100% Philadelphia Booklet

100% PHILADELPHIA

INTRODUCTION Artists have a unique way of holding a mirror to society that puts aside politics and rhetoric. The German art group Rimini Protokoll has conceived a brilliant work of theater that assembles on stage 100 actual citizens of our city—elementary school teachers, bartenders, students, parents, pastors, bank tellers—and asks, “What do you believe? What is important to you?”

Public forums tackling big issues are often fraught. In City Council hearings, school board meetings, and community development sessions, positions tend to be fixed, lines get drawn, and passions run high. And for good reason: we care deeply about the issues that are the very fabric of our place, our community, and our city.

100% Philadelphia offers a different way to approach the discourse. Our city, like the others around the world where this show has been created and performed, has both enormous potential and overwhelming challenges. This show takes on the biggest and ugliest of those challenges as if we were all in a big, raucous block party, complete with music and dancing.

FringeArts was created almost 20 years ago with the passionate belief that art and artists have a positive effect on people’s lives and can effect social change. There is no work of art more true to our mission than 100% Philadelphia.

100% San Diego photo by Pigi Psimenou

—Nick Stuccio, President & Producing Director, FringeArts

PHILADELPHIA STATISTICS

HISPANIC / LATINO WHITE MULTIRACIAL

2,071,605

1,553,165

TOTAL POPULATION IN 1950

6% 55–64 years

6%

7%

12%

6%

37% 42%

5–9 years

6% 6%

10%

1%

BLACK / AFRICAN AMERICAN

Under 5 years

AGE 45–54 years

NATIVE AMERICAN / ALASKAN NATIVE

TOTAL POPULATION IN 2010

Over 75 years 65–74 years

ASIAN

2%

10–14 years

8%

Speaks language other than English at home:

15–19 years

21%

13% 19% 19%

20–29 years

30–44 years

47%

53%

69%

BORN IN PHILADELPHIA

12%

BORN OUTSIDE THE US

People living below the poverty line:

26%

PHILADELPHIA STATISTICS

Acres of parkland in Philadelphia:

10,334

Percentage of Philadelphia land occupied by parks:

28%

11% NORTH PHILLY

12% NORTHWEST PHILLY (Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy)

6%

WEST PHILLY

9%

10%

FAIRMOUNT

8%

KENSINGTON

SOUTH PHILLY (East of Broad)

6%

SOUTHWEST PHILLY (South of Baltimore, West of 48th) SOUTH PHILLY (West of Broad)

49%

31%

12%

8%

Not Married

Married/ Cohabitating with partner

Divorced/ Separated

Widowed

U.S. soft pretzels manufactured in PA: Average pounds of pretzels consumed per year:

2

U.S. CITIZEN: lbs PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN:

12lbs

80%

CENTER CITY

4% 6%

NORTHEAST PHILLY

12%

10,000

Approximate number of costumed participants in the annual Mummer’s Day Parade:

U.S. doctors who receive medical training in Philadelphia:

1 out of 6

CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE

by Chris Satullo When naming a newborn, you feel the weight of the decision, the fond hope that the right name might provide a push along a hoped-for path. Even as names seek to nudge destiny, sometimes they merely set up irony: Faith, the fiery atheist; Victor, the embittered failure.

We can’t know all the thoughts that coursed through William Penn’s mind when he chose Philadelphia as the name for his new city, tucked onto the peninsula between the Delaware River and the Schuylkill. What we do know is that he chose boldly, aiming for the vault of heaven, daring irony to strike. The name he gave his city combined the Greek words for love (phileo) and brother (adelphos), setting up the enduring civic nickname: the City of Brotherly Love. Then Penn gave his city a street grid, a charter, and a diplomatic first act that he hoped would enable it to live up to that name.

So how did it turn out, this Holy Experiment?

In modern popular culture, the verdict is often rendered with a sneer. “City of Brotherly Love” has turned into a phrase invoked more often in sarcasm than in admiration. In 1994, a Gallup Poll named Philadelphia America’s most hostile place. The most durable stereotypes about the city cluster around its fans’ penchant for booing and the colorfulness of its crime and corruption. So William Penn’s choice can sometimes seem less destiny than irony. But that

judgment is neither complete nor fair. It ignores so much evidence. Thanks to its founder’s impetus, and to the furthering energy of citizens from Benjamin Franklin to Richard Allen, from Lucretia Mott to John Wanamaker, from Richardson Dilworth to Mary Scullion, Philadelphia has remained one of America’s most inventive laboratories for exploring the civic potential of brotherly love and sisterly affection.

