the spirit of penn's garden april 21, 2016

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THIS WEEK APRIL 21, 2016 VOL. 1 NO. 12 PRESS HOT OFF THE UNITED ACADEMICS OF PHILADELPHIA 7 Brewerytown-based teacher’s union participat- ed in solidarity action in Chicago. WALK AGAINST HUNGER 7 Locals brave snow to ‘Walk Against Hunger’ ACCU REGGIE 3 Weather forecast for the Penn’s Garden region. COMMUNITY CALENDAR 8 Events and happenings in Penn’s Garden. HYPERLOCAL DONE DIFFERENTLY FAIRMOUNT + NORTH CENTRAL + BREWERYTOWN + TEMPLE + STRAWBERRY MANSION FRANCISVILLE + POPLAR + LUDLOW + SPRING GARDEN SPRING CLEANING 4 Spring cleanup highlights sense of community in Spring Garden. MOVIES AT THE PEARL 4 Short reviews of films screening at the Pearl The- ater in North Philly COMMUNITY NEWS – FREE PUBLICATION – PICK ONE UP! A s Tip O’Neil, the former Speaker of the House, once said, “All politics is local.” As we near the Pennsylvania primaries, Spir- it News would like to highlight one local election in a district where many of our Penn’s Garden readers reside — The 195th PA House District. The 195th District seat comes up for election every two years, but none of the three candidates on the Democratic primary ballot this year ran back in 2014. If fact, no one ran against then-incumbent Michelle Brownlee, who resigned in 2015 as part of a plea deal in the now infamous pay-to- play case that embattled Attorney General Kathleen Kane tried to quash. The candidates include; Donna Bullock, who won a special election against Republican Adam Lang last summer to complete Brownlee’s term; Jamar “Izzo” Izzard, a lifelong resident of the neighborhood and longtime local radio personality; and Jimmie Moore, a former Philadel- phia Municipal Court judge until his retirement in 2011. With Bullock having never faced a Democrat in the district, both chal- lengers are looking to capitalize on their own name recognition and par- ty-outsider status to woo voters. Meanwhile, Bullock seeks to build on the momentum from last year and utilize her experience with the city govern- ment in Councilman Darrell Clarke’s office. Bullock now has seven months experience on the job following her time with the city. She previously practiced law at Community Legal Services O n April 14th, around 2 PM, chants of “Up with the communi- ty, down with the stadium” and “Like a bad neighbor, Tem- ple is there” could be heard ringing throughout Temple Uni- versity’s campus. The “Day of Action” – spearheaded by the Stadium Stompers, Fight for 15 and the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice – had begun. The Stadium Stompers organized a mass walk-out from classes for Temple students and faculty to protest the stadium proposed to be built at the site of Geasey Field on North 15th Street. A group of about 100 peo- ple gathered at the Bell Tower on Polett Walk. “It’s always been Temple versus the community. It’s never been Tem- ple and the community,” Philip Gregory, a Stadium Stompers leader and Temple student told Spirit News at the protest. “I’ve talked to residents that have been here for 60 years. They said ‘We have never partnered with students before to actually see a change.’ This here can go down in his- tory.” Despite continuous opposition by students and community members over the past few months, university officials have continued with their plans for the stadium. Moody Nolan, an Ohio-based architecture firm, was recently appointed to design the stadium as part of preliminary plans the Board of Trustees approved $1 million of funds for at a meeting in February. In an effort to understand the community’s concerns about the stadi- um, representatives from Moody Nolan have met with some local resi- dents, like Joan Briley who lives on the 1500 block of Norris Street, which is across the street from where the stadium may be built. Continued on Page 2. Continued on Page 6.

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In this week's issue, we discuss the upcoming Democratic Primary in the 195 District; a massive protest in North Philly; and how local residents braved the snow to "Walk Against Hunger."

TRANSCRIPT

THIS

WEEKAPRIL 21, 2016

VOL. 1NO. 12

PRESS

HOTOFF THE

UNITED ACADEMICS OF PHILADELPHIA

7

Brewerytown-based teacher’s union participat-

ed in solidarity action in Chicago.

WALK AGAINST HUNGER

7

Locals brave snow to ‘Walk Against Hunger’

ACCU REGGIE

3

Weather forecast for the Penn’s Garden region.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

8

Events and happeningsin Penn’s Garden.

