Red Hen Exploring Our Conditions explores issues and concerns in our Communities with a Focus on Community Responsibility and Civic Engagement.
#TeamRhino #SaveTheRhino #SaveFive
Raising Awareness to protect our #WildLife, Please take the pledge:
I would like to join #TeamRhinodotorg in the fight against rhino poaching to ensure a future for people and vulnerable wildlife on our planet:
I will never buy or promote any products made of rhino horn, as I know that demand drives poaching.
I will be a committed advocate to support rangers and others on the frontlines of rhino conservation.
I will share my passion about rhino conservation and recruit my friends and family to become involved.
I will urge my government to continue championing efforts to stop rhino poaching at home and abroad.
I will stand with IRF to help save rhinos from extinction. teamrhino.org
More and more people are creating legacies as entrepreneurs, but don't have their business in order. We have to spend money to make money. What do we do once we make that money? Independent contractors have to get in the habit of paying themselves first. Paying taxes, maintaining ourselves, families and business means we are in the game.
The Free Library offers assistance to small businesses via seminars and the Business Resource & Innovation Center at the Parkway Central branch, 1901 Vine Street, 215.686.5394 erefbsi@freelibrary.org
Resources include several databases that allow you to research by "geography" and "business type", competition research, find company information, market research reports and so much more. To access the database log onto www.freelibrary.org, in the blue "Find" box choose database instead of catalog. Now scroll down to the "Business" section and click on the database.
Visit the library business section often to learn of workshops and seminars.
Thursday September 8, 2016 6:30-8pm room 108 There will a program on "Careers in Export Sales and Marketing" by James Chan, Ph.D. Mr. Chan will outline the opportunities and the mindset required to pursue well-paying careers selling and exporting American-made products and services overseas. You view his profile at www.AsiaMarketingManagement.com
This program is free but you need to register by calling 215.686.5394 or careersinexportsalesandmarketing.eventbrite.com Wednesday September 14th: Keeping Your Day Job While Starting A Business Business and Brews 2nd Wednesday of the month 6-7:30pm
Preregistration required, $5 per event $25 for entire series!! register at businessbrews.eventbrite.com or call 215.686.5394
Philadelphia there is a #ClimateRevolution going on and seems our elected officials didn't get the memo on the #CleanEnergyRevolution. Extractive Economy other than fishing is detrimental to our communities. July 26, 2016 i joined It Takes Roots to Change the System Caravan “Toxic Tour”
in south philly to protest and demand that the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority consider proposals for Southport to provide sustainable jobs that do not depend on extractions. The Clinton's started this destruction to our Earth and for some reason continue to support the fracking industry.
SEPTA we can do better than fracking in Philadelphia. i'm impressed with how much time and effort Septa puts into renewable energy, but don't understand their desire to build a natural gas plant in Philadelphia, with all the harm that fracking does to our environment. No way should the city of Philadelphia consider such a harmful extraction from our earth. There is so much evidence proving the cancers and climate change occurring because of toxic natural gas extractions and the nuclear waste that sits and sits and sits, slowly evaporating into our air. Solar Panels and Wind Power would be just as profitable with little to no harm to our environment. Please visit 350 Philly to learn more about this campaign. Please sign Pa. Clean Air Petition!!
------ Let everyone on social media know about it, especially the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority which is @PhilaPort on twitter. We really want them to know that citizens of Philly are taking notice of our air quality and how their ongoing process for building at Southport will effect that moving foward.
Other good targets on twitter are Mayor Kenney (@PhillyMayor), City Council (@PHLCouncil), your individual councilperson and Governor Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf). You can tag up to ten people in a photo on twitter which gives you room to both include a message and direct it to people's attention, so photograph the haze and let people know about it. Hashtags we are trying to use are#RightToBreathe, #NoNewPermits, #CleanEnergyRevolution and#ActOnClimate.
Please view and see how fracking is destroying communities. Thanks @joshfoxfilm!!
New Orleans Artist Aria Doe Paintings after Hurricane Katrina
The new film “Dear President Obama: THE CLEAN ENERGY REVOLUTION IS NOW" is a direct appeal to the President – and to all elected officials – to carefully consider the growing evidence proving that hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas is hardly the path to energy independence that many promote.
#ClimateRevolution rally, concert and screening! Be there! Where: Rockaway Beach, Queens NY (between 94th and 97th) When: Thursday September 8th @ 5:30pm - 10:30pm 5:30pm Rally & Concert / 8:00pm Film Who: Speakers include Josh Fox, Aria Doe, Anthony Rogers-Wright, Nomiki Konst, Alexis Smallwood, and many more. Musical Guests include TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone,Tommie Sunshine, Gabriel Mayers, and many more. Hosted by Josh Fox, and the team of How To Let Go of the World, Ben Jealous, former head of the NAACP, Aria Doe and The Action Center with many more Rockaway Organizations Participating. Sponsored by Patagonia.