DESTINY VS. IRONY

Be clear on this: It won’t do to reduce the notion of brotherly love to saccharine sentiment, to feelings only tender and soft. Brotherly love does not imply the absence of conflict. Have you ever seen young brothers together? Their bond, strong as cement though it might be, gets expressed as often as not through competing, jousting, gibes, and dares. Anger is also a way to express caring, and in Philadelphia’s long history, a common one. Even today, some of Philadelphia’s best rowhouse citizens, who work doggedly to keep blocks decent and children safe, regard their hometown with what can only be called an angry love. It is loyal, it endures, but it has spikes and edges.

Like the nation that chose this city (and not by accident) as the spot to declare, then define, itself, Philadelphia has struggled to define brother. Who is inside the circle, who not? The city’s story follows a cycle: high aspiration thwarted by weakness, strife, and division, then redeemed by a new round of noble struggle, which broadens understanding and widens the circle.

Penn himself, while distinguished among colonizers for his fair and respectful relations with the native Lenape, had a blind spot about blacks. He owned slaves and excluded blacks from many of the protections of Pennsylvania’s charter. While he founded his city upon a writ of religious tolerance that made it a rare and fruitful haven, he still excluded Catholics, Jews, and Muslims from the franchise. Some Quakers later repaired the lapses of Penn and other forebears, becoming leaders of the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad. Richard Allen and Absalom Jones helped advance Penn’s vision of religious freedom by insisting that it extended to the black person, as well. Abolitionist Lucretia Mott sounded the clarion call that women, too, deserved a full role in America’s civic drama—that, in fact, they were vital to bringing phileo to the polis.

As Philadelphia thrived, thanks in no small part to Penn’s legacy of openness, immigrants poured in. The inevitable backlash flared, especially in the nineteenth century. The Nativist riots of 1844 in Kensington were anti-Catholic bias at its ugliest. But in the long run the disorder helped make the case for the consolidation of the city into a larger, more governable but also more diverse whole.

Along with dark moments—riots and beatings and tribal corruptions—Philly has birthed great testaments to shared civic bonds, from Fairmount Park to the settlement houses, the Free Library, and the Mural Arts Program. Its National League ball team once taunted Jackie Robinson most shamefully, but the Phillies now boast two beloved African American MVPs, whose jerseys are proudly worn on backs white as well as black.

Back and forth through the decades the dialogue flows around the city’s public squares, noisily and sometimes violently: Will the City of Brotherly Love embrace the destiny of its name, or reject it with cruel irony?

PENN’S LEGACY PERSISTS

Through it all, the legacy of William Penn—his dreams, wisdom, and example—still hums in the city’s blood, despite our cantankerous failings and our ritual suspicions about the latest bidders to join the circle of brothers and sisters.

Philadelphia, by its very name, is an unfinished dream of civic feeling and common purpose, an audacious wager upon the better angels of our nature. We, the heirs and inhabitants of a city named for love, remain quick to anger, prickly and prideful, wary of the new. It is our way, and God knows we have some reason for it.

But we are also stubborn in love, fierce in loyalty, and our embrace of those we let inside the circle is warm, protective, and unfailing.

We need to let more in, and more easily, with fewer tests. But we Philadelphians are young, still, in this Holy Experiment, and still learning. May we continue to strive toward the destiny William Penn saw for us and to strengthen our city with our own brotherly love.

Adapted from The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, originally published in partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania with support from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.

NOTES ON CASTING Rimini Protokoll invited 100 people to come together and represent their city. These Philadelphians were chosen to reflect census data in the categories of age, gender, race or ethnic background, neighborhood of residence, and living arrangement or family composition. In order to make the group of 100 even more representative, employment, nationality at birth, and sexual orientation were also taken into account. Each participant was allowed to invite a subsequent one, which sometimes exposed beautiful and unexpected links between the people of Philadelphia. Finally, five additional people were invited onto the stage to represent those likely to be missed by the census. Official statistics often do not account for undocumented immigrants and people who are precariously housed or experiencing homelessness, but these people are also integral to life in this city. Through all of these people and their stories, 100% Philadelphia offers us a live documentary, a moving pie chart, and a dynamic picture of Philly in all its complication and glory.

Each participant was asked, among other questions: • What is your occupation?

• What makes you unique?

• If you were an action figure, what would your box say?

• If your place caught fire, what would you run out with?

• What special object might you hold on stage?

• What groups to you associate with?

• What groups do you not want to associate with?

• What’s your happy place?

• What tics do you have?

• What would you join a demonstration for, and what would the slogan be?

• What’s your favorite place in the city?

• What would you like to ask 100 people in Philadelphia?

