Election Day is Tuesday, November 6. Be careful how you vote.
As we know, stuff happens. So if you encounter problems at your polling place, call 866-OUR-VOTE.
Tag Archives: Civic Engagement
Temple University: Displacement by Design
On November 11, 1966, John Coltrane gave his final performance in Philadelphia at Mitten Hall.
Mitten Hall will again be filled with joyful noise as the community tells Temple University: We Shall Not Be Moved.
Some background: On March 6, Temple will hold an “informational town hall” to discuss its proposal to put a 35,000-seat football stadium in the heart of an African American residential neighborhood. Temple has been planning this project for nearly two years. President Richard Englert claims Curtis J. Moody, lead architect with Moody Nolan, met with community members “to hear their concerns and has worked to integrate those comments into the designs.” Unless Moody has designed a stealth stadium, there is no way he has integrated the concerns of a community that understands a football stadium is displacement by design.
Temple’s first-ever public forum comes on the heels of a community town hall meeting convened by Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Philadelphia NAACP and Stadium Stompers.
Between chants of “We Shall Not Be Moved,” there was testimony from diverse stakeholders, including Mary Stricker, a sociology professor. Prof. Stricker noted the Faculty Senate passed a resolution by a 24-1 vote opposing Temple’s fantasy football scheme:
I really think this is a bad idea not only because it is a financial risk, but also because it’s in the worst interest of the surrounding community. Temple owes something to the community that has been hosting it for all these years.
Stricker added:
Temple Faculty say no new stadium. We are strong, united and determined in this fight.
Pastor Jay Broadnax, president of Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, said:
We love football but we’re calling a timeout. We love football but the people in this community will not be a football, passed, punted, kicked and carried across the city line in order for institutions to score profit points or get land grab wins.
The proposed stadium would be located in a neighborhood that has been subject to racial segregation, redlining and neglect. Rev. Gregory Holston, executive director of Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild (POWER), observed:
For 40 years, they have disinvested in North Philadelphia. You couldn’t get a mortgage. You couldn’t get a loan. You couldn’t get a home improvement loan. You couldn’t get a loan to start a business. But however today, they got all the money to make a stadium right in your backyard.
There’s something wrong with that. Whenever they start to pour money into a neighborhood, they want to push out black folks. … Race is dug deep in this thing. Race is a factor in this thing. This stadium is about moving black folks from North Philadelphia.
Rev. William Moore, pastor of Tenth Memorial Baptist Church, captured the mood of the hundreds who turned out in the rain for the community meeting. Echoing a local resident who said the stadium design is akin to “putting a whale in a goldfish bowl,” Rev. Moore said:
If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit. If it doesn’t fit, don’t force it.
Can I get an Amen?
#NeverForget
John Coltrane and Civil Rights
In June 2001, jazz scholar Ashley Kahn interviewed Alice Coltrane.
Mrs. Coltrane shared memories of her legendary husband John Coltrane, including his views of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X:
A lot was going on in the ’60s—black empowerment, civil rights, new jazz music was becoming the New Thing, which also had a political edge. How did John look upon all of that at the time—especially race politics? Was he with Dr. King or more with Malcolm [X]?
He was very interested in the civil-rights movement. He appreciated both men from their different perspectives. He did see the unity in what they were trying to achieve, basically almost the same thing, taking different directions to reach that point of achievement.
He knew that Dr. Martin Luther King was an intelligent man, who would’ve probably found his quest in civil rights more horrible, more horrendous, by going through the system as a lawyer or a professor. John felt that [King] as a preacher could reach the heart of the people. And he felt that this was very good, that it was an asset, that he would be able to lead the people based on the spiritual sense instead of the civic, intellectual, legalistic. John felt if you can talk to their heart you’ll get their support, and you’ll get them to believe in what you’re doing.
