Not long ago, a friend of mine asked me what the best day of my life was. We were sitting on the banks of the […]
“It’s not what you know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know that’s just not so.” That’s how Reggie Bryant would end every […]
When I was born 50 years ago, a young Bennie Swans had already joined the pitched battle for the souls of Philadelphia’s Black folks. His […]
From listening to my parents and grandparents wax eloquent about him decades ago, to reading the glowing local newspaper articles about him, to eventually working […]
“Have you met Michael?” Longtime activist Tyrone Smith asked me this back in 2016 as I was writing about acts of racial discrimination in the […]
It’s important to understand that I’m not a native Philadelphian. I was born and raised in a Midwestern city where Black people were supposed to […]
Marian Anderson had a special affinity for D-flat because the note was so flattering to her voice. “D-flat made me think of velvet,” she said. […]
A while back, on a Saturday afternoon, a couple of girlfriends and I were lounging at a house in Fishtown, chatting about life over glasses […]
It’s a Wednesday night in November, and Philly’s posh Down Town Club is packed. Standing next to the stage is Joe Volpe, the founder of […]
My full name is … Jannie — with two “N’s” — L. Blackwell. The “L” stands for Lorraine. My maiden name is Brooks. They used […]