Sarah Gladwin Camp’s casting process in progress

ERICA ATWOOD I’m a really lucky kid from Camden who grew up, surrounded by love, into the person I was meant to be.

We all go through journeys of discovery. At sixteen I said I wanted to be a juvenile defense attorney. Now, 23 years and three career paths later, I’m in the Mayor’s office focused on strengthening community. I get to make a difference as a job. I am especially committed to the well being of my community. I look at my work through a race and equity lens, and am focusing right now on helping create opportunities for the advancement of young black males.

Personally and professionally, I feel very strongly about equity and justice, from voting rights to the disproportionate incarceration rates of people of color, violence in and towards our communities, and the epidemic of illiteracy. We’re all American and entitled to certain rights, education and security being paramount.

ERICA ATWOOD FEMALE 39 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN WALNUT HILL (WEST PHILLY) 1/100

But I am not all serious all the time. I love to laugh! I thoroughly enjoy a great glass of wine, especially with friends. I love to cook and host. And I always keep a bottle of sparkling wine around. You just never know when you’ll need to celebrate, even if it’s only about sleeping in and brunching hard on a Sunday.

1/100

HELEN BROWN I eat chocolate ice cream every night. It’s how I got my job—I’m a community organizer for Project HOME. Sister Mary had offered me the job several times, and it’s right across the street from where I live, but I kept turning it down. Then one night we ate ice cream together and I finally accepted the job. That was nineteen years ago.

When I get home after work, I go right up to the second floor room that’s my woman cave, a lounge with a black leather chair. I’ll just sit and reflect for ten or fifteen minutes.

In 1989, after one of my sons died of AIDS, I was sitting outside watching the kids fighting and bickering on the street. I told them to go do something useful and they said they wanted to start a drill team, so I helped them do it. Then it was sixteen kids, and now I have 50 kids from ten years old through their teens. It runs after school. I choreograph and the older kids who used to be on the team will come and choreograph and help run it, too. We go to competitions in New Orleans, Harrisburg, and Connecticut, and have been state champions four times.

My favorite spot in the city is right here. There are bad areas throughout cities and people consider this a bad area, too, but I wouldn’t want to move nowhere else.

2/100

HELEN BROWN FEMALE 73 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 2/100

PRISCILLA “MS TEE” BENNETT Hey, my name is Tee what gets the job done. I’m a Lead Teacher for kindergarten and first grade, and I’m a community activist and liaison. I’m happiest when I’m with the children. I was a counselor even when I was younger.

I cook well, especially soups and stews. I cook a lot of turkey for funeral repasts in the neighborhood and use the carcasses to make soup. My children don’t like soup, so I’ll take it to work or to Project HOME’s hub for homeless people on cold days.

My neighborhood was like a combat zone–a father, brother, cousin, or someone would be killed biweekly– but it’s a lot better now. Most of the people who were into the violence have been put in jail. We have gone to Harrisburg and City Hall with Moms Against Guns to protest the violence. I value the relationship building we as a community have done with the local politicians, other community members, and police.

PRISCILLA “MS TEE” BENNETT FEMALE 55 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN STRAWBERRY MANSION (FAIRMOUNT) 3/100

I don’t want to be mixed with people who suck the life out of the community and don’t put anything back in—like a corner store selling only processed food or people cutting programs from schools—or with people who misdiagnose or mislabel kids. If you catch kids young and give them the right resources, they can do anything anyone else can. All of our children should be our first priority. If we take care of them now, they will take care of us later.

3/100

GABRIEL “GABE” PRICE-STALLER Linda talks about Gabe: His favorite toys to play with are anything related to Thomas the Tank Engine, and his favorite thing to sleep with is a stuffed owl. He calls it his “hoot hoot.”

A lot of things make Gabe happy. He likes to touch and slap trees or flowers—not in a mean way, he just gets excited about green growing things. Every Tuesday night we go for a walk around our neighborhood because it’s the night I have the most time with him after work. If the weather is bad we have an indoor toddler dance party instead. He loves to dance. I think his favorite band is the Talking Heads. He also does a lot of weird exploration of his body’s movements.

Recently he started walking backwards and walking around in a circle to make himself dizzy.

Gabe says hi to just about anybody and likes to flirt with people. He’ll wave at strangers across the grocery store; they fall in love with him. He likes to cuddle with his family and friends, and to share food and toys with them. I try not to be visibly upset in front of him but the few times I have been, he has come over and patted me on the shoulder or kissed me.

Even though our block is pretty quiet, whenever he hears a car go down the street he says “car” or “truck.”

Whenever he hears an ambulance or siren outside he says “uh oh.”