About Malcolm, I know John had attended some of his talks that were in our area. Once he came back and I asked him, “How was the lecture?” and he said he thought it was superb. Different approaches to the same goal, telling the people [to] be wise, try to get some kind of economic freedom, be self-sufficient, depend on yourself, strengthen your family ties. Things like that, not even involved with religion, just basic areas of improvement so that you can make yourself a strong force for the good that needs to be achieved. He told me that he appreciated the way that when the really tough questions were asked from the audience, every one was answered with an intelligence which the people could comprehend.
I know that some musicians who were around at the time were more militant. How did John feel about that?
He would not be a part of it, and this is what many people wanted him to do. They’d say, “Why don’t you take your horn, use it as an instrument to rally people together, to awaken consciousness in these people to really stand and fight for their rights?” He just said, “That’s not the way for me to go with this music.” It was not the way for him, to take his music into a militant zone to try to stress a point. If anything, we saw him going up. I would imagine his philosophy would be closer to Martin Luther King Jr.: Let me try to reach your heart, your spirit and your soul, and then we can move forward uniformly as a people and accomplish great things.
He didn’t prefer violence to peace, and he was very disturbed by the consequences [of the riots in the mid-1960s] and all the people who were getting hurt in the rioting. I believe he called us once [when] he was out of town when those [riots] were happening. He was mainly on the phone with his mother, because she was with us at the time and she was quite upset about it.
The full transcript is available here.
Black History Month 2017
February is Black History Month. This year’s commemoration is special because we are still celebrating the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
I have visited the museum twice; my next visit is later this month. The museum can be overwhelming so I methodically focus on one floor at a time, beginning with the History Galleries.
It is as emotionally wrenching as you would imagine. It is also motivating and inspiring. I thanked the ancestors for surviving the brutality of slavery and maintaining their humanity, their “soul value.” I am empowered by their enduring legacy of struggle and resistance.
Last week, I checked out the Culture Galleries.
It was sheer joy to experience black culture in all its glory – music, fashion, dance, culinary and visual arts, as well as the performing arts. Philadelphia’s music legends are in the house, including Marian Anderson, John Coltrane, Dixie Hummingbirds, Kenny Gamble, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Leon Huff, Patti LaBelle, Paul Robeson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. There’s an image of a billboard advertising an appearance by Fats Waller at the Lincoln Theater, a Philly landmark.
I ended each visit at Contemplative Court where I sat and, well, contemplated how we got over.
John Coltrane@90
September 23rd marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane. It’s hard to believe but Coltrane has been dead longer than he was alive.
Trane’s life and legacy will be celebrated during nine days of free events, including film screenings, concerts, lectures and exhibitions. The festivities are organized by the Philadelphia Jazz Project in collaboration with Temple University Libraries, WRTI, PhillyCAM, Jazz Near You, among other partners.
The highlights include:
- A six-hour saxophone marathon presenting national, regional and local saxophonists
- A jazz walk in Fairmount Park with three stages of live music
- A special Equinox concert
- An Afro-Cuban influenced interpretation of Coltrane’s “Kulu Sé Mama”
For more information, visit Philadelphia Jazz Project.
In Case You Missed It: All That Philly Jazz in the News
The unexpectedly short history of the Gloria Casarez mural, whitewashed from the Gayborhood
Billy Penn, January 4, 2021
Demolition in Philly dropped by half in 2020 — Is that a good thing?
WHYY/PlanPhilly, January 2, 2021
It’s time for Philadelphia to reckon with historical racism as an obstacle to preservation | Editorial
The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 1, 2021
New art installation in jeopardy after mural of queer activist Gloria Casarez in Philly’s Gayborhood whitewashed without warning
The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 24, 2020
Predictions for nonprofits 2021
Generocity, December 23, 2020
Black Philadelphians who recall the 1960s assess race relations in a still-divided country
The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 12, 2020
Henry Minton House, Systemic Racism and Historic Preservation
Design Advocacy Group Forum, October 18, 2020
All That Jazz?
