The 2021 Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival will not take place in their usual form due to continued COVID restrictions, but the organizers, Juneteenth Philly, will hold some other great events this Saturday to commemorate the end of slavery and celebrate Juneteenth.

The celebrations will kick off at 10 a.m. with Freedom Day Rally, followed by a march down 52nd Street from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. The inaugural “Art in the Park” exhibit featuring local artists will take place in Malcolm X. Park (52nd and Pine) from 12-7 p.m.

Gathering for the Freedom Day Rally and March will begin at 9 a.m. at 52nd and Haverford. The organizers are encouraging participants to fill out a sign-up form online.

For more information, please visit http://juneteenthphilly.org/.

Hundreds of residents gathered in Clark Park on Saturday to protest a rally planned in the park by far-right group “Proud Boys,” which never materialized. People held “Black Lives Matter,” “Fascists Go Home!” and other signs. Instead of confrontation, a peaceful pro-diversity rally ensued that included participation of local community leaders and West Philly-elected officials.

“These people came here to divide us, but look what they have done,” City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said during the rally.  Continue Reading

The Food Trust, the organization that hosts Clark Park Farmers Markets, has adjusted hours of operation for this week’s market due to a rally planned at the park by the far-right group “Proud Boys.” The market will be held this Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Due to the shortened duration of the market, The Food Trust will not have their usual designated shopping hours for senior and immunocompromised residents. Additional details about vendor participation and pre-orders can be found here. Market operations will return to normal hours on Saturday, Sept. 26: from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  Continue Reading

West Philly is preparing to a gathering/rally of neo-fascist group “Proud Boys” in Clark Park reportedly happening this Saturday.

Due to the planned gathering and anticipated response from residents and local anti-fascist groups, City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) has issued a statement where she denounces the event “being promoted by a known white nationalist group” that have “selected a highly visible location and time for the event in order to maximize tensions and create a spectacle.”

“Let us be perfectly clear: our community is purposely being targeted for this event because of our diversity and our progressive values,” the statement reads. “The rally and the views this group espouse run counter to everything we stand for… I think I speak for all of us when I say: Go home. You are unwelcome, and we don’t want you here.”  Continue Reading

Dozens of folks showed up along the 900 block of S. 47th late Wednesday morning to welcome Vice President Mike Pence and Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, who were at the Saint Francis de Sales School for a visit connected to “National School Choice Week.”

Carrying rainbow flags and signs calling for fair funding of public education, protesters set up on both sides of 47th Street amid a fairly heavy police presence.  Continue Reading

Vice President Mike Pence will be rolling through West Philly today for an event at the Saint Francis De Sales School at 47th and Springfield.

Pence is scheduled to be joined by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway for the event, billed as a celebration of National School Choice Week. They are scheduled to be at the school at 12:30 this afternoon.

An impromptu rally organized mostly on Facebook will be there to greet Pence and the others. Entitled “Love Thy LGBTQ Neighbor, West Philly,” the gathering is scheduled to meet at 47th and Springfield from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.