4/100

GABRIEL “GABE” PRICE-STALLER MALE 2 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE FISHTOWN (KENSINGTON) 4/100

CONOR OWENS I do so many things. Lots of people try to stick to one thing, but I try to do it all. I like to draw, sketch, and paint. I just won $50 at a lip syncing contest wearing a red tuxedo with sequins and fluffy sleeves. I’ve done a lot of musical theater.

I’ll also take any opportunity to play any sport. I’ll even throw around a shoe, it doesn’t matter. I can see the field in ways other people can’t—I can see what’s happening and what should happen. I like that people in Philadelphia are passionate about sports. I like parades and people going crazy for orange and black.

I do debate club in school. When I’m assigned pro or con on different topics I have to do research and come up with a plan even if it’s not what I believed in at first. I generally need proof to make a decision on something because I believe in what I see, not in following what other people think.

I set everything up just so when I’m going to bed. I straighten the blanket, slide in, and push the chair so I can see the clock perfectly. My glasses go in a specific spot.

CONOR OWENS MALE 13 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE PARKWOOD (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 5/100

5/100

CHERYL OWENS I work in a school cafeteria and love to bake and cook at home. I’m a people-pleaser, and my girlfriend calls me Mary Poppins. I like to make things special, particularly at holidays; I always make sure desserts for a party are beautifully presented. My butt’s big because my three skinny sons don’t eat enough of my food, but I love my family very much!

My grandparents came to Ellis Island, both from Italy. My grandmother was in an arranged marriage to someone she would meet for the first time here in America, but then she met my grandfather on the boat over and they fell for each other. She called off the prearranged wedding.

I like downtown because it is so rich in history.

Everybody in the country knows about the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the graves, and the churches.

It’s amazing that we get to live here with a history that goes so far back.

Philly’s also interesting because it’s one of the only cities where you can ask people where they’re from and you’ll get the answer in terms of parishes. People identify with their church. I grew up going to a Catholic school and met many of my current group of close friends by the time I was in third grade.

6/100

CHERYL OWENS FEMALE 55 MARRIED WHITE PARKWOOD (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 6/100

VAN NGUYEN I’m a preschool and middle school teacher, and I’m happiest when I’m with the kids I teach. They can just be themselves and it’s wonderful!

I wear many hats, though. I’m a drag and burlesque performer—queen, king, and everything in between—with the Liberty City Kings Drag and Burlesque group, an award-winning, queeridentifying performance troupe that started seven years ago. I serve on the Leeway Foundation Board and am a steering committee member of hotpot!, a queer Asian/Pacific-Islander women/trans* folk gathering that enacts social change through community and good food.

I love people. My default is introvert, but I put myself in situations where I have to interact. I have large extrovert batteries. I am the Prius of introverts.

Sometimes I’ll cross the street doing ballroom dance with a friend to make a day more magical. As a child, I would step on each stripe of the crosswalk to make a wish.

VAN NGUYEN LEGALLY FEMALE, GENDER QUEER 25 NOT MARRIED ASIAN AMERICAN SOUTHWEST PHILLY 7/100

I’m determined to name at least one child of my own Van. It can be a middle name, but I want to be able to refer to them as Mini Van.

7/100

JACOB GLICKMAN I moved to Philadelphia to complete a master’s degree in Clinical Counseling. I plan to spend my career in psychology helping as many individuals in the LGBTQIA community as possible and destigmatizing mental illness for at-risk minorities. I have the therapist’s tendency to psychoanalyze and intellectualize people all the time—not always great for a first meeting.

I always felt like a Northeasterner who lived in the South, despite being born and raised in Florida. For trans* people, the North seems to hold the promise of more freedom and tolerance. The queer community, especially the drag and burlesque troupe with which I perform, is my primary friend base.

I’m also a portrait artist: when drawing, I can be absorbed for hours in my work, experiencing the merger of self with creation. My sketchbooks are the first thing I would save—closely followed by my violin—if the apartment ever caught fire. With my unfortunate cooking skills, this is a definite possibility.

Although I had a Bar Mitzvah at thirteen, I consider myself Jewish in heritage only. I am an atheist and a realist with liberal leanings. I do have a sense of spirituality and appreciate that religion adds grounding and comfort to the lives of many. I disagree with the common belief that one needs religion to be moral, however. Religion can be part of the equation, but I believe morality is a product of one’s culture, time period, family, and personal inclinations.

8/100

JACOB GLICKMAN MALE (TRANS* IDENTIFIED) 22 NOT MARRIED WHITE, RUSSIAN JEWISH CHESTNUT HILL (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 8/100

TIFFANY BELTON I was born and raised in Philadelphia, and I used to want to get out of here so badly. Turns out I had to leave to appreciate the city, and now I love it.

