Journalist and Generocity freelancer Peak Johnson reflects on his conflicting feelings about what he is observing and experiencing in Philadelphia at this pivotal point in history.
With the onslaught of recent flash mobs taking place in Center City, many are asking, “Why?” Are the youth of this city so bored with themselves, and so angry, that they find entertainment in hurting innocent bystanders for no reason at all? And are the adults of this city doing enough to engage them in…
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…
The ideal of attending college after completing high school is ingrained in most people’s minds at a young age. Perhaps now more than ever, obtaining a college education is thought to be a necessity in order to succeed in the world today. But some people choose to take a different path. After graduating from Mastery…
“One thing about the teachers here is that they will never give up on you,” says Klarice Reed. The 11th-grader begins each day at Shallcross Academy attending Townhouse, a social gathering in which students from different grades come together to discuss their issues and brainstorm on how to make the day successful. Like most of…
Walk down into Aminata Sy’s West Philadelphia basement, and you’ll see color splashed on the walls. There are self-portraits and large, red suns drawn in crayon, as well as maps of Africa highlighting the different countries of the continent. Sy, originally from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and later Senegal, runs…
The movement to replace the symbol of colonialism, an era of slavery and other oppression, started within the 28,000-member student body, when a petition to replace the “offensive” symbol drew hundreds of signatures.
For the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to assist Diana Lu of Plan Philly with a few audio stories. The project focused around WHYY’s listening post and while it still has a few small kinks here and there, it has been a success and a rewarding experience. Rewarding to be able to speak…
I started writing for Global Philadelphia in early 2013 and have been writing different pieces for them since then. They were nice enough to include me in their monthly newsletter last June. Super nice of them. You can read the small write-up on me below and check out the newsletter in all of its entirety…
GlobalPhilly 2013 will present “Advocacy,” as one of seven dimensions that make the Philadelphia region global (the others being Arts, Commerce, Cuisine, Education, Heritage, and Sports). This category of the exposition is reserved for GP13 events that focus on promoting dialogue about a host of issues affecting humanity worldwide, and how Philadelphians fit into the international discourse. Peace Day Philly: September 19…
