Overbrook Farms: Community Members Memorialize, Demonstrate At New Wilson Goode Sign
On the 2400 block of North 59th Street, just below the newly named W. Wilson Goode Sr. Way, stands a four-foot-tall shrine that reads, “To honor former Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. with a street, is to dishonor the 11 MOVE ancestors and the Osage Avenue/Pine Street neighbors.” The shrine was created by Philadelphia activist […]
Arts: Philadelphia Open Studios Tour Returns To The City
The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) is holding its annual Philadelphia Open Studios Tour (POST) throughout October. For the first two weeks of the month, visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of nearly 300 artists, with stops located in four different quadrants of the city: Northwest, Northeast, West, and South Philly. […]
Spruce Hill: Greensgrow Urban Farm Talks Food Insecurity And Community
Greensgrow Farm was created to bring fresh, locally-grown produce to Philadelphia. Today, two locations and mobile markets (in Fishtown and West Philadelphia) provide fruits, vegetables, flowers and a sense of community across the city. The urban farm located at 5123 Baltimore Ave. seeks to raise awareness of the necessity of wholesome agricultural practices, as well […]
Kingsessing: Seniors Find Creative Outlet At Open Mic
Poems about New York and chapters from a romance novel echoed through the Kingsessing Library’s sunlit basement. On Sept. 28, the library hosted an open mic poetry night for older adults— the first of many, Rachel Hayes hopes. “I think it’s important for the community,” Kingsessing Library Supervisor Hayes said. “Anything positive, anything that builds […]
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 […]
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 […]
Haddington and Cobbs Creek: Teaching the Philly Bop Dance at Community Libraries
On Saturday afternoons throughout the summer, the Cobbs Creek and Haddington branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia host Philly Bop dance classes. The bop is a style of dance that was popular in the 1950s and throughout the 1960s that was created by African Americans based upon 1920’s era Lindy Hop, Jitterbug and East […]
Kingsessing: AFRICOM Serves As Center Of African Immigrant Community
Eric Edi arrived in the United States in 1999 from his native Ivory Coast during a turbulent time in many West African countries. Conflicts in countries such as Liberia, Sudan and Eritrea left many refugees seeking shelter in the United States. Edi was attending Temple University on a Fulbright scholarship when he found out about […]
Sustainability: The Philadelphia Orchard Project Provides Fresh Fruit to Communities
Just when you think the fast-paced, industrialized, city life is dry and desolate, the Philadelphia Orchard Project brings nature’s beauties to brighten up Philly’s urban neighborhoods. As a nonprofit, community-based organization, the Philadelphia Orchard Project transforms vacant lots, schoolyards, community gardens and areas in low-wealth neighborhoods into green spaces to harvest useful and edible plants for the […]
Powelton Village: Lancaster Mews Gets Historic
Lancaster Mews, a row of apartments and businesses on the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue will keep its 19th century architecture after a city commission ruled on its importance. Last month, sites around the city were given historic designations by the Philadelphia Historical Commission. Along with Mews, Satterlee Heights and the Edward Corner Building in Fishtown […]