I’ve always adored music. My dad was a DJ in college and I have a lot of his old records. As a kid, I’d wake up on Saturday mornings and ask my mom to turn on the record player and go through the records. When I came back to Philly after getting laid off from a job in Virginia, I got on unemployment, bought a mini studio and recording equipment, and started releasing songs under the name B.Fly. My first CD came out in 2011 and now you can find my music all over the internet.

I hope to educate, motivate, and inspire future artists and make a global impact.

Music can be euphoric and make you feel like you’ve accomplished something, something you can call your own. It gives you the feeling of, “I’m important, too.”

Maybe it can even be an outlet for people to talk about difficult issues that they don’t think are okay to discuss, like mental health or Lupus, which my sister has.

TIFFANY BELTON FEMALE 32 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN PENNSPORT (SOUTH PHILLY) 9/100

I’m an observer, an embracer. I love to try new things, explore, ask lots of questions, and have a good debate. When I wake up in the morning, I see all my possibilities. Sometimes I get a tingling in my stomach.

9/100

BARRY V. LANIER, SR. Before an accident at work I was enrolled at Grand Canyon University pursuing a BA in Christian Theology and Bible Studies. I have an incredible collection of bibles—different translations, types, and origins.

I use my percussion instruments, drums, and my band JOY as tools to minister. Joy is the state of delight and well being that comes from knowing and serving the Lord. My musical background is in Latin and AfroCuban jazz. I have been one of many drummers at the Broad Street Run and I make instruments, too.

I was raised as the only man in a house of southern women. I’m very blessed to have spent fifteen years on the road and to have lived in Hawaii. Christmas was strange there. I like the four seasons and the architecture of some of the neighborhoods in Philadelphia, and I love the Drives along both sides of the Schuylkill River. I used to cycle along those at 4:30 in the morning. I like Philly, but once my daughter has a stable income I may move somewhere else.

I used to say I was born out of time. A brother from another planet. I tried to fit in growing up, but I’ve learned to accept who and how I am in Christ Jesus.

As long as I’m breathing I will be in service to the Lord and a blessing to anyone that will allow.

10/100

BARRY V. LANIER, SR. MALE 65 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN, FRENCH, INDIAN WEST OAK LANE (NORTH PHILLY) 10/100

VALARIE FAREIRA I always encourage my own children, which drew me to advocate for other young people, especially teenagers. I’m an Assistant Servant Leader for Teen Fellowship at my church, where I’m hoping to establish a counseling ministry for teens. I saw how divorce affected my kids and the gaps in the support structures available to them as they went through that experience, so I want to set up something other kids can turn to.

I have three amazing children, two daughters in college and a son in high school. My son was born with congenital heart disease and has had two open-heart surgeries. I never doubted he’d be okay and I can only attribute that to my unwavering faith in God. Fire is the one thing that scares me—I have a great appreciation for it. The neighbor behind my house had a fire during Hurricane Sandy. I watched it. It was a two-alarm fire, but because it was raining and the firefighters were fast, the nearby trees and homes didn’t catch. If my house burned, after making sure everyone, including the dog, was out, I’d grab the drawer with all my photos in it. Those are irreplaceable.

VALARIE FAREIRA FEMALE 49 DIVORCED AFRICAN AMERICAN EAST OAK LANE (NORTH PHILLY) 11/100

I am happiest in my backyard garden. It’s a lot of work to maintain, but also a natural stress reliever. I light candles at night and it looks so peaceful. My daughter went out there recently with the dog and said it felt like she was in the park—the greatest compliment!

11/100

SIDRAH RAMADAN I’m studying to be an international lawyer with a focus on women’s issues and empowerment. I’m also a bank teller. I’m an adventurous, cool geek: I know how to have fun but also when it’s time to buckle down and study or work.

I wanted to go to law school in Rochester, but my four-year-old son keeps me here now. It’s expensive to move and hard to take a young kid to a new city I’m less familiar with. But I live in the ghetto. In my neighborhood I see hope but little change, so some days I feel like I need to get my son out of there. I don’t act like I’m from West Philly because I don’t want to be part of that demographic.

Clair Huxtable, the mom on The Cosby Show, is part of my inspiration for being a lawyer and mother at the same time. Claire was a problem solver, lawyer, mom, and wife—and made it all seem so easy. I do miss feeling like a “normal” 24 year old, though. When I’m not taking care of my son I feel like I’m back to being Sidrah, back to being a college student.

I feel most calm near water, but I don’t know how to swim. I’ll sit by Penn’s Landing or by the fountain in LOVE Park and just listen to the water, even if a million people are around.

