A block in Philadelphia near the Freedom Theater is to be renamed after the actress who had her big break at the arts center decades ago.
Master Street between Broad and Carlisle Streets will become Erika Alexander Way on September 21. The new name is a tribute to Alexander, who spent part of her childhood in Philly before landing roles on “The Cosby Show,” “Living Single” and most recently “American Fiction.”
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Council member Jeffery Young Jr., who supported the decision to rename the street, said in a statement that the move was “a well-deserved recognition of her lasting legacy and a joyous celebration of one of Philadelphia’s brightest stars.”
Alexander is perhaps best known for her roles as Pam Tucker, Clair Huxtable’s cousin on “The Cosby Show,” and Maxine Shaw on “Living Single,” but she has also appeared in films such as “DéjA Vu” to “Get Out”. Last year, she took on a leading role in “American Fiction”, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Her career began at the Freedom Theater, the North Philly theater founded in 1966. Alexander participated in a summer program there in the 1980s while she was still in high school and soon landed a lead role. The teenager beat out hundreds of other girls to land the role of Joan in “My Little Girl,” an independent film shot and performed in Philly. After wrapping the film and graduating from Philadelphia High School for Girls, she moved to New York. A few years later, she joined the main cast of “The Cosby Show,” appearing in the seventh and eighth seasons.
Although Alexander spent her teenage years in Mount Airy, she was born in Winslow, Arizona, and lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, as a young child. Winslow also dedicated a street to her in 2023.
The christening on Master Street is part of a larger mid-career retrospective organized by her nonprofit organization Color Farm Impact. The Philadelphia Film Center will host screenings of her films “La Mission” and “American Fiction” at 7 p.m. on Sept. 20 and 21. Each screening will be followed by a discussion with Alexander and a special guest, and the actress will also join the audience in watching a popular episode of “Living Single,” complete with live commentary. She will participate in similar events in Brooklyn the following weekend.
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