Immigration: Using Art to Share the Asian American Migration Experience
Through the power of art, even the most complex stories of immigration and assimilation can be expressed. Located on the 1200 block of Vine Street, the Asian Arts Initiative has linked art and communities since 1993. AAI is a multidisciplinary arts center dedicated to exploring experiences of Asian Americans and bridging dialogue with diverse communities. […]
Spruce Hill: Neighbors in Little Osage Come Together for Disaster Relief
Carlos Pérez Sámano wasn’t sure why his phone kept losing service on Sept. 19, but when he returned home from Center City and connected to the wifi, he was bombarded with text messages. “Everyone was saying, ‘I’m OK. I’m OK. I’m OK,’” Pérez Sámano said. “And I was like, what happened?” There had been a […]
Francisville: Fur Store Sees Neighborhood Change
It was 1921 when Elayne Rutberg’s father-in-law first opened Rutberg Furs. After Rutberg’s father-in-law died, her husband took over. Then when her husband died, he passed the torch to Rutberg. She officially took ownership of Rutberg Furs, which sells a variety of authentic fur products and offers services like fur cleaning and restoration. “I fell […]
Walnut Hill: Community Rebuilds Park From The Ground Up
Community members in Walnut Hill gathered in a collaborative effort with the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation and the Enterprise Center to rebuild the Walnut Hill Park creating a safe and relaxing space for children and families. An ongoing project since 2007, Walnut Hill Community Association and the Enterprise Center Partnerships Manager Lorna Peterson, went […]
City Politics: Community Organizer And Activist Is Leading The Way For LGBT Affairs
Amber Hikes started her career in Philadelphia in social work, and became a well-known community organizer and an advocate for LGBT youth through her work at The Attic Youth Center, William Way Community Center and other youth-focused organizations. Following a move to California, she returned to serve as executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs […]
Spruce Hill: Uhuru’s Flea Market Coordinator Inspires Young Africans To Make Change
Tiffany Murphy, a native of West Philadelphia, fell in love with community organization and civic engagement during her childhood. Years later, she is now the coordinator for the Uhuru Flea Market and the upcoming One Africa, One Nation Uhuru Book Fair Market that institutionalizes and develops programs to defend the human and civil rights of people […]
Powelton Village: Connecting West Philly’s Community Leaders
Ryan Draving’s goal is to seek out leaders in West Philadelphia and bring them together. He was part of a group which helped more than two dozen organizations in West Philly put on the West Philadelphia Community Action Fair last April. Draving, a senior partner at Manayunk-based consultancy Muhlenhaupt + Company, LLC, grew up in Jenkintown and […]
Bridesburg: Plan For Refurbishing Brownfields Awaits Next Step
Much of the area in North Philadelphia that abuts the Delaware River has been in a decades-long transition stage from manufacturing hub as factories in the neighborhoods move, leaving behind their industrial footprint. The possibility of chemical contamination in now-vacant lots means these properties, dubbed “brownfields,” must be assessed and cleaned before the lots can […]
Germantown: How One Woman and One Foundation Are Working Towards “One Less”
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released 2016 data that placed Philadelphia at the top of the list as the poorest big city in the nation. With a poverty level close to 26 percent, the city seems to be making very little improvement financially. Enter Ingrid Shepard, the executive director of The One Less Foundation, a nonprofit […]
Bridesburg: Residents Suggest Isolation And Community Create Its Neighborhood’s Safe Streets
From May 26 to June 25, the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia reported zero violent crimes, making it the only neighborhood in the city that can stake such a claim, according to a live-tracking data set compiled by the Federal Census Bureau and the Philadelphia Police Department. The working class neighborhood is tucked away in North Philadelphia, […]