Philadelphia Weekly, August 13,2020
Developer drops plans to build townhouses on Pa. farm that served as Underground Railroad site
PennLive and The Patriot-News, August 13, 2020
Why do majority-white city commissions pick the Philly history saved and celebrated?
WHYY/PlanPhilly, August 6, 2020
The threat to a John Coltrane mural shows how development can erase Black history in Philly
The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 29, 2020
Second John Coltrane mural to fall victim to new development, developer offers to recreate it
The Philadelphia Tribune, July 21, 2020
Let’s talk about the Philadelphia monuments we need to preserve | Inga Saffron
The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 9, 2020
All That Philly Jazz Director Faye Anderson Interview
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, June 2020
3 Black Philadelphians whose statues should replace Frank Rizzo
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 4, 2020
The Rizzo reign is finally over. Thank Black Philadelphia.
WHYY/PlanPhilly, June 3, 2020
Here are 15 Black nonprofit and community voices to listen to in Philadelphia
Generocity, June 2, 2020
Regional Roundup: Memorial Day Edition
WHYY Radio Times, May 25, 2020
Meaning and Memory: Making a Place for Culture in Historic Preservation
Hidden City Philadelphia, April 27, 2020
Singing the coronavirus blues
Broad Street Review, March 16, 2020
Mapping Out Philadelphia’s Jazz History
National Public Radio “Here & Now,” March 10, 2020
Historic Preservation, Public Memory and Social Justice
Design Advocacy Group, March 5, 2020
Hope and Despair Surround Philly’s African American Landmarks
Hidden City Philadelphia, February 28, 2020
Regional Roundup – 02/24/20
WHYY Radio Times, February 24, 2020
Preserving John Coltrane’s house can help save Philly’s soul
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 16, 2020
5 Philly jazz sites besides the Coltrane House that need historical preservation
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 16, 2020
Philadelphia jazz great John Coltrane’s house ‘at risk,’ preservationists say
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 8, 2020
Strawberry Mansion’s famous John Coltrane house named ‘at risk,’ boosting chance for survival
Billy Penn, February 6, 2020
Meaning and Memory: Making a Place for Culture in Historic Preservation
Extant Magazine, Winter 2020
Philly’s ’20th century Underground Railroad’ hides in plain sight
WHYY Podcast, January 2, 2020
Philadelphia’s building boom spawned a demolition boom in 2019
WHYY/PlanPhilly, December 19, 2019
An activist’s plea to resurrect the crumbling Strawberry Mansion home and legacy of jazz legend John Coltrane
Philadelphia Weekly, September 26, 2019
Historic Philly Underground Railroad stop that freed 9,000 slaves is saved from brink of collapse
Billy Penn, September 20, 2019
This is What You Need to Know About the 2019 John Coltrane Celebration in Philadelphia
WRTI, September 17, 2019
7 ‘Green Book’ sites to discover in Philly
WHYY/PlanPhilly, September 12, 2019
Proposed sale of landmark Painted Bride building is going to court
The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 4, 2019
Top Events for September
CityWide Stories, September 3, 2019
Hey, Mayor Kenney: Here are 20 buildings that Philadelphians want historically preserved
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13, 2019
Ridge Avenue and the Golden Strip
Sounds of the Circle, May 21, 2019
Changing City: How Should Philadelphia View Its Historical Buildings?
WHYY Radio Times, May 9, 2019
‘Disappearing Blackness’: The campaign to show how African American history in Philly is being erased
Philadelphia Daily News, April 26, 2019
A historic haven for black Philadelphians slated for demolition
WHYY/PlanPhilly, April 9, 2019
Did you know the cover of a Nat King Cole album was shot in Elfreth’s Alley?
