The Nehemiah Davis Foundation presents its 7th annual Back 2 School Extravaganza on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2-6 p.m., at Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine). Kids and families are invited to enjoy some fun activities at the park, such as moon bounces, games, pony rides, live music and more. The organizers are also planning to provide 1,000 book bags to the kids who will attend (300 backpacks will go to those kids who were first to pre-register for the event). The event is free and includes free food. For more information, visit: www.nehemiahdavisfoundation.org.

Free outdoor movies, from classics to more recent critically-acclaimed films, will be shown in Clark Park (43rd and Chester) every Friday from Aug. 21 to Sept. 18. The program is presented by the University City District, the City of Philadelphia and Friends of Clark Park.

This Friday, families are invited to watch the Pixar animated classic The Incredibles. There will also be prizes for kids dressed in super hero costumes, children’s activities, raffle, and food trucks. The programming starts at 7 p.m., and the movie starts at dusk.

Here’s what’s showing over the next four weeks:

Aug. 28 – Casablanca
Sept. 4 – Little Shop of Horrors
Sept. 11 – Selma
Sept. 18 – Best in Show

More details can be found here.

On Saturday, Aug. 15, a sizable crowd gathered at Malcolm X Park to see Theatre in the X‘s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Othello (see photos below). We enjoyed it a lot. If you missed this show there’s another chance – next Saturday (Aug. 22) at 6 p.m. (read more about Theatre in the X and their all-Black cast production of Othello here). Please bring your chair and a few bucks to support the local artists collective and their amazing work (they also have some cool T-shirts for sale).

From left: Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Jackson Gray and Annie Devine in Washington in 1965. Devine is featured in the documentary Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders, which will be shown in Clark Park on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. (Photo from The New York Times)

Here’s a chance to see a film that will help put the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly the role of women, in some historical context. The International Action Center is hosting a free outdoor screening of the award-winning documentary “Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders” on Saturday evening in Clark Park.

The film shows the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes and deeds of women from Mississippi, including a sharecropper who went on to become the state’s first black female mayor.  It also recounts the remarkable stories of Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Gray Adams and Annie Devine, who were the first black women to be seated on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The film is a celebration of the role of strong women in the Civil Rights Movement, which in many ways has continued in Black Lives Matter.  Continue Reading

On Friday, Aug. 14, families are invite to celebrate Back to School Education Day (E! Day), which will be held at the School of the Future (4021 Parkside Ave.). The event, hosted by the School District of Philadelphia, will include on-site student registration, information sessions, free book bags and other giveaways, and educational games. School District officers will be there to answer questions about transportation, lunch programs, uniforms, and many other things. The event will take place from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. More information is available on the School District website.

Just a reminder that the 2015-16 school year for grades 1-12 at Philadelphia public schools begins on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Branford Marsalis Jazz Quartet (from left: Joey Calderazzo (piano), Eric Revis (bass), Branford Marsalis (saxophone), and Justin Faulkner (drums)).

Internationally acclaimed jazz musicians will be guests at the 2nd annual Community Unity Music Festival at Clark Park (43rd and Chester). Saxophone legend Branford Marsalis and his band, The Branford Marsalis Jazz Quartet, will again headline the festival, which will be held on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year’s festival, which promotes nonviolence and unity in the Philadelphia community, is called “A Day to Remember.” In addition to live music performances, the festival program includes inspirational speeches from city and state dignitaries, food, games and other activities for kids.

The festival is organized with the help of Justin Faulkner, the drummer of the Marsalis Quartet, who grew up in West Philadelphia. One of the main goals of the festival is to show young community members that “creativity enriches the soul” (the festival’s motto is “Put down the guns and pick up an instrument”). To help local artistic youth, the festival organizers created “The Each One Teach One” coalition, which gives scholarships to five deserving students for private music lessons with one of the festival’s partners, the Clef Club for Jazz and the Performing Arts.

For more information about the Community Unity Music Festival and people behind it, click here.