HYPERLOCAL DONE DIFFERENTLY

FAIRMOUNT + NORTH CENTRAL + BREWERYTOWN + TEMPLE + STRAWBERRY MANSIONFRANCISVILLE + POPLAR + LUDLOW + SPRING GARDEN

SPRINGCLEANING

4

Spring cleanup highlights sense of community in

Spring Garden.

MOVIES AT THE PEARL

4

Short reviews of films screening at the Pearl The-

ater in North Philly

COMMUNITY NEWS – FREE PUBLICATION – PICK ONE UP!

As Tip O’Neil, the former Speaker of the House, once said, “All politics is local.” As we near the Pennsylvania primaries, Spir-it News would like to highlight one local election in a district where many of our Penn’s Garden readers reside — The 195th

PA House District. The 195th District seat comes up for election every two years, but none of the three candidates on the Democratic primary ballot this year ran back in 2014. If fact, no one ran against then-incumbent Michelle Brownlee, who resigned in 2015 as part of a plea deal in the now infamous pay-to-play case that embattled Attorney General Kathleen Kane tried to quash. The candidates include; Donna Bullock, who won a special election against Republican Adam Lang last summer to complete Brownlee’s

term; Jamar “Izzo” Izzard, a lifelong resident of the neighborhood and longtime local radio personality; and Jimmie Moore, a former Philadel-phia Municipal Court judge until his retirement in 2011. With Bullock having never faced a Democrat in the district, both chal-lengers are looking to capitalize on their own name recognition and par-ty-outsider status to woo voters. Meanwhile, Bullock seeks to build on the momentum from last year and utilize her experience with the city govern-ment in Councilman Darrell Clarke’s office. Bullock now has seven months experience on the job following her time with the city. She previously practiced law at Community Legal Services

On April 14th, around 2 PM, chants of “Up with the communi-ty, down with the stadium” and “Like a bad neighbor, Tem-ple is there” could be heard ringing throughout Temple Uni-versity’s campus. The “Day of Action” – spearheaded by the

Stadium Stompers, Fight for 15 and the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice – had begun. The Stadium Stompers organized a mass walk-out from classes for Temple students and faculty to protest the stadium proposed to be built at the site of Geasey Field on North 15th Street. A group of about 100 peo-ple gathered at the Bell Tower on Polett Walk. “It’s always been Temple versus the community. It’s never been Tem-ple and the community,” Philip Gregory, a Stadium Stompers leader and Temple student told Spirit News at the protest. “I’ve talked to residents that have been here for 60 years. They said ‘We have never partnered with

students before to actually see a change.’ This here can go down in his-tory.” Despite continuous opposition by students and community members over the past few months, university officials have continued with their plans for the stadium. Moody Nolan, an Ohio-based architecture firm, was recently appointed to design the stadium as part of preliminary plans the Board of Trustees approved $1 million of funds for at a meeting in February. In an effort to understand the community’s concerns about the stadi-um, representatives from Moody Nolan have met with some local resi-dents, like Joan Briley who lives on the 1500 block of Norris Street, which is across the street from where the stadium may be built.

Continued on Page 2.

Continued on Page 6.