Billy Penn, March 18, 2019
Unmarking African American history in Philadelphia
WHYY, January 24, 2019
Unmarking African American History in Philadelphia
WHYY/PlanPhilly, January 23, 2019
Where’s the historical marker for influential Harlem Renaissance figure? Nobody knows
Philadelphia Daily News, January 9, 2019
Citizen Salon Spotlight: Faye Anderson
Arthur Ross Gallery Blog, December 11, 2018
The Schomburg Center Invites the Public to Explore Victor Hugo Green and The Green Books
GothamToGo, November 15, 2018
A former Underground Railroad stop is on the brink of collapse in Spring Garden
Billy Penn, October 29, 2018
54 apartments are about to replace the historic Royal Theater
Billy Penn, October 25, 2018
How to save your favorite Philly buildings from development
Billy Penn, October 2, 2018
Philadelphia music legend Kenny Gamble remembers ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin
Philadelphia Business Journal, August 17, 2018
It Ain’t History–Yet. We Seek Ideas On How And Why To Save The Philadelphia History Museum
Hidden City Philadelphia, July 18, 2018
Blue Note Salon at Icebox reflects on art, jazz and activism in North Philadelphia
Artblog, June 13, 2018
How a walk around Philly could change how you think about your daily life
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 1, 2018
‘Jazz and Justice’: Where art meets activism
The Philadelphia Tribune, April 17, 2018
Philadelphia Hopes to Harmonize Historic Preservation
Next City, December 26, 2017
Never Listed
Extant Magazine, Winter 2018
Who is Sister Rosetta Tharpe? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is buried here in Philly
Philly.com, October 5, 2017
Bringing Coltrane Back to North Philly
The Root, September 29, 2017
When Does Historic Preservation Become Social Justice? Public Art and Cultural Heritage Preservation
Preservation Leadership Forum, National Trust for Historic Preservation, July 26, 2017
As Philly Is Designated a National Treasure City, Don’t Forget Black Historic Sites, Say Advocates
NBC10, June 15, 2017
Philadelphia’s music history – a DIY tour
PSN News powered by the Associated Press, May 29, 2017
Jane’s Walk 2017: Walking tours to take in Philly this weekend
Curbed Philadelphia, May 1, 2017
Pearls on Ridge
PhillyHistory Blog, April 26, 2017
Historic Preservation and Social Justice
PlanPhilly, February 28, 2017
Ridge Avenue’s last standing jazz club
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 24, 2017
Preserving Philadelphia’s Built African-American Heritage: A Conversation with All That Philly Jazz’s Faye Anderson
Extant Magazine, Fall 2016
Battle over proposed sale of first black Catholic church intensifies
Philadelphia Daily News, June 12, 2016
North Central: Philadelphia Celebrates Its Rich Jazz History
Philadelphia Neighborhoods, April 20, 2016
In Sharswood, remembering the music on Ridge Avenue
Philadelphia Daily News, April 16, 2016
Why Are Some Of The City’s Most Historic Black Churches Being Sold?
CBS Philadelphia, March 15, 2016
Luxury housing takes over Black landmarks in Philly
The Philadelphia Tribune, March 12, 2016
Malcolm X House Nominated for Listing on Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
SlideShare.net, March 2, 2016
Redevelopment In Sharswood: Will It Come At The Expense Of Preservation?
Hidden City Philadelphia, February 24, 2016
Breaking Through Historic Preservation’s Color Line
Hidden City Philadelphia, February 4, 2016
Housing Authority discusses Sharswood renewal project at Planning Commission
PlanPhilly, November 18, 2015
Three Key Historic Neighborhood Buildings Recommended For Register
Hidden City Philadelphia, September 16, 2015
Short-term art: When murals fall to developers
Philadelphia Daily News, June 5, 2015
Billie Holiday, The Roots join Walk of Fame
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 31, 2015
Lost and found jazz in Philadelphia
Al Dia News, April 9, 2015
At Last, Billie Holiday Being Nominated For Broad St. ‘Walk Of Fame’ Plaque
KYW Newsradio 1060, April 7, 2015
Remembering Billie Holiday
The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 29, 2015
Video: Faye Anderson on All That Philly Jazz
Generocity, March 20, 2015
Share stories, preserve history with All That Philly Jazz app
The Philadelphia Tribune, March 6, 2015
All That Philly Jazz documents region’s rich jazz legacy from bebop to hip-hop
Examiner.com, March 6, 2015
Fast Forward Philly: What’s Next for Philly?
