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The Paul Robeson House & Museum in West Philadelphia is celebrating the 125th birthday of the legendary Renaissance man – a football star, singer, actor, lawyer, social activist, orator and linguist – next month with an impressive series of special guests and events.

Robeson fearlessly used his bass-baritone voice for both singing and speaking for the rights of Black people in America and oppressed people all over the world. For his advocacy of those considered outsiders, he became a pariah in his own country. The goal of these celebrations is to “pull Robeson out of the shadows.”

The headliner is Sweet Honey in the Rock, a legendary group whose songs and message are in the same vein as Robeson’s. Harry Belafonte, who considered Robeson his mentor, is the honorary chair of the 125th Birthday Celebration of Paul Robeson. Actor Danny Glover is the honorary co-chair. The celebration is being held from April 8-15, 2023, in conjunction with the Paul Robeson Alliance, a collection of Robeson-related organizations from across the country. Continue Reading

Apple Studios has been filming scenes for the upcoming season of their television show, Catamount (a limited-run crime drama) in the Spruce Hill neighborhood since February. Filming is mostly taking place in the area of 44th/45th and Spruce and on 46th Street between Pine and Spruce, but more areas may be affected as well.

As the scenes involve the production crew working with equipment on the street, there are intermittent road closures and parking restrictions in the areas of filming. Residents are asked to move their vehicles prior to the crew’s arrival. Any vehicles not moved will be relocated to another street in the neighborhood by the Philadelphia Police Department.

Here are the dates and times of the no parking zones for the neighborhood from Sunday, March 19 through Friday, March 24. Continue Reading

State Rep. Rick Krajewski (188th Legislative District) today announced three projects in his district that were awarded a combined $1.75 million in state funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

The projects awarded this funding include:

• $1 million to PIDC Financing Corporation on behalf of the Public Health Management Corporation to upgrade the Public Health Campus on Cedar’s parking garage.

• $500,000 to the city of Philadelphia for the construction of a synthetic sports field at the corner of Kingsessing Avenue and South 49th Street.

• $250,000 to PIDC Financing Corporation on behalf of The Woodlands Cemetery Company of Philadelphia for renovating a historic building at The Woodlands.

“I am proud of the $1.75 million in state grant funding that will be coming to our district and excited for how these funds will contribute to West and Southwest Philly being a place where people are cared for and can thrive,” Krajewski said in a statement. Continue Reading

Here’s some great news for shaved ice fans. Ice Cave, the popular Baltimore Avenue Taiwanese dessert shop, reopened earlier this month under new ownership. We reported a month ago that the former owners, Po Chang and Jessica Wang, had decided to close their store after more than six years in business due to family matters. However, less than two weeks later, a new family took over the space at 4520 Baltimore Ave, continuing the old tradition.

The new owners haven’t updated the business social media pages yet, and the website is offline. We’ll let you know more details as soon as we have them.

The hours of operation are: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. on weekdays (closed on Thursday), and 2 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday.

West Philly voters will have a chance this week to meet some candidates for the City Council’s At-Large seats and mayor at two community forums. Both events will take place on Thursday, March 16. Here are some more details about each event.

• The Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.) is hosting a Mayor 100: Minority-Owned Business Policy Forum, where Democratic and Republican candidates for mayor will have an opportunity to listen to business owners’ concerns and offer their vision for strengthening related policies in the incoming administration. The event will be moderated by WHYY’s Cherri Gregg and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Layla Jones. Shirley Franklin, former Mayor of Atlanta, will deliver keynote remarks at the start of the event.

The forum is hosted in collaboration with Futurnet, the Urban League of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Equity Alliance, WHYY, and other organizations. Continue Reading

Some of the 13 women honored with a City Council resolution on March 8, International Women’s Day. Photo courtesy of the Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.

In honor of International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced and passed a City Council resolution honoring 13 West and Southwest Philadelphia women working to make their communities joyful and safe places to live.

The list included:

Tanja Carter – A community activist in Mill Creek, a block captain, and the founder of It Takes a Village of Helping Hands, a community organization which improves and empowers neighbors by hosting events, beautifying alleys, city streets, and parks, and more.

Callalily Cousar – The President of the East Parkside Residence Assistance (ERPA). In this role, she has established a playground, created a food cupboard, hosted block parties, health fairs, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and tax and resume workshops.

Constance Harris Crews – The President of the Kingsessing Recreation Center Advisory Council, a block captain, a committeeperson, the co-commissioner of the Jayhawks Basketball Program, and the Program Liaison for the Jayhawks 1975 Youth Association. Continue Reading