12/100

SIDRAH RAMADAN FEMALE 24 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST PHILLY 12/100

SHARMAIN MATLOCK-TURNER I’m the President and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition. I’m a great strategist who’s able to see connections almost immediately when I look at a group of people talking.

I feel most like myself in my kitchen when I have music on and am singing along. I’m not good at it! But I still sing at the top of my lungs when no one is there. In my midlife-crisis convertible, a Toyota Solara, I’ll wear sunglasses so no one knows it’s me, or keep the music really loud so no one can hear me over it.

I live a pretty chaotic life, so I cherish the solitude and quiet of my own spaces.

My practical side comes from Mom, and my tenacious side from Grandma. Grandma was feisty, liked a good shot of bourbon, and didn’t take no mess off of people.

When I was a kid, white people called older black people “aunt” or “uncle.” Someone in a shop said to Grandma, “Oh, Aunt Rosa,” and she retorted, “I am not related to you. I am Mrs. Burton.” She made it clear that that vestige of slavery was inappropriate.

SHARMAIN MATLOCK-TURNER FEMALE 64 MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN EAST MT. AIRY (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 13/100

Visits to my family in Virginia every summer through my childhood helped shape me. Kids were given lots of freedom to roam, and it made me comfortable taking risks. I was always the one saying, “Let’s go a little farther!” I’m still not slowing down. My husband asks me about retirement and I say I have too many things to do.

13/100

CARLOTTA FAREIRA I love life and am ready to do whatever. At this stage of my life I know a strong family is worth more than money and having that plus a network of friends means you are truly blessed.

I exercise at the gym and tap dance. I’m also in a daily walking group. We start on the Wissahickon trails at 5:30am. I like that you can recognize other people along the trail by their gait. When I turned 80 I had a giant birthday party and invited all the people I meet on the trail.

As a kid I’d take the #23 trolley—now a bus—back and forth from Germantown to where my father worked at 17th and Christian. He’d have cashed his pay check and put the money in a cake tin for me to carry home to my mother for groceries.

When everything was segregated, it was just a way of life. You made the best of it, because it’d lead to violence otherwise. It was a big deal in 1946 when black men fought for the right to be trolley drivers. The National Guard was called out because it got so heated in Philly.

During the Civil Rights movement I was out there advocating for voting rights. I wrote letters to my Senators, the Mayor, the Governor. I was a teacher for 33 years; if there were certain programs in my school district that I didn’t think were fair I’d write to the Department of Education.

14/100

CARLOTTA FAREIRA FEMALE 81 WIDOWED AFRICAN AMERICAN MT. AIRY (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 14/100

LIZ FRANTZ I’m originally from Southern California and I came to Philadelphia for the University of Pennsylvania’s graduate program in City Planning. During school I learned a lot about Philly and different neighborhoods I might not have explored on my own, so I got excited about the city. I’ve been here for four years now, and I really enjoy where I live and meeting new people in my community.

I now work in real estate finance and community development. I also volunteer with Mariposa Food Coop and with the Campaign for Working Families as a tax preparer. We provide free tax preparation services to those who live near the church where I volunteer.

Clark Park is my favorite place in the city. My friends and I meet up at the farmers’ market every Saturday morning. I also really like Woodland Cemetery where you can get away from the noise of the city and have nice views of the Schuylkill River.

I’m a good listener. I like being someone people can talk to and depend on.

LIZ FRANTZ FEMALE 28 NOT MARRIED WHITE UNIVERSITY CITY (WEST PHILLY) 15/100

I take public transportation even when it’s not the easiest method.

One thing that bothers me about Philadelphia right now is the potential development of a new casino within the city. We should not support the development or expansion of businesses that prey on people.

15/100

JENNIFER MARIE WILLIAMS I’m a little shy and very nice. I mostly keep to myself because I’m nervous about talking to people, but when I do go out and meet people I can talk to them for a little bit. I like getting to know them. I’m friendly.

I love drawing and doing all kinds of art. It’s very relaxing and gets my mind off stuff, off worrying and being nervous. I can draw anything: flowers, trees. We hang my drawings at SpArc Services’ Cultural Arts Center and in art shows—I even sold a few. I made a paper dress after watching a video and want to do more fashion design. I like to write, listen to all kinds of music, and dance.

Last year I was in the chorus in a Fringe Festival show. I was a robot and did robot moves.

I don’t like peas, but I eat them anyway.

I’m always interested to know if people get along with their family and friends. This is important to me because not a lot of people get along with their friends, for whatever reason. I do, because I don’t judge people.