Using the same winning organizing model that secured statewide bans on fracking in New York and Vermont and a moratorium in Maryland, Food & Water Watch and our grassroots allies are building on this momentum to win more victories in our campaign to ban fracking. This means not only stopping fracking but also related fossil fuel infrastructure projects like pipelines and LNG terminals. We’re working to ban fracking nationwide on public lands and have active and vital campaigns in states and have made important gains in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, as well as other states across the country.
167 Tiny Maps Tell the Major Story of Climate Change
Climate change just got another telling visual courtesy of the famed temperature spiral creator. But rather than a graph, it’s a series of 167 maps.
Alone, they each tell the story of whether a year was mostly hot or mostly cold or mostly average. Together, they show unequivocally how much our planet has warmed since the 1850s, including the rapid rise over the past three decades.
The steady rise of Earth’s temperature as greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere and trap more and more heat is sending the planet spiraling closer to the point where warming’s catastrophic consequences may be all but assured.
That metaphoric spiral has become a literal one in a new graphic drawn up by Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. The animated graphic features a rainbow-colored record of global temperatures spinning outward from the late 19th century to the present as the Earth heats up.
My grandson came in the house while i was watching television. He said hi Nana and i didn't reply, as he walked up the steps to use the bathroom he said "Hi Nana" again to get my attention. I said "Hi Baby, i apologize for not recognizing you the first time." The feeling of recognition appeared on his face as he continued up the steps and to the bathroom. Both my grandsons demand attention and sometimes their demand can be frustrating. I'm learning to breathe and meet them where they are by planning what we can and cannot do. We are not perfect but we as parents try for perfection with parenting.
How we communicate with our youth is important to their development. My grandsons like to run and talk loud, often screaming at each other. i try with a soft voice to calm them down because they mimic most everything they see and hear. Planning to attend a Parental Stress workshop hosted by The United Way "New Eyes" program to learn about stress and coping skills.
New Eyes is a workshop for parents and family members who care for young children, birth through age 5, in the North Central neighborhoods of Philadelphia.
This workshop will help explain what the new research is telling us about stress. Afterwards, attendees can participate in a make & take activity and receive a free gift.
Attendees receive a $35 gift card after completing a telephone or online survey one week after attending the workshop. For more information, please contact Mildred Johnson at 215-665-2533 or mjohnson@uwgpsnj.org.
Host a Workshop
Hosting a workshop is a great way to connect with other parents and community members. Contact Suzanne O'Connor to learn more about hosting a workshop.
Communication outside of our homes also have lasting impacts on our family. Here is a video created by Every Opportunity that address the people our families are in contact with outside of the home, on a daily basis and how those people and the way they interact with our families affect our families growth in a positive or negative way.
Published on Aug 18, 2016
Want to learn how to make your school or classroom one that gives every child the opportunity to find their voice? We believe language is the key to unlocking every child’s potential. The Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School offers free online language and literacy training for all teachers of children from Birth to 3rd grade on its Cox Campus.
Words At Play is an initiative that my family and i have been able to participate in this summer. We learned different ways to explore books and family fun time aka visits to the zoo and other family outings. Words At Play parties are great for getting families involved in building vocabulary. We received children books, magnifying glasses an adult coloring book with the color pencils, book bags, free admission to the zoo and food.
Words at Play Vocabulary Initiativeis a community-wide, grant-funded initiative taking place at Cecil B. Moore, Widener libraries, The Church of The Advocate, The YMCA, barber and beauty salon among other locations located in North Philadelphia. The grant’s focus is families with children ages birth to 5 years. Through playing, singing, and reading at “Play Parties”, families will discover new ideas to help strengthen their child’s vocabulary while playing with their children. Five organizations are working collaboratively to offer this initiative: the Free Library of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute, the Kimmel Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Zoo.PNC Grow Up Great®and PNC Crezca con Éxito form a $350 million, multi-year, English/Spanish initiative to help prepare children — particularly underserved children — from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. Grow Up Great was founded in 2004 by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
For more information, please call 215-686-5372 ext. 348 or email PattersonN@freelibrary.org or KreiderC@freelibrary.org.
Also please check out our great corporate partners PNC Grow Up Great, there are plenty of resources for families to build strong, safe and productive families with their downloadable kits!!