Page 2 The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

and points to her appointment to a committee and subse-quent appointment to chair a sub-committee as evidence of her hard work and aptitude. It was last year’s budget impasse among legislators that led her to focus on the money. “The first thing I did when I got to Harrisburg was [rec-ognize] that I need to learn more about the budget,” Bullock said. “I sat in on the Appropriations Committee hearings… I was one of the only non-committee members sitting in that room.” Bullock added that she constantly questioned the chairman about what was happening. She feels that is why she was tapped to become a member. “The state is where all of our resources flow [from]… and I hope I can be an important voice for the community and for the City of Philadelphia,” Bullock said. To do it, Bullock will need to work with Republicans from a completely different background. “It’s not just across the aisle, it’s across the Commonwealth.” Or as she put it, “be that bridge builder” and “finding someone from York County or Tioga County who can feel comfortable [talking] about stuff that’s happening on York Street.” Bullock, a mother of two boys, said she will focus on ed-ucation funding first. “I do everything I can to make sure they have a quality education,” she said. “But I also know that they are living in a society with other little kids… [and] I want to make sure that each one of those kids [receives] a quality education… regardless of the resources of their family,” Bullock said. Jamar “Izzo” Izzard, a father of two girls, was one of those very kids from the area. He cites his personal his-tory through local schools as an example of what’s wrong with the education system — he said it took him until 11th grade to convince the staff at Strawberry Mansion High School that he was misplaced in special education cours-es. After getting back into the mainstream he was able to get accepted to every college he applied to. Izzard went on to become a local radio personality. Walking outside on a breezy April afternoon through his neighborhood, Izzard waved back at a couple guys on the corner who yelled, “Hey, ‘Mar!” A few ventured over to wish him luck in the upcoming primary. He believes the personal connection to residents in the neighborhood will trump the party machine that supports the incumbent. “I’m not afraid to go up and talk to them. I know them. I’m one of them,” Izzard explained. “I’m the only candi-date who grew up here.” Izzard has some experience in Harrisburg, having worked on the staff of State Sen. Anthony Williams. It was that experience that showed him the path to expanding his advocacy for the issues of his community. “I was always a community guy [while on the radio],” Izzard said. “But up there I realized, ‘Ahh, this is where it happens,’” referring to how to fund the various programs he sees as being necessary through legislation. One of his first orders of business will be regarding the violence in the area. As a 22nd District police car whizzed by, sirens blaring, Izzard just shook his head and said, “All day.” He then explained how his father was gunned down on these streets and he wants to stop the cycle of violence. Preventing straw-purchasing is his focus. “I am for people having the right to bear arms,” Izzard said. “But there’s no reason why somebody should be able to buy 30 guns [in a short period of time]… where are these guns going?” Izzard proposes limits on how many guns can be pur-chased in a certain period and strict laws on reporting thefts of firearms. He also thinks safety classes are a good idea.

As a parent of young children, his positions on education don’t differ much from Bullock’s. Where they do part ways is on the issue of imminent domain. “The fact that older people who lived here for 30 years or more get only $2000 to move is terrible,” Izzard said. He cited an elderly, displaced, Sharswood woman who had the local young men always looking out for her and mak-ing sure no one violated her space. But young men from the block couldn’t stop her home from being taken away in a case of imminent domain. Izzard wonders who will look out for her at her new residence in a different neigh-borhood. Izzard wants to involve the community in creating leg-islation to address these issues through town meetings. “How great would it be to have someone from around here be able to [participate in creating] a law, to know that they were part of it?” he said. Izzard’s other opponent, Jimmie Moore, joins him in bristling at the imminent domain issue that has impacted the neighborhood recently. “It’s a disgrace, it’s a disgrace,” Moore repeated. “There are families there for three to four generations being dis-placed and [Philadelphia Housing Authority and develop-ers] offered folks little or no money.” He sees a solution in strengthening the laws to help ordi-nary residents get legal help, property appraisers, and pro-fessional advice, which is impossible for folks on a limit-ed, fixed income. Further, Moore said if there is going to be development from this government action, he wonders why aren’t the potential jobs going to the people who live there. “You got developers making billions and millions of dol-lars on the community and the community is not able to reap the benefits,” Moore said. Moore said his experience as a judge will allow him to be impartial and cross party lines to get the job done. Bullock defends her position on imminent domain by saying, “This is a major, major project for the community. [It’s a] community that’s surrounded by more than a thou-sand vacant lots. [It’s] also bordered by market pressures, like Temple and from Francisville and Brewerytown. So it’s important to maintain affordability and the Housing Authority is trying to do that.” She still wants to advocate for displaced residents though. “It’s important that those whose properties, particular-ly homeowners, [that] have been identified for the immi-nent domain process… are compensated… more than fair-ly,” she said. For Moore, the education problems don’t stop at the

learning — he sees capital improvements in school build-ings as critical. “One woman I spoke with told me about her daughter going to a school where all the water fountains are covered in plastic. The kids can’t even wash their hands,” Moore said. “They have to use hand sanitizer. Can you imagine the psychological impact on a child [who can’t wash her hands at school]? Moore wants to fight for more funding for Philly schools and will rely on his judicial understanding of the law to get it. The primary election is on Tuesday April 26. Polls will open at 7 AM and close at 8 PM. ·

Continued from Page 1.

