The sound of percussion rang out at the Center City headquarters of the School District of Philadelphia as the youth drumline Mad Beatz Philly opened a celebratory press conference in early March. The Black-led, parent-driven organization Lift Every Voice Philly (LEV) was celebrating a major victory: after 18 months of advocacy by parents across the
MoreA lot of americans have a vague idea of where their water comes from, says Kayla Callender, a former participant in the Independence Seaport Museum’s River Ambassador program. “We take water for granted,” she says. “We assume it’s never going to run out.” The River Ambassadors program is bridging the disconnect between citizens and their
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MorePhoto courtesy of Hoshea Hart-Rogovin One Love by Alex Jones On an unassuming block of North 52nd Street in West Philadelphia, Malaika Hart and her family have spent more than a decade working toward their vision: an oasis of sustainability and healing where an abandoned lumberyard-turned-short-dumping-ground once stood. That vision has become One Art Community
MoreChildhoods Lost and Found by Justin Klugh The Raymond Rosen housing projects at 22nd and Diamond streets in North Philadelphia were an unsettling place to be a child. Built in 1954 for residents with low incomes, they were in time swallowed by drugs, crime and disinvestment, all of which served as the backdrop for Connie
MoreDrum class at Northeast High School Students participate ata community workshop celebrating and exploring food from many cultures atNortheast High School Hafez Kotain instructing a drum class at Northeast High School Teacher Jay Fluellen in his music classroom at Northeast High School Students participate ata community workshop celebrating the diversity of food from many culturesNortheast
MorePhoto courtesy of Toni Shapiro-Phim Ephemeral Beauty, Lasting Lessons by Alex Jones The Philadelphia Folklore Project has been supporting and documenting folk arts and artists in the city’s diverse communities to create social change since 1987. “We have these long-term collaborations, long-term commitments to [communities] that develop into things depending on what’s needed at the
MorePhiladelphia’s Farm to School program expands by lee stabert
Over the last few years, school lunch has scored a prominent place in the national dialogue—whether it’s Michelle Obama’s initiatives, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution or “Fed Up With Lunch,” a Texas teacher’s disturbing blog documenting the daily menu at her school. It’s also an issue that’s poised
The old Frankford Arsenal is now home to solar panel installation trainingby Tim McCullough
A warehouse sits along the banks of Old Frankford Creek, in the Bridesburg section of Northeast Philadelphia. For a century and a half it was part of the Frankford Arsenal, manufacturing ammunition and weapons parts for the military. Opened in 1816, the