JENNIFER MARIE WILLIAMS FEMALE 32 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN MANTUA (WEST PHILLY) 16/100

16/100

MORGAN TARASKA I work at SpArc Services boxing bottles of soda, banging with hammers to make wheels, and putting things in bags. I love seeing my friends at SpArc, Facebooking all my other friends from high school, and going to dances. I took two boys to prom this year.

I perform. I like dance class and I have acted at church.

Everybody called me sexy looking when I wore a boa for the last show!

I live with my mom and dad but the mortgage is going up and it’s hard to keep the house. I was born in Philadelphia but I’d love to live someplace else, like the Poconos. I go there in the summer to see my cousins and aunt. I also visit Virginia Beach. I like to go fishing and nature walking.

I make sure the cats come in before I go to sleep because I don’t feel like waking up and letting them in. I fall off the bed in the middle of the night and sleepwalk, then I have to get up and fix the blankets. I will get something to drink while still sleeping.

MORGAN TARASKA FEMALE 20 NOT MARRIED WHITE KENSINGTON 17/100

My life is beautiful and exciting because I get to have so much fun every day.

17/100

BOBBI ROBINSON I’m a Grants Specialist for the federal government.

When I meet employees moving here who know nothing about our city I become their surrogate family and cook them big holiday meals. I’ll tend to any kid I see, calling them my niece or nephew, because I believe I was created to help all people. When the movie Mean Girls came out I tried to be mean for a while. I was going to stop helping people, maybe to have more time for myself. Turns out I was very bad at that. I hate that nowadays people take kindness for weakness.

I can’t be in book clubs because I never finish my books in time—I have too much to do. Whenever someone needs me to do something, I will. I’m everywhere and do everything.

I feel most like myself at home. People call it the therapy house; it’s very peaceful inside. I love hosting movie days, girls’ days, pedicure parties.

I was born and raised literally around the corner from where I live now. When I was nineteen Mom made me move out to spread my wings, but I still wanted to be close to her so I moved into this house. I do lots of community service, and I’ve been at my church for over twelve years. I still call Philly the City of Brotherly Love even though I think there’s a lot less love than there used to be.

I live by: Be Happy On Purpose. Help People!

18/100

BOBBI ROBINSON FEMALE 53 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN MILL CREEK (WEST PHILLY) 18/100

JESSICA KALUP I’m a Philadelphia native, a queer mixed-race person and femme who identifies most strongly as an aunt and as a nerd. I’m working on a Philly tattoo sleeve. I have nine so far, including the LOVE symbol, a Tastykake Krimpet, and the city skyline in a light bulb.

I put a lot of thought and intention into becoming the type of person who rides a bike. My bike is bright pink and has floral saddlebags and custom Hello Kitty stickers. It’s a “real” bike, single speed, with some street cred, but it also really represents me.

Many transplants think it’s hip to live in Philadelphia because it’s big but less expensive than New York and DC, but Philly is home for a lot of people and the gentrification makes it inaccessible to some of its natives.

JESSICA KALUP FEMALE 30 COHABITATING WITH PARTNER FILIPINO, WHITE QUEEN VILLAGE (SOUTH PHILLY) 19/100

I’m pretty apathetic about most things. I don’t tend to have a lot of opinions and I’m pretty laid back. But I’m extremely passionate when it comes to the treatment of people, especially issues of equality, justice, and equity around gender, race, and class. When I was part of a non-profit Equality Ride bus tour to Christian colleges that were discriminating against LGBTQ people, a student told us something he had never said out loud before: “I’m gay.” That moment changed my life. I saw that you can intentionally create change, self revelation, and progress. Now I work for that change in my community. Doing positive things makes me feel the most like myself.

19/100

ANH NGOC “ANNABELLE” LE I’m studying finance and marketing at Drexel. I want to have as much well-rounded knowledge about business as possible. Some people here in America assume international students are very rich because they can’t take loans for college so their parents pay out of pocket. But in fact my mom is very well educated and values education, so she is spending her life savings for me to be here. I wanted to study abroad.

I love traveling to explore the culture and the scenery in different places. I can walk for a very long time, and will especially do this when I travel. It’s mostly because I get lost and am horrible at directions; I’ll try to figure out the way back but end up finding a new way that’s longer, and as a result see new things.

I’m restless and wish to experience everything that’s possible while I’m still young. I’m not afraid to get into unfamiliar circumstances and do things that people say are stupid.

I don’t really want to get mixed up with religion. I wasn’t raised with it and I don’t have enough time for it. I also don’t like people who spend too much time playing video games. There are better things to do.

Youth is not there forever, so do something worthwhile.