James “Izzo” Izzard

Jimmie Moore

Donna Bullock

Page 3The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

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Last week was beautiful, especially considering it snowed less than two weeks ago! This April has proven to be pretty wild, but the week ahead looks tame for once. Temperatures are in the 60s

most of the week and sunshine will dominate. It looks like the cold weather will stay in the West, Midwest and Cana-da for now. What we need to watch now are the back door cold fronts that swing down from New England that drop us into the 50s for a couple days and ruin our 70 and 80 degree warmth. We need to watch for showers on Friday morning and afternoon. We may also get wet on Tuesday. The Friday rain is the most significant rain of the week, but pales in

comparison to all the dry, nice weather we will receive this week. Thursday is warm, sunny and continued nice with tem-peratures in the 70s. Clouds increase later in the day, but it should remain mostly dry. Friday is the wettest day of the week. Showers could ar-rive in the morning with another batch arriving in the eve-ning. It will at least be warm. Saturday is a little cooler as temperatures get cut back to the 60s, but with sunshine it will feel warm and nice. Sunday is much like Saturday with temperatures near 70 and plenty of sunshine. It’s hard to emphasize it enough but finally, finally beautiful spring-like weather is becom-

ing the norm instead of the exception. Monday is another warm and nice day. If a backdoor cold front comes down from New England it could turn cooler, but at this point it looks warm nonetheless. On Tuesday we need to watch for some showers, but it doesn’t look like a lot of rain at all. Look at the daily up-dates for changes to this forecast. Wednesday could have some wet weather in the morn-ing, but otherwise it will warm with sun and clouds.

The weather winner of the week is Saturday; the weather loser is Friday! ·

Page 4 The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

Spring CleaningW R I T T E N B Y M I C H A E L H A N I S C O

S P R I N G C L E A N U P H I G H L I G H T S S E N S E O F C O M M U N I T Y I N S P R I N G G A R D E N

Philadelphia’s 9th Annual Spring Cleanup took place on Saturday, April 16. Armed with rakes, brooms, and shovels, thousands of volunteers took to the streets across Philadelphia to clear

storm drains, pick up litter, and remove a winter’s worth of unwanted build up. In the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, vol-unteers gathered in the community garden at the corner of 18th and Wallace Streets before heading out to their as-signed outposts in the neighborhood. Sergio Armani, the organizer for this year’s cleanup in Spring Garden, esti-mated that close to 80 volunteers had checked in ahead of the 9 AM start time. Dozens more would be participating unofficially, using their own supplies to organize smaller cleanups on their own blocks. Such a great turnout for this annual event highlights the unique sense of community that exists in the area, according to resident Rob Platton. “I see Spring Garden as more of a community than a neighborhood. It’s a very diverse, very stable, and family oriented place,” he said. Justino Navarro, President of the Spring Garden Civic Association (SGCA), agreed with that assessment. He stressed the association’s efforts to reach out to everyone in the community, residents and non-residents alike. En-gaging students, renters, and workers has been a major focus for the association in recent years. “An event like this is a great opportunity to provide a fo-rum to everyone who wants to actively participate and be stewards in the community, regardless of their circum-stances. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you do, you have a chance to take pride in this place,” Navarro said. That spirit was on full display just a few blocks away, where 17-year-old Reginald Lewis used a shovel to clear curbside debris. A National Honors Society student at Si-mon Gratz High School, Reginald works in the Spring Gar-dens Community Garden two days a week after school. It was there that he overheard fellow gardeners talking about the spring cleanup event and decided that he want-ed to participate. As Reginald explained his plans to go to college and be-come a lawyer, 12-year-old Kadidia Djire bounded by with her mother in tow. Clad in an oversized pair of worker’s gloves, Kadidia introduced herself with the confidence of someone much older than 12. A fourth grader at near-by Laura W. Waring School, Kadidia keeps her pulse on the neighborhood news — when she’s not busy with homework or cheerleading practice. While most kids were sleeping in or watching cartoons on this beautiful Saturday morning, she was hurrying her mother so they wouldn’t be late for the cleanup. Engaging young people with a stake in the neighbor-hood is crucial to fostering and continuing the sense of community that makes Spring Garden so special. A neigh-borhood is made up of much more than homeowners and

taxpayers. Students and children play a major role in the present and future of the neighborhood and the SGCA understands that. Speaking with Reginald and Kadidia, it was clear that the message of community is resonating with the younger generation. The neighborhood will continue its spring beautification efforts on April 23 when the Spring Garden Civic Associ-ation hosts a tree planting event in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. If Saturday is any indi-cation, the turnout for that event will be representative of Spring Garden itself: diverse, engaged, and proud. ·

movie reviewsW R I T T E N B Y D A N O ’ N E I L

S H O R T R E V I E W S O F M O V I E S P L AY I N G A T T H E P E A R L ( 1 6 0 0 N B R O A D S T . )

