Illustration by Heather Franzen Rutten Second Act essay by Angela A. Bey The 100-year-old brownstone of John M. Patterson Elementary School in Philadelphia held my first-grade classroom. I remember everything vividly—dried-up Crayola markers, paint-chipped walls and photocopies of “Hooked on Phonics” workbook pages. My peers walked in close-knit groups down the halls, and certain
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Childhoods 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
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Drum 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
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Art, Science and Civic Engagement: It’s What They’ll Do on Their Summer Vacation by Lauren Johnson Children can still feel like they’re on a fun vacation even when they’re learning—especially if it involves riding a unicycle or starting a band. Summer camps these days extend well beyond the campfire. Here are a few your kids
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Illustration by Chris Bernhardt Insider Art interview by Heather Shayne Blakeslee Museum activist Nina Simon is an electrical engineer by training who hails from Los Angeles—she now runs the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History in California. Her own outsider status when it came to the hallowed halls of an art gallery is one of
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Photo 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
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Freedom from Want by Heather Shayne Blakeslee During elementary school, the bedroom that I shared with my little sister could not have been more ideal. It was light and airy, and our matching set of tiny brass beds each had wooden shelves above them that my father had made himself. In between the beds, under
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Illustration by Kailey Whitman Getting Over Being Great by Jerry Silberman Question: Can America ever be great again? The Right Question: Why would we want to? Two months ago in this column I pointed out why Donald Trump, like every president since Reagan, will be unable to reverse the decline of the United States economy
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Pipeline Granted Clean Water Certification, Environmentalists Dub it ‘Premature’The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) granted 401 Clean Water Act certification to the PennEast Pipeline project on Feb. 13, an action criticized by some environmentalists because PA DEP has not fully reviewed the regulations to determine if PennEast is entitled to the certification. The
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Potato and Pesto Perfection by Anna Herman While I like wheat and the wonderful way its protein gluten can transform into crispy bread and chewy seitan, I also like to host all comers on pizza night. Gluten-free baking skills now seem essential in one’s culinary arsenal, and with alternative ingredients now sold almost everywhere, it’s
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