The Ethical Society’s high-ceilinged hall in Rittenhouse Square isn’t full yet, but it’s getting there. An aerialist is held above their partner’s head as they weave through the crowd before the main show begins. The drinks are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $7. Organizers wrapped in raffle tickets work the room, while strangers approach one another and engage in conversation.

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“It was cold as hell,” Andrew Saltz remembers. It was January 2013, and the School Reform Commission had just announced a sweeping plan to close dozens of Philadelphia schools, including Paul Robeson High School for Human Services, a small high school in University City. Saltz, then a relatively new teacher, walked down Market Street alongside dozens of his students…

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Chester PA is a small city on the Delaware river, 15 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Once a manufacturing hub during World War I that drew a diverse workforce, Chester is now a city of about 34,000 residents, 72% of whom are African American. “Chester is a very tight-knit community,” says Dr. Kristin Motley, the city’s Health Commissioner. “Everybody knows each other and if you don’t know a…

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There was barely room to move inside Wissahickon Brewing Co. on Saturday, April 4th. Just an hour after Shop Queer Philly’s 11 a.m. opening, the Olde Kensington brewery was already alive with music and shoppers weaving through crowded aisles of vendors selling everything from upcycled terrariums, profane plates, death-metal-inspired pottery to liberatory risographs. Shop Queer Philly is…

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As the Trump administration intensifies its political attacks targeting transgender healthcare, LGBTQIA protections, and mental health services for queer youth, Philadelphia drag queen and community organizer Ebony Ali is turning to art as a form of resistance. Ali—who also goes by Icon Ebony-Fierce—is a longtime community organizer and program manager at Galaei, one of Philadelphia’s…

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More than 75 businesses convened in Philadelphia this week for an event aimed at helping local entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of starting and growing a company. Hosted by the Great Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the annual gathering focused on connecting small business owners with resources, information, and one another. “We are giving the opportunity to help businesses…

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For Philadelphia Punk band Froggy, the Trump administrations attacks on queer youth are personal. “ We were posting our upcoming gigs, and Fiona made a graphic, it had a rainbow on it cause we were playing a pride fest and a couple other things during pride month. Someone was like, ‘why the rainbow gay?’ And we were like; have you not been paying attention?” Froggy was formed in 2020…

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As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues, Philadelphia’s immigrant business owners are finding new ways to support one another as they navigate a time of political and economic uncertainty. Felipa Ventura is the president of the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos (the Mexican Business Owners Association, otherwise known as AEM). She says that since Trump took office…

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Members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, along with representatives from four additional district employee unions, gathered outside the School District of Philadelphia headquarters Thursday, Feb. 26. School buses pulled up one after another along North Broad Street, unloading students who stepped onto the sidewalk holding handmade signs. One read, “Save our Schools” and another…

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Yell at God is a South Philadelphia-based Folk Punk duo comprised of Orah and RJ. This month the band released their latest album, DANCE, DANCE, REVOLT! In this video, they discuss the importance of creating queer art in the current political moment and how music builds community for resistance.

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