The Jungle Book

If you grew up on the original “Jungle Book” cartoons and books, then have no fear, director Jon Favreau does not ruin your childhood. If anything, he brings it back to life and rejuvenates a story for a younger generation. In this reboot, we find young Mowgli (bright and spirited newcomer Neel Sethi) running around the hills with his wolf family. Although Mowgli himself is not in fact a wolf, he was raised as one when he was just a little baby and ever since then, has been called “man cub.” While every animal in the jungle seems to be used to and fine with Mogwli, one such beast does not. Here enters Shere Khan (Idris Elba), an evil, maniacal and fearsome tiger who lets his presence be known everywhere he goes, who demands that Mowgli leave the jungle, before it’s too late. Mogwli does leave the jungle and head for land where humans exist, but on the way, he meets a colorful list of characters and other beasts of the jungle. There’s

Baloo (Bill Murray), the free-spirited, warm and fuzzy bear that meets Mogwli and strikes up of a nice friendship with him; there’s Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), a snidely, slither-ing snake who may be taking advantage of the young and meek Mogwli; and most of all, there’s an ape named King Louie (Christopher Walken) who tries to strike up a deal with Mogwli. All in all, the characters are colorful and the cast-mem-bers make wonders with each one of them. However, it’s the visuals that keep this retold tale fun, alive, breathtak-ing, and most importantly, heartfelt.

4 out of 5 stars

Barbershop: The Next Cut

Set many years after where the last movie left us, “the Next Cut” finds Calvin’s (Ice Cube) infamous barbershop now merged with a fellow beauty salon in a way to save on the

Reginald Lewis

Photos by Michael Hanisco

costs and keep their own respective business. Of course, this brings along the same zany and wild customers, who all have a story to tell. While the first two movies are fine pieces of comedy, “the Next Cut” wants to take the story a bit deeper by tying in an angle about gang violence and its effect on the city of Chi-cago. This helps to balance out all of the wacky comedy bits, which mostly feature Cedric the Entertainer’s Eddie breaking out into rants about those around him. Howev-er, at nearly two hours, “the Next Cut” is about 20 minutes too long, with a final message about family and commit-ment that’s corny and takes a long way to actually get to. It’s nice to see this talented cast all back together again, but next time, maybe don’t wait 12 years again, guys.

2.5 stars out of 5 stars

Page 5The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

Photo by Jordyn Cordner

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S P R I N G C L E A N U P H I G H L I G H T S S E N S E O F C O M M U N I T Y I N S P R I N G G A R D E N

W R I T T E N B Y D A N O ’ N E I L

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Page 6 The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

W R I T T E N B Y J E N C O L L E T T A

L O C A L S B R AV E S N O W T O ‘ W A L K A G A I N S T H U N G E R ’