DesignPhiladelphia, October 10, 2014
Philly Jazz App: app to map Philly’s jazz history
Technical.ly Philly, August 28, 2013
All That Philly Jazz app breathes life into the local jazz scene
The Key, August 28, 2013
Where Music Lives: In A Jazz Past Resurrected
WRTI, July 3, 2013
Let’s Do Philadelphia’s Jazz Heritage Justice
On the first day of summer, I had to report for jury duty at the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice. As I stood in line to go inside the Jury Assembly Room, I noticed a panoramic mural. I made a mental note to check it out during the break.
Words cannot convey my shock and awe to discover some of the images depict Philadelphia’s legendary jazz clubs, including the Blue Note, the Showboat and Pep’s.
It is clear the details only could have come from folks who were there. So it was no surprise to learn the mural was conceived by Doug Cooper in collaboration with “Philadelphia elderly.” Cooper wrote:
I brought together more than 40 elderly residents to complete it, and I worked jointly with them at the Center in the Park in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Local artist, Deborah Zwetsch and I assembled their memories over the previous 80 years.
[…]
The memories of the elderly are highly personal. Some are sentimental, some painful, some humorous, some ordinary.
There is nothing ordinary about the depiction of the Ridge Avenue jazz corridor.
Ridge Avenue is ground zero in the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s plan to transform the Sharswood neighborhood. There is widespread concern that PHA has no plan to preserve the neighborhood’s cultural heritage and historic resources.
Cooper’s mural, showcasing Pep’s, the Showboat, Blue Horizon, Uptown Theater and jazz clubs on Ridge Avenue, tells part of the story of Philadelphia’s rich jazz heritage. We must capture the rest of the story while the folks who were there are still here. If we don’t, their stories will be lost for current and future generations.
African American History and Culture Matter
It’s been more than a decade in the making, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will open on September 24. Founding Director Lonnie Bunch wrote:
After 13 years of hard work and dedication on the part of so many, I am thrilled. In a few short months visitors will walk through the doors of the museum and see that it is a place for all people. We are prepared to offer exhibitions and programs to unite and capture the attention of millions of people worldwide. It will be a place where everyone can explore the story of America through the lens of the African American experience.
The National Museum of American History is asking citizen curators to vote on photos from its Archives Center that reflect the diversity of the African American experiences. Twenty-five photos, six of which selected by the public, will go on display in September to commemorate the opening of the new museum. For more information, visit http://s.si.edu/PhotoVote1. Voting closes May 27 at midnight ET.
To say I can’t wait is an understatement. Even though I get no closer than the “No Trespassing” sign, I stop by the museum on every trip to DC.
On Opening Day, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be open for 24 hours. I plan to skip President Barack Obama’s ribbon cutting and visit after midnight. I hope to spend some quiet time in the Contemplative Court reflecting on the ancestors and their incredible stories of faith, struggle and triumph.
Great Gosh A’Mighty! Been a long time coming.
Showtime at the Apollo
Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels will direct a documentary about the legendary Harlem showplace, “The Apollo Theater Film Project.”In keeping with the Apollo’s tradition of audience participation, the project is crowdsourced:
If you or someone you know has visual or audio-visual material documenting the APOLLO THEATER or the neighborhood of HARLEM, we want to hear from you! We are looking for film footage, photographs and audio recordings to help tell this remarkable story.
Daniels wants you to go to the website and “help a brother out.”
