image above: Dr. Clemencia Rodríguez and Rasheed Z. Ajamu at the People’s Media Camp organized by The People’s Media Record, October 3-5, 2025. Picture courtesy of People’s Media Record, taken by Luiza Barreto. For the first time in a century, the United States is experiencing a sustained decline in press freedom. According to Reporters Without […]

Natasha Oglesby speaking at the 2025 Mayday rally. Photo by the author  It’s been six months since thousands of Philadelphians gathered outside City Hall for the annual May Day rally, commemorating International Workers’ Day. Yet one speaker’s testimony still echoes today. “I was recently evicted from my home a day before my birthday,” SEIU 32BJ […]

Image above Michael O’Bryan introducing fellow colleagues and panelists at the Wealth + Work Futures Lab (L-R) Kevin Carter, Alicia Atkinson and Timothy (TJ) Dean at the CommonGround Grief & Workforce event on September 18, 2025. It was a simple and attractive promise: if you study and work hard, you can count on a secure […]

Mental Health Partnership participants Shawn Anderson, Elizabeth Anderson and Quadira Purfoyi at a press conference celebrating the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid on August 1, 2025  (above image)   For Hannah, who juggles work at a nonprofit, a small business, and seasonal jobs, Medicaid is what allows her to get routine physical, mental, and […]

While deep canvassing ahead of the last presidential election, one moment stayed with Adam Barbanel-Fried. At one home, an African American woman stepped outside and asked, “You want a story about voting?” She then told him how her grandparents, year after year in Texas, would line up to vote, only to be turned away each […]

  Image above: Alliance for a Just Philadelphia hold up signs during Council’s weekly stated meeting on June 12, where they voted 15-1 on the final budget to pass. Photo courtesy of the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia On March 13, 2025, Mayor Cherelle Parker released her proposed city budget for fiscal year 2026. The […]

At 79, Sallie had never cooked a meal. Her husband of more than 50 years had always taken charge in the kitchen, but after his recent passing, Sallie knew it was time to learn. When her nutritionist heard about her situation, she immediately enrolled Sallie in a workshop run by Vetri Community Partnership, a non […]

1 in 7 Philadelphians, including 1 in 3 children, face hunger. Food insecurity in the city is shaped by complex, overlapping challenges: limited access to high-nutrition foods, the prevalence of low-nutrition options, economic hardship, and a widespread lack of education on how to prepare healthy food once the ingredients are available. These intersecting issues form […]

The imposition of tariffs on trading partners, coupled with the deportation of food supply chain workers and government cuts to food programs for schools and food banks, is expected to increase food prices nationwide. This situation could further strain cities like Philadelphia that already face high levels of food insecurity.  Philadelphia’s long history of grappling […]

As Andrés* pulled out of the parking lot on what appeared to be another ordinary morning, he was abruptly stopped by ICE agents who forced him out of his truck. They were searching for a neighbor in Andrés’ apartment complex, but detained him instead, despite not bearing any resemblance to the person they were looking […]