Words Are Here, There, and Everywhere provides a variety of resources to help spark conversation and develop young children’s vocabulary, building on their natural curiosity around math, science and the arts. Download and start some fun word building today!!
i'm exploring people of color communities in an effort to find common ground and connect us with understanding for our differences and similarities. In my exploration i'm learning that there is plenty of soul searching for who we are as people of color and people with culture that has been lost in some of our homes, communities and schools. How can we address the search and fill the need to feel confident about who we are? In Philadelphia Pa. we have an abundance of diverse cultures to learn from and grow with. We also have resources and landmarks that tell our stories. At our Strawberry Mansion Call To Action Meeting Two, Gayle Garrett from the Arts and Culture Committee announced that there is interest in starting a quilting club in the Strawberry Mansion community. i was excited to hear that news because i just learned that we are celebrating African Fabric in September, and learned about an African quilting guild called Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild in Atlanta but no African center guilds in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has on display "Creative Africa." This Sunday, September 4th as all first Sunday's at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is family pay what you can day and i plan to take my family to view our culture and participate in Art Splash
Art Splash
July 1–September 5, 2016
Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Art Splash is back! Visit the Perelman Building this summer and enjoy Philadelphia’s place for creative play. From July 1 to Labor Day, families can discover Creative Africa through daily gallery explorations, studio art creations, interactive activities, and other imaginative programs. Museum admission for kids twelve and under is always free.
Pay What You Wish Family Festivals First Sunday of every month Bring the whole family to enjoy art making and fabulous performances.
#ArtSplash Share your experience @philamuseum #ArtSplash.
Art Splash is presented by PNC Arts Alive. Additional generous support is provided by The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Origlio Beverage and The Honickman Group, Mrs. Kay Bossone, Mari and Peter Shaw, Sondra and Martin Landes, Jr., Steve and Gretchen Burke, and Deena S. Gerson in honor of Isaac Henry Hohns.
Splash Studio (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) Let your creativity soar at the Splash Studio, a destination where people of all ages can drop in and create art together. Come throughout the summer to enjoy new art projects inspired by Creative Africa.
Family Tours (11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m.) Early Birds (ages 3–5) and Art Explorers (ages 6–10) Creative play and participatory conversation make these tours the perfect introduction to art for young visitors and their families.
Family Art Cart (Noon–3:00 p.m.) Museum educators are out and about in the galleries with stories to tell and hands-on activities for everyone. Drop in and watch Creative Africa come to life.
Creative Africa
May 14, 2016 - September 25, 2016
Innovation and tradition come together in a celebration of African art and design in the Perelman Building.
From contemporary photography, fashion, and architecture to centuries-old sculpture, Creative Africa presents the visionary work of artists throughout Africa. At the heart of the season is Look Again: Contemporary Perspectives on African Art, a major exhibition drawn from the Penn Museum’s distinguished African collection.
Creative Africa also boasts a dynamic schedule of programs, artist talks, family festivals, and community conversations.
#CreativeAfrica
Share your experience #CreativeAfrica @philamuseum. The West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance in partnership with The University Of Pennsylvania Netter Community Center will be hosting a study of play write August Wilson in their annual "August Wilson and Beyond Class." The class is intergenerational, free and open to the volunteers and members of WPCA. Class begins Monday, September 12th 2-5pm, and we will start with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottomwhich is set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. We are starting with this play because of the police misconduct going on today is relevant to 1927.
August Wilson & Beyond
Mondays 2pm – 5pm
September 12 through December 12
“The people need to know the story. See how they fit into it. See what part they play.”
- August Wilson, King Hedley II
In this intergenerational seminar, Penn students and West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance members and friends together read groundbreaking playwright August Wilson's 20th Century Cycle: ten plays that form an iconic picture of African American traumas, triumphs, and traditions through the decades, told through the lens of Pittsburgh's Hill District neighborhood. All get to know each other while exploring the history and culture that shaped the plays. As an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course, the class plans and hosts events with the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, learns history through storytelling, and creates an original performance inspired by the readings and relationships, to share at an end-of-semester gathering. Wilson's plays provide the bridge between the two groups and art is the service they provide to the community together.
The August Wilson & Beyond course is offered by
the University of Pennsylvania’s Africana Studies & English Departments
with support from the Netter Center for Community Partnerships
The class meets in the Seminar Room of the Africana Studies Department
3401 Walnut Street, 3rd floor
If you are considering joining the class or would like to receive invitations to class events,
BLAZING LYRICAL AND EMOTIONAL FORCE…THE SPELLBINDING SOUND OF A GREAT AMERICAN ARTIST SINGING THE HISTORY OF HIS CULTURE FROM THE STAGE, CREATING A LONG, BEAUTIFUL SONG OUT OF UNFATHOMABLE SUFFERING.
