Fran Aulston, a West Philadelphia community activist, former President of the Paul Robeson House and founder of Peoplehood Parade passed away on August 9, 2015. The 16th annual Peoplehood Parade, in honor of Fran Aulston, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24 (read more about the parade here).

The following is a letter from Spiral Q artistic director Tracy Broyles on Fran’s legacy.

              Fran Aulston

“Some argue that #BlackLivesMatter is little more than a hashtag. At Spiral Q, however, we see a vibrant and brave movement of young people of color standing up to injustice, channeling the long-fought struggles of our elders for the full dignity and humanity of Black lives. One of these elders, Paul Robeson, we plan to honor by celebrating the memory of a true West Philadelphia community leader: Fran Aulston.

Fran Aulston passed away on August 9, 2015, and her passing casts a heavy shadow in our hearts and across our city. Fran fought tirelessly to ensure that Paul Robeson’s legacy would endure in the city where he spent the final years of his life. For us, 2015 marks the first year that Spiral Q will step off on its annual Peoplehood Parade this coming Saturday, October 24th, without the blessing of Fran, longtime President of the Paul Robeson House and a founder of Peoplehood, to open the parade. As we continue to lose the profound voices of our generation, we deem it all the more important to honor the visionary leaders upon whose shoulders we stand: Gloria Casarez, Fran Aulston, Grace Lee Boggs, to name but a few who’ve touched our lives in countless ways.

As artists and cultural workers, we heed our imperative and are moved to create in honor of these visionaries. We will pay tribute to them, and to the struggles in our city and across the country that they fought to make our communities more just and equitable places to live for those most directly-impacted by injustice. On Saturday, October 24th, Spiral Q will dedicate our 16th annual Peoplehood Parade to the movement for Black lives. The parade, Soar in Solidarity, will feature a range of artistic offerings, including a special tribute just for Fran: a Paul Robeson puppet who will help us carry forward her vision of educating and engaging community in learning Mr. Robeson’s history and legacy.

In Fran’s memory, we will put the Paul Robeson puppet to work, alongside the staff of the Paul Robeson House, to ensure that our communities’ untold stories of fighting for justice continue to be told for years to come.”

Sincerely,

Tracy Broyles
Executive Artistic Director
Spiral Q | Philadelphia, PA

Peoplehood Parade map (click to enlarge).

The 16th annual Peoplehood Parade, organized by Spiral Q, is happening this Saturday (Oct 24). This year’s parade will pay tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement and honor the life of Fran Aulston, a community leader and former Paul Robeson House president, who passed away on August 9, 2015. People of all ages are invited to join Spiral Q artists and their puppets on Saturday and march, walk or roll through West Philly streets together (wheelchairs, bicycles and strollers are welcome).

The parade, which will span a 1.25 mile route, will feature Spiral Q’s signature giant puppets, stilt-walkers, a drum line, and the artwork of fine artist Vitus Shell, a Monroe, LA native.

The parade starts at 1 p.m. at the Paul Robeson House (4951 Walnut St)  and then moves into Clark Park (45th and Chester), where it will be followed by a participatory group art-making activity starting around 2 p.m. in the Bowl. Visit the Spiral Q website for more details.

The Friends of Clark Park (FoCP) Membership meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 19, starting at 7 p.m.

The agenda includes:

• Elections are scheduled for President, Vice President, Secretary, and half of the FoCP Board.

• A discussion is planned about trash removal in the park and associated problems.

• A discussion of various upcoming projects including folding chair replacement, new chess tables, and planning for next year’s events.

The meeting will be held at Griffith Hall Lecture Room A, 600 S. 43rd Street, on the University of the Sciences Campus. All are welcome.

The work begins in earnest at Lea School playground. (Photo courtesy of the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools.)

You may have noticed the work underway at the Henry Lea School playground (47th and Spruce) over the last couple of weeks. This work is part of the Greening Lea Project, a multi-year, multi-project transformation of the outdoor environment of the school. In a testament to what grassroots, collaborative community work can do, this amazing transformation of the Lea playground comes as school budgets plummet.

Dozens of Lea students, families and neighbors along with donor volunteers will meet at the playground tomorrow at 10 a.m. to start planting in the playground’s rain gardens. Volunteers from the Philadelphia Orchard Project will also be there to plant in the landscaping bed along Spruce Street, according to the West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools.

The construction underway now will eventually include brick pavers, large shade trees and rain gardens. The basketball court will be rotated and repaved and new hoops will be installed.

Community contributions through the Greening Lea Naming Campaign and the Close the Gap Campaign have helped pay for about a quarter of the project, which will transform hundreds of square feet of asphalt into an important community gathering place.

Swing by tomorrow between 10:00 a.m. and 12 p.m. to have a look.

                 Photo: Palmsolutions.org

Palms Solutions – the African Diaspora Global Initiative – in collaboration with the Friends of Clark Park (FOCP) and the Mayor’s Commission on African & Caribbean Immigrant Affairs, is hosting the kick off of its annual “West Philly African & Caribbean Multicultural Festival (Westpac Fest)” event at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore) on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2-6 p.m. The kick-off event features Ethiopia and Mali. The celebration is an opportunity to experience Philadelphia’s vibrant and growing African and Caribbean immigrant population.

According to the event organizers, the goal of WestPac Fest is to “break down the cultural and ethnic barriers among communities in West Philly, promote a friendly, and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds, and together build a place where diversity is recognized and valued.”

This year‘s celebration is a tribute to the late Ms. Frances P. Aulston, President and CEO of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Paul Robeson House, who played a big role in the preservation of the last residence of Paul Robeson, a legendary artist, scholar, athlete, activist, and humanitarian.  Continue Reading

Each year, dozens of little monsters, princesses, supermen, cowboys, Mickey Mice and other Halloween costume-clad kids and parents, gather near 45th and Baltimore for the Spruce Hill Tot Parade, followed by a party on the 4200 block of Osage (“Little Osage”). This year is no exception to this great neighborhood tradition. More details, provided by the event organizer, Spruce Hill Community Association, are below. Also, check out photos from last year’s parade and party.

The 18th annual Spruce Hill Halloween Tot Parade and Party, organized in a joint effort between the Spruce Hill Community Association and neighbors on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue, will start at 45th and Larchwood at 3:30 p.m. with a rousing drum and cymbal band provided by the University of Penn DrumLine.

The parade and ‘trick or treating’ will then proceed East over Larchwood Avenue, ending on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue where the neighbors throw their annual block-party style Halloween celebration treating the children to cider and baked goods provided by neighbors and local businesses.

Later on, be sure your trick-or-treating route includes the Spruce Hill Center (257 S 45th St), where SHCA board member and Mel-Lo Townwatch leader Jackie Waiters will continue the long standing tradition of delighting trick-or-treaters with hand assembled goodie bags.

Where: Parade starts at 45th and Larchwood, ending on the 4200 block of Osage.
When: Saturday, Oct. 31. Assemble begins at 3 p.m. Parade starts at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Halloween Party