Briley was also one of four Temple-area block captains who travelled to New Orleans last November to see Tu-lane University’s 30,000-seat Yulman Stadium. Reports have stated that the proposed Temple stadium would be similar in size and style to Tulane’s. At the Bell Tower in the center of campus, Briley told the crowd she was unim-pressed with what she saw. “It’s right in their backyard and this stadium is going to be right in my backyard,” Briley later told Spirit News. “I was born and raised in that house and I don’t want to open up my door and see a gigantic stadium first thing in the morning.” The rally at the Bell Tower continued as members of several student organizations, like the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance and Temple Socialists, spoke about the injustice of Temple building a stadium and the impor-tance of unity amongst multiple movements. The group moved to the corner of Cecil B. Moore and Broad Street around 3 PM to meet with a group of Fight for 15 protestors. Four drummers also joined the protest, adding tempo and rhythm to the cacophonous chanting that filled the North Broad Street corridor as the group of about 150 people moved toward City Hall. At a Stadium Stompers meeting two weeks before the “Day of Action,” leaders of the organization said the march down Broad Street would be championing three main causes — opposition of the stadium, increasing the minimum wage to $15, and ending the stop and frisk pol-icy in Philadelphia. “The issues of the minimum wage and the stadium are to-tally interconnected,” said Holly Trnka, a Temple student who supports Fight for 15 and the Stadium Stompers. “If Temple were to build the stadium, the workers would not be paid a fair wage of $15. It would be poverty… All of this [tension] has been building up for decades and decades.” Adele Quiman, a life-long Philadelphia resident current-ly living in Germantown, joined the march to City Hall in hopes of ending the stop and frisk policy because of racial profiling. “We are human beings. Why do they have to keep pinpointing the black man?” Quiman said. “I got 34 grand-children and guess what, I don’t want them living in the city of Philadelphia, not like this.” As the group moved deeper into the city, the numbers grew larger as people from across town and the region joined the march to support one of the causes, if not all. Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan said the Philadelphia Police Department rerouted traffic around intersections to min-imize the disruption of traffic and ensure the safety of the protestors. “The First Amendment rights of people is a very import-ant thing. We balance that against disruption and incon-venience, but the First Amendment is always going to come out on top,” he added. He also reported no arrests or incidents for the “Day of Action” protest, although three protesters were arrested in earlier protests in Center City that morning. “We wish all protesters were just like this group. They’re certainly getting their objective accomplished here,” Sulli-van said. “It’s an example of how protestors can come out and they can cause disruption, they can make sure their point is heard by a lot of people loud and clear while at the same time obeying the law.” One of the stops during the march was by a McDonald’s on the intersection of Broad and Girard, symbolic of the fast food workers on strike that day in hopes of raising the minimum wage. “We stand here today ready to fight. We stand here today ready to take on the challenge. We stand here today believ-ing that unless we change these service jobs into well-pay-ing jobs that can provide for our families, our children and our neighborhood, we will always be stuck in a circle of poverty,” Reverend Gregory Holston from North Phila-delphia’s New Vision United Methodist Church (3259 N. Broad St.) said to the crowd on Broad and Girard. After circling City Hall, the protestors gathered for a final rally in front of the McDonald’s on Arch Street. A crowd of about several-hundred listened as speakers from several movements spoke. At the end of the day, Temple student Phillip Gregory

said the “Day of Action” was the biggest event the Stadium Stompers had accomplished all year. However, the Stadi-um Stompers and other organizations within the city have no plans on stopping. “I hope that if this doesn’t work we are going to come out again next month. I hope we keep doing things,” Holston told Spirit News. “We have to make it so they can’t ignore us.” “With all these people actually waking up and saying ‘I want to take an active role in my community’ and make it better instead of passively sitting back and saying ‘That’s how it is’ shows Philadelphia isn’t going to sit back and take it anymore,” he added. ·

Continued from Page 1. A man supports the protests from the stoop of Freedom Theater on N. Broad Street.

Protestors move through Temple’s campus toward Broad Street.

Two protestors listen to speakers on the corner of Cecil B. and Broad.

Members of Temple’s award-winning poetry collective, Bable, perform at the rally at the Bell Tower.

Drummers perform in front of Temple’s Center City Campus.

Joan Briley, a North Philly resident, speaks to the crowd at the Bell Tower.

Page 7The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

Walk Against HungerW R I T T E N B Y J E N C O L L E T T A

L O C A L S B R AV E S N O W T O ‘ W A L K A G A I N S T H U N G E R ’

Light mist began falling on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive just as walkers set off for a 3-mile trek on the morning of April 9th. The rain quickly turned to freezing slush and eventually to snow, which,

