Mantua: Five Community Organizations Revitalizing the Neighborhood
Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood has been a recent target of revitalization, even getting federal attention. Here are five local organizations that have already been putting in the work to make a change in Mantua. Mighty Writers Recently highlighted for winning the 2015 Edward R. Murrow Award for the outstanding audio documentary “Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul […]
Mantua: Rabbit Run Promotes Exercise as Medicine for Parkinson’s Patients
Jodi Cianci is serious about her workouts. She trains as if her life depended on it – because it does. “I treat my exercise like a doctor’s appointment,” Cianci said. Cianci was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010 when she was just 49, but has been dealing with early onset symptoms of the chronic illness since […]
Mantua: Traction Company Gives Artists a Place to Work Together
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average change for all occupations is projected to be an 11 percent increase from 2012 to 2022. However, they expect a 1 percent decrease in professional artists. The Traction Company hopes to be an exception to this less-than-optimistic job outlook. “We’re trying to create a stable hub for art making,” […]
Mantua: Longtime Resident Witnesses Transformation of the Neighborhood
Near 35th Street and Mantua Avenue, next to the bustling trains traveling east and west, sits is a quiet home. The owner of that home, now at the age of 73, has seen Mantua transform for almost seven decades. Obidiah Anderson has been a Mantua resident for the past 69 years. Anderson’s parents and her 11 […]
Mantua: Students Learn the Art of Swordsmanship at Fencing Academy
For the most serious disciples, fencing is more than just fancy swordsmanship. It is the western counterpart to the eastern discipline of martial arts, but still requires the same level of inner courage and willed fortitude from the student. Nowhere else in Philadelphia do these students emerge more continuously than in the Fencing Academy of […]
Mantua: Brandywine Park Redesign Focuses On Community Culture
In the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Mantua, residents are leading a project that will transform Brandywine Park into a sanctuary of art, nature and community respect. The park, which is situated on the corner of 34th and Brandywine streets, has been in decline for the past couple of years and is getting a full makeover […]
Mantua: 50 Years Later, MLK’s Speech Still Rings True
Fifty years ago this summer, Martin Luther King Jr. came to the Mantua neighborhood of Philadelphia as part of his “Freedom Now!” tour around the northern cities of the United States. King spoke to thousands of people gathered on 40th and Lancaster Avenue about the struggles that African Americans were going through in 1965. During […]
Mantua: Neighborhood Dealing with Gentrification, Promise of Federal Help
In January 2014, President Barack Obama revealed the first five locations that will be designated as Promise Zones. The initiative, designed to provide vital investments to dilapidated areas, includes the Mantua neighborhood of Philadelphia. The Promise Zones are not given any federal aid but are offered preferential consideration, or extra points, for federal grants. Obama is currently battling […]
Mantua: Months After Flames Force Rescue, Home Still Stands Silent
Some homes have been kept in the same family for generations, some have seen great tragedies like fire or flood, others are left vacant or forgotten and the rare few have been given a proper funeral before being torn down. Every house has a story and 3952 Aspen St. is no exception. On July 12, […]
Mantua: Empowerment Program for Girls Plans to Make Debut in West Philly
Shanon Skipworth has a saying: “Do not judge me by the color of my skin, the texture of my hair or by the shape I’m in, judge me by what’s inside of me because I am beautifully made.” Skipworth is founder and CEO of You’re Beautifully Made, which is a mentor program designed to help young […]