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HomeAuthorsRovell S Vialva

Articles by Rovell S Vialva

5th Street

Logan: Entrepreneur Hopes Orchard and Market Plan Will Bear Fruit in Triangle

December 16, 2015Rovell S Vialva

Helen Hutchins attempted to sow wildflowers on the site at which her house sank into the earth. Hutchins’ residence was one of nearly 1,000 homes formerly located in the Logan neighborhood in an area known

5th Street

Olney: Music School Serves as Cultural Beacon for Residents

November 30, 2015Rovell S Vialva

Situated on the crowded commercial blocks of Olney dwells one of the last bastions of music education in the community. The Gibson School of Music and Arts seeks to preserve musical tradition in the community

5th Street

Olney: Abu Edwards Says He’s Always Felt ‘Pushed to Advocate for People’

November 4, 2015Rovell S Vialva

Dressed sharply in a dark suit and tie, Abu Edwards sat adjacent to Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Paul P. Panepinto. The room emanated ceremony, muted in tone and tenor, with rows of

5th Street

Olney: Francis Festival Makes Its Way To Cardinal Dougherty High School

October 17, 2015Rovell S Vialva

In celebration of Pope Francis’ arrival in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, approximately 3,000 Vietnamese Roman Catholics gathered at Cardinal Dougherty High School to celebrate. “That’s not a church,” objected one child as

5th Street

Olney: Pastor Helps Nourish the Community with Food Drives

September 21, 2015Rovell S Vialva

Pastor Joseph Randall has found fulfillment at Olney Baptist Church. Initially, he enrolled in the U.S. Navy where he planned to become a pilot. Despite his achievements, he felt something was lacking. He found renewed purpose

5th Street

Logan/Olney: 5 Places To Know

September 14, 2015Rovell S Vialva and

Olney and Logan embody a diverse and resilient spirit. Logan, bound by threads that reach back to 17th-century namesake James Logan, boasts a close-knit populace. Olney and Logan are as neighborhoods in touch with their historic

Recent Posts

  • People stand on a sidewalk beneath a pale gray sky. The street behind them is between two tan stone buildings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows on their ground levels, and the multicolored glass exterior of a parking garage shines further down the street, next to some taller red brick buildings. Glass windows are visible behind the people on the sidewalk. Some of them wear raincoats or windbreakers, and some of them hold umbrellas of various colors. Two men in the right half of the image, one southeast Asian and one white, wear clerical collars. They are all waving wooden rods with thick red ribbons tied to the ends of them in the air. Most of the people present appear to be white and/or over the age of 50. One bearded, middle-aged man in a gray and black windbreaker and black pants points a camera towards the bottom right corner of the image, where a blue banner reads “GOD STANDS WITH THE OPPRESSED.” To the banner’s left, a canvas with a monarch butterfly painted on it is draped over a concrete sidewalk barrier. A blue bicycle is parked behind the man with the camera, and a black car in the street drives past the group of people.
    ‘These are our people’: Weekly vigils unite faiths on ICE’s doorstep
    July 7, 2026
  • “To Be Here” weaves a web of Philadelphia experiences, told by and for the community
    July 3, 2026
  • The crowd during a performance by The DOJD, Claire Brown's band, in a West Philadelphia basement. (Image-Jacob Magaldi)
    How Philadelphia’s DIY music scene is helping fund gender-affirming care
    June 7, 2026
  • Video Style Guide: Pictures-Video-Photography
    May 27, 2026
  • Inspired by ACT UP, this queer Philly collective is throwing mutual aid parties 
    May 4, 2026
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