Reza Aslan

Internationally renowned Iranian-American writer and religious scholar Reza Aslan will address racism and discrimination against Muslim people in America during a talk on Thursday, Feb. 23. The talk is part of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts & Sciences’ Levin Family Dean’s public forum, “Fear Inc.: Confronting Islamophobia in America,” which will be held at the Penn Museum.

The forum is free and open to the public.

Since West Philadelphia is home to thousands of Muslims people, this forum is a great opportunity to learn more about this religion and misconceptions about it, in order to understand better our Muslim neighbors.  Continue Reading

Paige Whiting and “Amina” embrace on the porch of Whiting’s home on the 5300 block of Pine St. (Photo by West Philly Local).

Editor’s note: The woman who is the subject of this story asked that we not use her name or show her face in a photo. We honored that request and so we have used the pseudonym “Amina” throughout the story.

Paige Whiting was at Malcolm X. Park a couple of blocks from her home on the 5300 block of Pine Street last fall when she first met Amina, who was at the park with her three children. Their friendship grew to include meetings at one of the many mom groups in the neighborhood. Amina made friends quickly and worked on her English. A refugee from Afghanistan, she and her family had only been in the United States since September.

“I’m so lucky to find these friends,” Amina said, sitting on a couch on the second floor of Paige’s home.  Continue Reading

A West Philadelphia Community Rally and Strike took place this afternoon in solidarity with the nationwide general strike. West Philly residents, adults and children alike, and many business owners gathered at noon in Clark Park to protest the current administration and to celebrate the diversity in the city.

Some photos from the rally and from around the neighborhood are below, courtesy of Hanbit’s Contemplative Imaging. For more photos, go to Hanbit’s Facebook page.

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Neighbors now have a chance to get more involved with Kingsessing Recreation Center (5001 Kingsessing Ave.). A new official program within the center, Friends of Kingsessing, has recently been formed and their first official service event is being planned for next week.

The program is seeking volunteers to come out on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help paint the front offices and basement, along with a few light maintenance tasks around the building.

Future events will be held on a monthly basis (no-commitment is needed), dates TBA, and future projects will be based on the input from and skills of the volunteers who participate.

“The Advisory Council, the Rec center, and the community would be very grateful if you can make it to this event, as volunteers truly make this facility function,” reads a message on the group’s Facebook page. “Pass the word around and invite your friends to come too, the more help, the better!”

Neighbors interested participating in the event can RSVP to Will Tung at: tungwill@gmail.com or through Facebook. Coffee, water and snacks will be provided!

West Philly Strike and Rally flyer.

In an effort to provide an opportunity for West Philly residents and businesses to protest the decisions by the current administration and to show solidarity with the general strike that is taking place across the country, a West Philadelphia Community Strike and Rally is being planned for Friday, Feb. 17.

Neighbors and businesses in West Philly will be gathering for a rally in Clark Park from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. the rally that will include interactive work by Theater of the Oppressed, puppets from Spiral Q, and a speaker from local activist organization West Philly Forward Together. Participating local businesses will be closing their doors from 12 – 2:00 p.m., if not for the entire day, according to event organizers, local activists Thomas Morello and Jessica St. Jacobs.

“Another aspect of this event’s purpose is in the location, as travel to Center City presents a barrier to some members of our community and does not highlight and empower our specific neighborhood as such,” Morello wrote in an e-mail.  Continue Reading

Here’s a chance for West Philly community members who want to beautify their neighborhood to get some financial help. Greensgrow Farms, which recently opened a larger and more permanent West Philly location at 5123 Baltimore Ave., is offering small grants to individuals or organizations in the area for projects that will:

• Improve neighborhood public spaces;
• Beautify the community;
• Nurture a shared sense of neighborhood identity and community pride

The grants are being offered as part of Mary’s Community Fund, a legacy project to continue the life and work of Mary Seton Corboy, the founder of Greensgrow and a supporter of a greener Philadelphia.

Each applicant group must represent a specific neighborhood or organization and may request up to $1000 in direct grant support towards the project budget. Applications are due on March 11, 2017. Grantees will be announced at Greensgrow’s 20th Anniversary Opening Event on March 25.

The application form as well as more information about eligibility, funding guidelines, and project ideas can be found here.