Immigration: For Those Who Move To Philadelphia, The Mental Health Journey Is Often Far From Over
UPROOTING Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, Carolina Coronado never thought she’d leave her native country. But one day in the mid-2000s she received a phone call from a Colombian guerrilla group — part of a rebellious anti-government movement — threatening her family. “We moved immediately from Barranquilla,” Coronado said. “I left everything behind. Dog, […]
Hunting Park: First Haunted Hayride Brings Together Community And Police
The 25th Philadelphia Police District and Hunting Park United (HPU) partnered to host the first Haunted Hayride event on Oct. 30 in Hunting Park. The Halloween event, created by Ryan Barksdale and Albert Cruz, the 25th District community relations officers, Captain Javier Rodriguez and HPU President Leroy Fisher, featured an inflatable corn maze, trailer hayrides, […]
Kensington: Esperanza To Spend $14.5M To Transform Vacant Building Into Health Center
The new Esperanza Health Center in Kensington is expected to benefit the entire neighborhood by expanding access to much needed medical services in a state-of-the-art facility, said Juan Perez, operations director at Esperanza Health Center. “We may have been one of three in the city that received this grant from the state,” said Perez (pictured […]
Center City: Four Groups Organize LOVE Park Rally Against Transgender Discrimination
Chants of, “Stand up! Fight back!” echoed throughout LOVE Park on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Hundreds gathered to vocalize their concerns about recent threats to transgender civil rights and to show support for the transgender community. The Rally for Trans Existence and Resistance, hosted by the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, Trans Equity Project, ACLU PA […]
Port Richmond: Local Woman Created Mobile Site To Troubleshoot Body-Image Issues Through Social Media
Lauren Hallden from Port Richmond is using a website she created to connect with users in a unique way. Problem Bodies is a site that randomly generates things that are “wrong” with how you look. If you agree with the site, it’ll try to sell you a solution. If you disagree, sometimes it will argue […]
Fairhill: Charito Morales Advocates For Those Affected By Opioid Crisis
Activist Charito Morales said she does not affiliate with a specific community organization because it distracts from the issues at hand in the Fairhill neighborhood. Morales is a registered nurse and has been volunteering in the Fairhill community since 1998. She spends some of her time teaching Latino youth at the Providence Center, an education […]
Mill Creek: Groups Collaborate To Build A Stronger Community
Pastor Derrick Long (pictured above), leader of the faith-based nonprofit organization Men of Mill Creek, wants community activism in Philadelphia to live on after he is gone. Young people are the way to do it, he said. “I’m happy young people are here to keep the legacy,” he said to a small crowd of other community […]
Immigration: Alphabet Book Announced At Philadelphia’s Welcoming Week
A new alphabet book designed to promote insight into immigration was announced Friday, Sept. 14, at the kick-off of Philadelphia’s Welcoming Week, a weeklong event meant to forge dialogue between immigrants, non-immigrants, refugees and native born citizens. Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and teaching Arab culture through language and art, […]
Immigration Law: Glancing At History
President Donald Trump’s dedication to enacting a travel ban was finally approved by the Supreme Court on June 26 after the administration’s third revision of the policy finally passed in a 5-4 vote. It may appear that America is in a new era of immigration law, but U.S. presidents have always teetered back and forth […]
Arts & Culture: Yellow Rage Explores Asian-American Experiences With Poetry
Catzie Vilayphonh, 37, and Michelle Myers, 46, known as the poetry duo Yellow Rage, met and penned their first poem together at a writing workshop at Asian Arts Initiative in 2000. The poem, “I’m a Woman Not a Flava,” expresses the women’s anger over the sexual fetishization of Asian women. After working on the poem together, Vilayphonh and […]