At the Nationalities Services Center, Akbar Ahmadzai can help native speakers of 150 languages better understand English. Ahmadzai, the director of language access and proficiency, oversees two programs: NSC’s year-round ESL classes and its interpretation [continue reading…]
Immigrating to the United States from Ecuador when she was 10 years old, Maria Sotomayor quickly realized immigrants to the U.S. faced an entirely different world than she expected. “My parents had lived here before [continue reading…]
Liz Mehaffey Wade, 34 and a resident of the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, is the executive director of the Korean Adoptee Association of Philadelphia. Wade was adopted from outside Daegu, South Korea, when she was 3 [continue reading…]
Councilman Mark Squilla is the councilman for the First District in Philadelphia City Council. Squilla is the representative for several Philadelphia neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Kensington, Bella Vista, Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Port Richmond. A native [continue reading…]
Sundrop Carter of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition recently celebrated her five year anniversary with the organization. Now in her third year as the executive director, she enjoys working to infuse the collective thinking [continue reading…]
Amnah Ahmad is the associate director of the Arab American Community Development Corp. at Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in North Philadelphia. Ahmad, along with a handful of other volunteers, works with refugees and immigrants from Middle [continue reading…]
Chinatown resident Anna Perng is an advocate for both immigrant communities and for people with disabilities. Perng, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, has been an activist and organizer since her time studying at Swarthmore College, [continue reading…]
Every Tuesday morning elderly Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees come together to socialize, strengthen community ties and improve their mental and physical health. Roots of Happiness: Elders Health & Wellness Services takes place from 9 [continue reading…]
Philadelphia has had a long history when it comes to libraries. Benjamin Franklin started the country’s first library, The Library Company, which remains open today, 287 years later. Today, the Free Library of Philadelphia finds [continue reading…]
The African Family Health Organization, located on Chestnut Street near 44th Street, works with African and Caribbean refugees to connect them with health and social services around the city. AFAHO’s services include ESL courses, case [continue reading…]
© 2025 All Rights Reserved. Philadelphia Neighborhoods: A program of the Department of Journalism at the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University.