but we’re here. And we’re going to do what we do — what we always do. We’re going to advocate opportunities for our members. That’s what happens in business.”

The African American Chamber of Commerce in 2023 openly backed the 76 Place at Market East project with diversity initiatives that ensured businesses providing food and beverage at the arena were represented by at least 40% of Black vendors, alongside a $2 million commitment to the chamber to prepare and scale Black businesses to become vendors, suppliers and concessionaires at the arena, and a partnership with local construction liaison Everybody Builds to grow a pipeline of Black talent and contractors.

The Sixers owners said they will now “develop a variety of options” for the East Market Street corridor, attached to the Fashion District, where they had originally proposed to build the venue. Comcast Spectacor owns the Wells Fargo Center, and the Sixers pay to play there.

While the business manager for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, Ryan Boyer, was not available for an interview, a representative shared a statement that Boyer saw the turn of events as a win.

“Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, was personally involved in it, and the commitment to the redevelopment of Market Street East is still there,” Boyer’s statement read. “We think that overall it will be good for the city. This is just a pivot.”

Philadelphia NAACP President Cathy Hicks, who also publicly backed the Center City project, emphasized the need for both a united front for Philadelphia and to foster economic growth, particularly for Black residents.

Hicks told The Tribune she was impressed by the efforts to create a plan that would bolster the city without isolating any affinity groups or Chinatown activists, who were against the arena in Market East.

“We know that the original plan was somewhat contentious when it came to Chinatown, that there still were some people that were not on board with the entire plan of having an arena in Center City,” Hicks said. “[The new plan] allows us to not only still build a new arena for the 76ers, but also still do something for the Fashion District. And that has always, to me, been what was important for the city to have economic opportunities — for the city and the African American community.”

Hicks said the NAACP will remain a key stakeholder in both projects to ensure that Black vendors will have a spot in the arena. Hicks added the Chinatown activists were likely a considered factor for the swift change to keep the arena in the South Philadelphia sports complex.

“This was a contentious decision, and once the stakeholders got together, as far as the 76ers and Comcast, I’m sure that Chinatown was thought of as how everyone in the city could be happy, but also this could benefit people,” she said. “I don’t know if the decision weighed on whether or not Chinatown agreed with it because they had already voted that this was a project that was going to go forward, but I think having the opportunity to still do something in the Fashion District would benefit Chinatown, in the long run, was considered.”

Hicks said Black Philadelphians should remain open-minded to the potential benefits the newly slated projects could bring to the community.

“This could be a win-win,” she said. “Don’t take this as a negative. Let’s see what the opportunity will hold for the city as a whole, and let’s go from there. Hold off any judgment at this time.”