Illustration by Chris Bernhardt Consciousness Raising by Devamrita Swami Whether it is a new vegetarian restaurant around the corner, a doctor who recommended a vegetarian diet or environmentalists contemplating the growing impact of the livestock industry on the planet, you may have caught yourself wondering—what is vegetarianism all about? What is the full impact of
MoreIllustration by Jameela Wahlgren End Family Incarceration by Erika Almiron When I was taken into custody at Berks County Residential Center in Leesport, Pennsylvania—for hugging women who had been unlawfully detained there for months with their children—I couldn’t believe it. As the executive director of Juntos, a community-led, Latino immigrant organization fighting for our human
MoreIllustration by Lauren Rebbeck Victory Lap by Debra McCarty Despite its absolute necessity, clean water is something many take for granted. This was clear in the collective response to stories emerging from Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Olympics about waters tainted by the unchecked flow of sewage and other pollution. Confronted by the
MoreIllustration by Nicholas Massarrelli Eliminating Blight by Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition A blighted neighborhood… what does that mean? For many, the word conjures images of cracked sidewalks, strewn trash, rusty cars and homes in need of a paint job. But are any Philadelphia neighborhoods free of such features? According to Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law,
MoreIllustration by Carter Mulcahy The Spirit of Philadelphia by Steven Grasse I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is where I live now. I’m raising a family here. I run a creative agency here. I’m a lifelong student of our city’s history and lore. I love it. But there’s no need to bury the
MoreIllustration by Nicholas Massarelli Faith in Action by the Rev. Cheryl Pyrch and Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” JEREMIAH 29:11 A low-level but corrosive despair and cynicism pervades
MoreSophomore Slump by Rob Fleming You might assume that colleges and universities would serve as the vanguard for sustainability. Some of the most intelligent and progressive people in the world can be found in their hallowed halls. And yet, if we were to examine the transcript of grades for higher education we will find—at best—a
MoreIllustration by Mike L. Perry Building Up Our Kids by Dan LaSalle As a teacher in Philadelphia’s public school system, I know that deep within our overcrowded and underfunded Philadelphia schools, a hunger for glory grows loud if you listen. I watch hundreds of city chess teams turn to a nonprofit for the funding and
MoreIllustration by Wyatt Glennon Betting the Farm by Amy Laura Cahn Philadelphia needs to act quickly if it does not want to lose its community gardens. We can’t do it without leadership from the Kenney administration. On March 20, a Philadelphia Inquirer headline read “Growing Pains for Gardeners: South Kensington plots may be lost amid
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Illustration by Laura Weiszer A Plague of Plastic Bags by Phil Bresee Throughout much of 2015, negative stories and shortsighted opinion pieces on recycling dotted national and local media. The stories, including a particularly exasperating editorial by John Tierney in The New York Times, mostly stemmed from reports on the historic low-market values for
MoreIllustration by Max Gordon. Money Matters by Pamela J. Rich-Wheeler The barriers small businesses face are many, no matter where they are located, and one of the biggest is lack of access to capital. This is a particular problem for minorities and women who do not often have the luxury of wealth transfer as a
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