A few years ago a friend moved to the suburbs after decades in Philadelphia. Last week she came over for dinner, and she joked about a chicken bone she stepped over on the sidewalk on her way to our West Philly door. There’s nothing like chicken bones to let you know you’re back in the
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What happens to a dream deferred? … Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Langston Hughes, “Harlem” In the aftermath of the police killing of Walter Wallace, a 27 year old black man suffering from bipolar disorder, I think the answer to Langston Hughes’ famous question is both: It exacts
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In a recent interview with The New York Times, Chris Rock shared an observation about racism he’s made before. When the color line is broken by a Jackie Robinson or a Barack Obama or some such trailblazer, it isn’t progress for Black people. It’s progress for white people. Rock says, “[T]he real narrative should be
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On the corner of Wyalusing and Belmont avenues, there is an oasis. On a lot where two row homes were left to crumble for almost 50 years, is a small field of grass. In the corner, there’s an explosion of colors, a pollinator garden installed with the help of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Thanks to
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Thank you, Matthew George and Bria Howard of I ♥ Thy Hood, for interrupting the news cycle that produces fear, anger, despair and disbelief. You know what I’m talking about. Is it really possible that a pandemic hit and we are unable to organize ourselves nationally to combat it? It seems likely that hundreds of
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If you can keep your cynicism in check, corporate displays of support for Black Lives Matter can seem admirable, sometimes even moving. When done authentically, companies are holding a mirror to themselves, deciding that they are not doing enough to address racial injustice, and committing to make change. Some of these vows are genuine and
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In the wake of COVID-19, priorities are shifting. Suddenly, the food supply chain is front and center on our minds. Not surprisingly, local food delivery business Philly Foodworks is scaling up, and Primal Meats is going gangbusters. There is a renewed interest in growing food as well. The subject of our March 2020 cover story,
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I was leaving for work on my creaky old bike, which now you can hear on our vacated streets. I spotted my neighbor holding a newborn, seated in a folding chair in a sliver of sunshine. “Congratulations,” I said, without rushing over. I would see her from no closer than 20 feet. She thanked me
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By Alex MulcahyGrid’s publisher recounts his parents’ reactions to 1972’s Hurricane Agnes in connection to the current COVID-19 outbreak.
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Did you know Americans spend an average of 87 percent of our time indoors? Editor Alex Mulcahy discusses this astonishing statistic and how humans should rediscover our roots.
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By Alex MulcahyGrid publisher Alex Mulcahy recounts the days leading up to the last Fire Drill Friday and how his experiences in D.C. should push everyone to becoming activists — or push yourself out of your comfort zone.
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