The overwhelming joy of graduation day
The overwhelming euphoria I felt when it finally arrived in the mail is something I still carry to this day. It can never really be replicated or taken away.
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Former Philly Gang Member on Honor, Reform and the Next Generation
Kevin Wilkins remembers the summer day long ago when he stared down a member of The Valley, a notorious gang that inhabited the streets of North Philadelphia in the ’60s and ’70s. He was around 16 at the time. The gang tested him and his peers from his North Philly neighborhood by beating them. It…
Experimental Hair Salon on Wheels Tries to Inspire Mobility in Homeless Clients
Visiting a barber shop or a hair salon may seem like a luxury, but an artist who visits shelters for homeless Americans sees it as a matter of identity. “Hair care is kind of seen as a non-essential need for people that are homeless,” says Jody Wood, creator of mobile hair salon Beauty in Transition….
Homeless, not hopeless: A View From the Free Library
I have never experienced the plight of homelessness, but I’ve seen many people throughout the streets of downtown Philadelphia who have. For the last six years, I have worked as a barista part time at the Philadelphia Free Library. I get homeless customers as well as the regular patrons of the library. Sometimes they arrive…
Temple Grads Share The Fruits of Their Business With Philly Kids
I never imagined that I could have so much in common with a pineapple or banana before sitting down with twins Rachel and Sarah Stanton, business partners and recent graduates of Temple University. Sitting in the Fox School of Business, Sarah Stanton laid out a few of their brightly colored shirts in front of me,…
Lady Hoofers creates space to support female dancers, choreographers in Philly
The closest that I ever came to becoming a professional tap dancers was watching television in the late 1990s. On the “The Jamie Foxx Show” or “Saturday Night Live,” I would occasionally catch a dancer performing something fantastic. I was captivated by their fluid movement, as if their art were just second nature to them….