despite falling in earnest through much of the walk, didn’t dampen the spirits of the approximately 1,000 people who turned out to support Thomas’ Walk Against Hunger. “When it rains, somebody’s still hungry. When it snows, somebody’s still hungry,” said the Rev. Elizabeth Marie Griffin of Gibson Temple Baptist Church in North Phila-delphia before the walk’s kickoff. “This weather only en-couraged us more to press harder and come out today.” Gibson choir members opened the pre-walk festivities and were later joined by other church choirs and bands, as walkers clapped and danced along in front of the Eakins Oval main stage. “The energy is great, despite the weather,” said Tom Ma-hon, communications manager of event organizer Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, which is located in Fairmount. The dreary weather forecast may have kept some people away — previous walks have brought in between 2,000-3,000 people — but Mahon said many supporters were ea-ger to participate, no matter the elements. “When we saw the forecast, we told people we’d still be walking rain or shine, or snow as it turns out,” Mahon said. “We had a lot of people calling in the last few days to check if it was still on and, as soon as we told them yes, they said, ‘Okay great, we’ll be there.’ Everyone who’s here is thrilled to be here. Everyone’s here for the same reason: to walk against hunger.” As we’ve mentioned in previous coverage of this event, the 20th-annual walk raised funds for 97 beneficiaries, includ-ing food pantries, soup kitchens and hunger-relief organi-zations throughout the region. Supporters of such groups were encouraged to organize teams to walk in the event and solicit pledges, which will go directly to each team’s bene-ficiary. Fundraising totals weren’t tallied yet, but at the start of the event, Mahon said online donations were running about $5,000 more than at that time last year; the 2015 event brought in $258,000 for all of the participating agencies. The Church of Christian Compassion at 62nd and Cedar in Cobbs Creek was a returning beneficiary. Congregation members work with Philabundance two days a week to feed the hungry in the community and have seen firsthand the effects of hunger on Philadelphians. “This event brings awareness that a lot of people just don’t have the income,” said church member Pearl Kemp. “They’re living paycheck to paycheck and have to make the decisions to pay bills or buy food and, of course, they’ll pay bills. Events like this help people to be able to eat on a dai-ly basis.” Griffin of Temple Baptist Church said her congregants also encounter the issue of hunger, through the church’s feeding ministry. The program provides fresh fruits, veg-etables and meats, as well as clothing, to more than 100 people each week.

“We know the impact when seniors have to choose be-tween buying medication and eating,” Griffin said. “Most times, they’ll choose to go without eating. We want to pro-vide whatever we can to supplement that difference so people won’t have to make that choice.” Griffin added that the longevity of Thomas’ Walk Against Hunger — as well as the level of involvement it generates from all corners of the city — is a telling sign of the depth and breadth of the epidemic of hunger. “There is a great need,” she said. “This walk speaks loud-ly to let people know that hunger in the city of Philadel-phia is very real. You can come and go anywhere in Center City and see somebody who’s hungry. You can see just by today and the attendance here that hunger is an area that this city needs to address.”

That message was also one Jan Lazrow and Sheldon Glassman took away from the event. The pair volunteered as greeters on behalf of Concerned Citizens of Center City; Lazrow is a return volunteer and Glassman was a first-timer. “I’m new to the area so I’m happy to see how many orga-nizations and how many people are concerned with help-ing people in need,” Glassman said. “I think we can make a difference.” Supporters can still donate to walk teams through the end of May at the event website, www.hungercoalition.org/hun-gerwalk. People who want to support hunger-relief efforts can also check out the Coalition’s Fighting Hunger Together sec-tion, www.hungercoalition.org/hunger-philadelphia. ·

United Academics of Philadelphia (UAP) is a union headquartered in Brewerytown that is dedicated to making higher education sus-tainable for the 15,000 adjunct professors

teaching in Philadelphia-area colleges. The union has or-ganized to build collective bargaining power, community and resources for a vital yet underrepresented majority of university faculties. This month, a group of faculty and staff from Temple University, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia University, and other schools traveled to Las Vegas for the American Fed-eration of Teachers Higher Education national conference to talk about the work they’re doing here in Philadelphia. The folks in this photo were participating in a solidari-ty action with workers across Chicago who protested on April 1 for fair funding for neighborhood schools and oth-er resources.

