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The Paul Robeson House & Museum in West Philadelphia is celebrating the 125th birthday of the legendary Renaissance man – a football star, singer, actor, lawyer, social activist, orator and linguist – next month with an impressive series of special guests and events.

Robeson fearlessly used his bass-baritone voice for both singing and speaking for the rights of Black people in America and oppressed people all over the world. For his advocacy of those considered outsiders, he became a pariah in his own country. The goal of these celebrations is to “pull Robeson out of the shadows.”

The headliner is Sweet Honey in the Rock, a legendary group whose songs and message are in the same vein as Robeson’s. Harry Belafonte, who considered Robeson his mentor, is the honorary chair of the 125th Birthday Celebration of Paul Robeson. Actor Danny Glover is the honorary co-chair. The celebration is being held from April 8-15, 2023, in conjunction with the Paul Robeson Alliance, a collection of Robeson-related organizations from across the country. Continue Reading

West Philly voters will have a chance this week to meet some candidates for the City Council’s At-Large seats and mayor at two community forums. Both events will take place on Thursday, March 16. Here are some more details about each event.

• The Enterprise Center (4548 Market St.) is hosting a Mayor 100: Minority-Owned Business Policy Forum, where Democratic and Republican candidates for mayor will have an opportunity to listen to business owners’ concerns and offer their vision for strengthening related policies in the incoming administration. The event will be moderated by WHYY’s Cherri Gregg and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Layla Jones. Shirley Franklin, former Mayor of Atlanta, will deliver keynote remarks at the start of the event.

The forum is hosted in collaboration with Futurnet, the Urban League of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Equity Alliance, WHYY, and other organizations. Continue Reading

UPDATE (3/2/2023): If you missed this event, you can watch a recording here.

(2/28/2023): A mayoral forum sponsored by CeaseFirePA and WHYY News and dedicated to gun violence, policing and public safety, will take place Wednesday, March 1. The “100th Mayor: Restoring Safety Forum” will be held at WHYY, 150 N. 6th St. (invite-only tickets were available for in-person attendees) and will also be livestreamed via Facebook.

The mayoral candidates will be asked some tough questions on the city gun violence crisis by three moderators: gun violence prevention reporter Sam Searles, community leader Chantay Love, and trauma surgeon Elinore Kaufman.

The forum will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.. To receive the livestream link, sign up here.

Pictured: Paul Kuhn (Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas)

West Philly’s Curio Theatre is returning for its 2023 Spring season to turn Shakespeare on his head!

Following their hit run of Spymonkey’s Oedipussy, Curio takes on the UK company’s hilarious Shakespearian bloodbath, The Complete Deaths. Prepare to see all 74 onstage Shakespearean deaths in 90 minutes (75 if you count the ill-favored fly killed in Titus Andronicus), including Roman suicides in Julius Caesar, the death fall of Prince Arthur in King John, the carnage at the end of Hamlet, snakes in a basket in Antony & Cleopatra, Pyramus and Thisbe, young Macduff, and more.

The Complete Deaths was first presented as a Spymonkey co-production with Brighton Festival and Royal & Derngate, Northampton in 2016.

“During the pandemic, we looked back on the shows we have done, and which ones brought us and our audiences the most joy,” Curio founder and co-artistic director Paul Kuhn said “And without a doubt, it was Spymonkey’s work. The way this piece literally requires laughter, joy, and teamwork – we just felt like the world needs so much more of that right now. We did a training this summer with Aitor Basauri from Spymonkey, and I laughed so hard that I had to be taken to the hospital. Thank god I made it back!” Continue Reading

The mayor’s race is heating up and candidates will be in West Philly next month for a forum at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia Crosstown Coalition, a non-partisan non-profit corporation, is hosting a Philadelphia Mayoral Candidates Forum on March 28, 7-9 p.m., at Penn (Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St.). Voters can learn where the candidates stand on several issues and discuss how they plan to implement their vision for the city.

All candidates will be asked to respond to the same set of questions prepared beforehand.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information and to reserve your spot, go here.

If you can’t make it to this event, the Crosstown Coalition will be hosting another mayoral forum on April 12 in Center City.

Many local organizations and groups are hosting MLK Day events and volunteer projects throughout the city on Monday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of events and volunteer opportunities in West and Southwest Philadelphia (please feel free to add your event in the comments below). More events can be found on the Global Citizen website.

MLK Job Fair

Parks and Recreation District 8 and the 16th Police District are hosting an MLK Job Fair on Monday, Jan. 16, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Lucien E. Blackwell Center, 761 N. 47th St.

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Lancaster Avenue MLK DAY 2023 “Freedom Now Edition”

9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 4000 Lancaster Ave.

Mural Arts Philadelphia and Full Court Development are partnering to place the existing mural onto the facade of the new building, which would make it one of only a handful of lighted murals in Philadelphia. The mural was commissioned in 2010 to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Freedom Now Speech” which drew over 10K to 12k people to the site. In addition, there will be other events throughout the day at 40th and Lancaster, sponsored by local organizations. See the flyer for more details.

Day of Service at Hand 2 Hand Farm

11 a.m.-3 p.m. at 5317 Westminster Ave.

Hand 2 Hand Farm will be clearing debris, reconstructing stalls and fences, and tending livestock.

Day of Service at the Mantua Civic Association

8 a.m.-4 p.m. at 3543 Fairmount Ave.

The Mantua Civic Association will be cleaning, painting, greening, and plating in the morning. In the afternoon, they will host a fair with art, panels, resources, food, and giveaways. Continue Reading