Come and walk Philadelphia Old City and discover the story of a man who was profoundly important in benefiting human society: Antoine Benezet.

Antoine's mother and father were both from the south of France but he was born after they settled in St. Quentin, in the north. His family was persecuted as Huguenots and after a few years in Rotterdam and London arrived in XVIII century Philadelphia, among Quakers. He would go on to have a huge influence on the Society of Friends, as well as on public education in the U.S. and the movement to abolish slavery worldwide.

On the regular English-language walking tour of the Old City of Philadelphia, Anthony Benezet is prominently mentioned along with other Philadelphia pioneers of plant-based eating such as Benjamin Lay, Sylvester Graham, Caroline Earle White and the Grimke Sisters. 

But there's much more to Benezet than his vegetarianism.

For French speakers in Philadelphia, Vance Lehmkuhl put his B.A. in French to use, finally, and created an all-French tour focusing entirely on the French expat Benezet, certainly one of the most remarkable people in this city's amazing history.

Vance Lehmkuhl is a cartoonist, writer and musician who spent 20 years as a journalist, mostly at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, launching the first regular vegan column in a US tabloid ("V for Veg" 2011-2017). He is now the director of the American Vegan Center, which offers info, snack foods, vegan-themed merchandise, education and history tours in Old City.

*** WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ***

Day: Wednesday, April  12th, 2025
Time: 3:00-5:00 pm
Duration: 2.00 hours
Location:  American Vegan Center, 17th N. and 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Language: French, English
Walk : 1.5 miles
Fee: $20 for AF Members / $30 for non AF Members