Fran Aulston, a West Philadelphia community activist, former President of the Paul Robeson House and founder of Peoplehood Parade passed away on August 9, 2015. The 16th annual Peoplehood Parade, in honor of Fran Aulston, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24 (read more about the parade here).

The following is a letter from Spiral Q artistic director Tracy Broyles on Fran’s legacy.

              Fran Aulston

“Some argue that #BlackLivesMatter is little more than a hashtag. At Spiral Q, however, we see a vibrant and brave movement of young people of color standing up to injustice, channeling the long-fought struggles of our elders for the full dignity and humanity of Black lives. One of these elders, Paul Robeson, we plan to honor by celebrating the memory of a true West Philadelphia community leader: Fran Aulston.

Fran Aulston passed away on August 9, 2015, and her passing casts a heavy shadow in our hearts and across our city. Fran fought tirelessly to ensure that Paul Robeson’s legacy would endure in the city where he spent the final years of his life. For us, 2015 marks the first year that Spiral Q will step off on its annual Peoplehood Parade this coming Saturday, October 24th, without the blessing of Fran, longtime President of the Paul Robeson House and a founder of Peoplehood, to open the parade. As we continue to lose the profound voices of our generation, we deem it all the more important to honor the visionary leaders upon whose shoulders we stand: Gloria Casarez, Fran Aulston, Grace Lee Boggs, to name but a few who’ve touched our lives in countless ways.

As artists and cultural workers, we heed our imperative and are moved to create in honor of these visionaries. We will pay tribute to them, and to the struggles in our city and across the country that they fought to make our communities more just and equitable places to live for those most directly-impacted by injustice. On Saturday, October 24th, Spiral Q will dedicate our 16th annual Peoplehood Parade to the movement for Black lives. The parade, Soar in Solidarity, will feature a range of artistic offerings, including a special tribute just for Fran: a Paul Robeson puppet who will help us carry forward her vision of educating and engaging community in learning Mr. Robeson’s history and legacy.

In Fran’s memory, we will put the Paul Robeson puppet to work, alongside the staff of the Paul Robeson House, to ensure that our communities’ untold stories of fighting for justice continue to be told for years to come.”

Sincerely,

Tracy Broyles
Executive Artistic Director
Spiral Q | Philadelphia, PA

Peoplehood Parade map (click to enlarge).

The 16th annual Peoplehood Parade, organized by Spiral Q, is happening this Saturday (Oct 24). This year’s parade will pay tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement and honor the life of Fran Aulston, a community leader and former Paul Robeson House president, who passed away on August 9, 2015. People of all ages are invited to join Spiral Q artists and their puppets on Saturday and march, walk or roll through West Philly streets together (wheelchairs, bicycles and strollers are welcome).

The parade, which will span a 1.25 mile route, will feature Spiral Q’s signature giant puppets, stilt-walkers, a drum line, and the artwork of fine artist Vitus Shell, a Monroe, LA native.

The parade starts at 1 p.m. at the Paul Robeson House (4951 Walnut St)  and then moves into Clark Park (45th and Chester), where it will be followed by a participatory group art-making activity starting around 2 p.m. in the Bowl. Visit the Spiral Q website for more details.

Hanniya Mitchell (photo from Philly Police Blog).

UPDATE (10/21/2015, 8:35 a.m.): 13-year-old Hanniya Mitchell, who had been missing since Monday morning, was found safe, according to police.

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a 13-year-old West Philadelphia resident, Hanniya Mitchell. Hanniya was last seen around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, leaving her residence on the 400 block of S. 62nd Street. She attends the Bryant Elementary School, located at 6001 Cedar Ave., however she hasn’t attended school since she was reported missing.

Hanniya is 4 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs 115lbs, with brown eyes, medium build, dark brown complexion, and black wavy shoulder length hair. She was last seen wearing a blue Polo shirt, khaki pants, gold jacket with fur, and red sneakers.

Anyone with information on Hanniya’s whereabouts, please contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183 / 3184 or call 911.

UPDATE (10:50 a.m.): The Friends of Clark Park (FoCP) voted last night to recommend to the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation that limited hours be established when off-leash dogs are permitted at the Clark Park Bowl, the latest move in the park’s more than decade-long canine conundrum. The recommendation for permitted hours is daily from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., though, as in the past, enforcement of the new rule will be tricky.

The “fastest dog” competition during the 2011 Bark in the Park. (Photo West Philly Local).

The vote followed a discussion about off-leash dogs that included suggestions of stepped up enforcement by Parks and Recreation rangers or University City District’s bicycle patrol. FoCP board members agreed that a compromise was to post signs with hours for off-leash dogs, which are prohibited in public areas in Philadelphia but have been a fixture in Clark Park for years.

Tight enforcement risks alienating “a community that is one of the more dedicated to the park,” said resident Valerie Ross, who lives near the park. People who run their dogs in the Bowl often help clean up trash there, she said. And park events sometimes focus on dogs, including the annual Bark in the Park (24 years and counting) and even a corporate-sponsored, dog-friendly singles meet-up last year.

But complaints, including some at last night’s meeting, focused on off-leash dogs’ interactions with leashed dogs and children and adults who are afraid of dogs. Ross said the off-leash dogs are rarely a problem.  Continue Reading

There have been several reports of a light-colored long-haired dog with matted fur running loose in Spruce Hill. The first sighting was reported last night near 44th and Pine/Spruce, and there were more sightings tonight in the same area. The dog appears very scared and doesn’t let anybody come close enough to capture her. Here’s a photo of the dog taken by one of the area residents last night.

If you see this dog, please contact ACCT Philly (267-385-3800) and report the location and time of the sighting.

The Friends of Clark Park (FoCP) Membership meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 19, starting at 7 p.m.

The agenda includes:

• Elections are scheduled for President, Vice President, Secretary, and half of the FoCP Board.

• A discussion is planned about trash removal in the park and associated problems.

• A discussion of various upcoming projects including folding chair replacement, new chess tables, and planning for next year’s events.

The meeting will be held at Griffith Hall Lecture Room A, 600 S. 43rd Street, on the University of the Sciences Campus. All are welcome.