Ambition and art collide with the business of the blues in this red hot play filled with music that made the '20s roar. An American masterpiece, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set in 1927 Chicago during a recording session at a white-owned studio with the legendary singer—inspired by real-life Mother of the Blues Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. Tony Award® winner Phylicia Rashad directs this groundbreaking play with a powerhouse cast led by Lillias White (Broadway’s Fela! and Once on This Island), Keith David (OWN’sGreenleaf, Broadway’s Jelly’s Last Jam), and Glynn Turman (HBO’s The Wire, Showtime’sHouse of Lies) all returning to the Taper from Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
EXTRAORDINARY! MA RAINEY RIDES ON THE EXULTANT NOTES OF THE BLUES!
There was mention of an Independent School being built in Strawberry Mansion, will share more on that as i learn. Independent schools are great because they are built based on our culture and not conformity to colonialism like public, charter and catholic schools. The Council of Independent Black Institutionshas a gofundme page raising funds to help support these schools. Below are two Philadelphia Independent schools who could use your support!! Lotus Academy of Philadelphia 340 E. Haines St. Philadelphia, PA 19144 (215) 438-7500 http://www.lotusacademy.org/ Founded in 1974 by the Wholelife Institute
and
The Ijoba Shule 6026 Drexel Road Philadelphia, PA 19131 (215) 747-5737 info@ijobashule.org Contact: Iya Omowun
When the son of Marcus and Ashaki was old enough to go to school, they knew they wanted him to receive an education that taught him about his culture, history, and people. They didn’t want him to be “mis-educated” in the public school system. Marcus and his wife went into their basement and began teaching their son the type of education they knew that was best for him. Parents of 5 other students enrolled their children not long afterwards. Before the first school year was over, he had 36 students and had to look for another location. Today, the Freedom Home Academy (FHA) of Chicago has its own building and enrolls over 100 students and that’s only the beginning. To support the National Black Independent School Fund donate at www.gofundme.com/sovereigneducation
The Book Bike is a new program from the Free Library that sends bicycle-powered mobile libraries to outdoor events in Philadelphia. The custom cargo bicycles, built by Philadelphia-based Haley Tricycles, are ridden by a library staff member to community events and provide a selection of library materials. Patrons with library cards can check out books directly from the bike, learn about library services and programs, or even attend a storytime led by a librarian.
The Book Bike has already started making appearances at community events including the Clark Park Farmers’ Market and Story Jams in Dickinson Square Park. At our first event at Clark Park this month, we brought more than 50 books catered to the audience at the Farmers’ Market about food, cooking, and culture. Children and adults alike were excited to see this unique display! We signed up several new patrons for library cards who were enthusiastic about starting to use the library.
The Book Bikes will continue helping library outreach efforts at events throughout the city. View ourschedule of upcoming events to see when the Book Bike will be at a location near you!
If you would like to have the Book Bike at your community event, please contact Link Ross (RossL@freelibrary.org) or Kate Eckert (EckertK@freelibrary.org) for availability. You can also find us on social media using the hashtag #FLPBookBike
The Free Library Also offers:
"A Taste Of Africa" Cooking Class to Counter Diabetes and Heart Diease
Odds & Ends: Using What You Have to Craft Inspired Poems & Meals
Creating innovative meals and poems requires a healthy dollop of creativity, introspection, and risk taking. Much pleasure can be found in the kitchen and on the page when we use the scraps left behind and what we have on hand as fuel for our creative work. Join Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher and Food & Wellness Educator Lauren Nixon for a hands-on, experiential learning workshop that will inspire you to improvise, trust your instincts, and use what you have in order to enhance both your writing and home cooking practices.
WHEN
WHERE
Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Culinary Literacy Center - 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 - View Map
Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, The Blues™ consists of several films that capture the essence of the blues and explore its profound influence on music and people the world over. Originally aired on PBS, the films trace the evolution of the blues from parochial folk tunes to a universal language, each film focusing on a distinct topic from the perspective of seven different directors. Together, the films honor the art form and preserve its legacy in a celebration of its lasting impact. “Our goal never was to produce the definitive work on the blues,” Scorsese said. “It was, from the start, to create highly personal and impressionistic films as seen through the eyes of the most creative directors around with a passion for this music.”
Co-presented with Penn's Cinema and Media Studies Department and part of our African Roots, American Voices season-long focus on the blues, enjoy four free film screenings from The Blues™ series, each with a post-show discussion.