UNITED ACADEMICS OF PHILADELPHIA

Photo by Tom Mahon

Photo by Shannon Macika

Photo by Shannon Macika

Photo by Tom Mahon

Page 8 The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – April 21, 2016

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Sunday, May 1BROAD STREET RUN The Broad Street Run returns to Philly on Sunday, May 1st. Participants will meet to warm up at Central High School’s Athletic Field before beginning the ten mile race at the intersection of Broad Street and W. Fisher Avenue. The finish line lies at Broad Street and Farragut Avenue. Entertainment along the course will be provided by sever-al organizations, among them high school bands, cheer-leading squads, musical artists, choirs and drill teams. To register for the race, visit http://www.broadstreetrun.com/Registration/index.cfm, and to inquire about performing on the sidelines, email [email protected] or call the race hotline at 215-683-3594. For further info- http://www.broadstreetrun.com/EventInfor-mation/index.cfm

Saturday, May 5PHILA FLEA MARKETPhila Flea Market will display their wares around Eastern State Penitentiary (2201 Fairmount Ave.) from 8AM-5PM. For more information visit PhilaFleaMarkets.org.

July 20, 6-7:30 PMSUMMER SOCIAL & NEW MEMBER MEET + GREETEnjoy the warmer and longer summer months while net-working with friends and colleagues from the Greater Art Museum Business Alliance. It’s our way of saying thanks for renewing and to share what promotions, events and seminars we have planned for the coming year. Meet at Jack’s Firehouse, 2130 Fairmount Avenue. Free for mem-bers, $25 for non-members (non-members can apply their registration fee to member dues if they join on-site).

Sunday, April 24SYMMETRY, SEQUENCE, AND STARFISHCount on having exponential fun when science meets math at the Wagner Free Institute of Science on Explor-er Sunday from 12-4PM. Discover patterns and sequenc-es in Wagner museum specimens; see how complicated math was done in the age before calculators with the aid of our giant, historic slide rule; and learn the mysterious ways that math and nature intersect from professionals in different science disciplines. Activities such as slide rule demonstrations and math- and nature-themed arts and crafts will take place throughout the afternoon and are geared toward children ages 6-12. Admission is Free. Suggested donations of $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information visit wagnerfreeinstitute.org.

Monday, April 25, 6-8PMHOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE POLICELearn ways to communicate with law enforcement. Spe-cial guests speakers are Michael Coard and Yusuf Jackson. Join in the discussion at the Mander Recreation Center (N 33rd St & Diamond Dr)

Monday, April 25WHO STABBED KING?Join us for The Edwin Forrest Play Reading Series: Who Stabbed King? as we learn more about this little known incident in history, about the woman, her illness, and how the King family cared for Izola Ware Curry. Audience dis-cussion will follow the reading with a focus on the effects of mental illness in the African American society. The reading takes place at the New Freedom Theatre, 1346 N. Broad St. at 6:30PM.For more information visit freedomtheatre.org.

Tuesday, April 26PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY ELECTIONPennsylvania’s Primary Election is April 26. Pennsylva-nians will be able to cast primary votes in a number of elections, including President, US Senate, US House of Reps, PA Senate, PA House of Reps and Attorney General.

Tuesday, April 26“THE COLOR BLUE” HEALTH FAIRThe Color Blue is a free healing fair with workshops, re-sources, and more focusing on you, your mind and body to heal yourself from within. Workshops will be available from 3-7PM. The event will take place at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center, 2144 Cecil B. Moore Ave. RSVP at HEAL-INGFAIR2016.bpt.meFor more information call 267-816-2591.

Wednesday, April 27SCIENCE EXPO 1866We cordially invite you to travel back in time, and examine

cutting edge science of the past. Delight in the curiosities you will find and wonder at relics that then were unsur-passed. Marvel at the feats and innovation in medicine, technology and engineering, accomplished by the world’s most advanced minds. Glimpse how yesterday’s science laid today’s foundation, forever changing humankind.For more information on this event and others, visit wag-nerfreeinstitute.org.

Saturday, April 30FLEA MARKETThe Greater Brewerytown CDC will host a flea market from 10AM-5PM. To be a vendor, register by April 25 by going online or visiting the office at 3000A W. Master St.

ART MUSEUM EVENTSThe Philadelphia Art Museum hosts dozens of events

throughout the week, every week. Events include Chil-dren’s Art Classes, Collection Tours of various exhib-its, Teacher Workshops, Gallery Programs, Networking events and more. For information on these events and more, visit philamuse-um.org/calendar.

1st Tuesday of the Month, 6:30-8:30 PMDIG - PHILADELPHIA COMMERCIAL SUB GROUPDiversified Investors Group Meetup for London Grill 2301 Fairmount AvenueFor more info, contact Joe Scorese 215-290-5108 [email protected]