If there was a dispute between my country, Vietnam, and any other, I would definitely join a demonstration to protect my country’s rights, borders, and international resources.

20/100

ANH NGOC “ANNABELLE” LE FEMALE 21 NOT MARRIED VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY CITY (WEST PHILLY) 20/100

KESHO WATSON I’m not the perfect chick but I come with plenty of love. I care about what goes on in the lives of my children and family and about education in this city. I care about my African American cultural community, the things we’re still struggling with and the things we can aspire to become and do for each other. A friend calls me the neighborhood mayor— if something is going on, I’m paying attention and sharing it with others. But I don’t gossip.

I was a hairstylist for almost 30 years, and I still get requests even though I’m disabled from a past surgery.

I’m a founding sistah in a women’s group that’s a space for us to gather and laugh, joke, and talk about issues.

We might discuss finance or relationship problems, but mainly we try to keep it light.

I feel most like myself when I have no obligations and can just sit and breathe. I’m happy to sit in parks all over the city, or drive to the Delaware and disappear for a while along the river. Philadelphia’s green space is a real benefit of this city. It brings a sense of peace.

KESHO WATSON FEMALE 46 DIVORCED/SEPARATED AFRICAN AMERICAN OVERBROOK (WEST PHILLY) 21/100

Philly is my comfort zone. I am the third generation of my family to be born here. But I’d be willing to explore and live somewhere else as long as I could come back here for visits. I’d miss the culture too much otherwise.

21/100

IAN WATSON I am a tall thin man who likes to play video games and sports, but not badminton, squash, or softball. I’m extremely intelligent. And goofy. I take drum lessons and am in a jazz ensemble at a music school.

I admire how friendly my brother Colin is. Being friendly is important because you can connect with anyone and make people feel good. I’m close to my family, but I’m happiest when I’m with my friends.

I was born in Philadelphia and like the culture and the food, especially cheesesteaks and pizza. I especially like the atmosphere, food, and shops on South Street.

But I’m really annoyed by all the potholes in Philly’s roads. I’m not into hipsters.

I think not enough people know about the ghetto in Philadelphia. People stereotype the ghetto when they don’t live in it or drive through it and so are actually ignorant about it. It’s not always what you see on the news or what people think it is. There are some great things about the ghetto, like artists coming out of it.

IAN WATSON MALE 14 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN OVERBOOK (WEST PHILLY) 22/100

22/100

DIANA LU I’m a nomad scrappy immigrant entrepreneur, Chinese, Vietnamese, born in the Philippines, raised in East Los Angeles. A gay old Jewish man trapped in a young Asian woman’s body. The only child of a single mother. That childhood forced me to grow up faster, so my entire life I’ve been able to connect with people who are 25 years older than me.

I’m also an urban planner who loves sustainable waste management and walkable cities.

I always carry a kit to survive pollen and mosquitoes: inhaler, nasal spray, steroid cream. I wasn’t exposed to the same allergens as a kid. Here my asthma is extreme and my mosquito bites swell up to baseball size. Regular mosquito repellent isn’t sufficient—I carry a little fan filled with vials of poison that clips on my belt or hangs around my neck on a lanyard. I basically wear a coat of chemicals to survive.

DIANA LU FEMALE 27 NOT MARRIED CHINESE FISHTOWN (KENSINGTON) 23/100

Sure, I gave up better health and the daily spring and summer of LA, but I love the chaos, mess, foulness, and grit of living in Philadelphia. I love the public transportation and how easy it is to walk around. And I love the stoop culture. My block is an extension of everyone’s front yard; my neighbors would tell me if someone came to my house when I wasn’t there or something.

I’m queer and attracted to non gender-conforming personalities. I’m completely uninterested in being associated with people who are pro-life, queer-intolerant, anti-immigration, racist, or in the Tea Party.

23/100

ASHLEY LANIER I’m a residential aid—basically a babysitter—at a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. I guide people, tell them what to do, what not to do.

My dad raised me by himself, and I’m a daddy’s girl. I love to be silly, and at work I’m always in somebody’s face doing something stupid to make them laugh.

I’m the person who will try to see the bright side and blessings of things and try to help others do the same.

I’ll talk people through things, show them another point of view, help them see the positive aspects.

I love to sing and have a song for everything. Being a singer is one of my dreams. When I’m singing, whether it’s actually performing or not, I can zone out and picture myself on a stage.

I hate seeing children on the street running crazy when they get out of school. They’re cursing and dressing crazy, acting crazy, they aren’t children anymore. I have nieces and nephews I connect with on social media and I see they can’t spell correctly, and I wonder what they’re doing in school. It’s frustrating. I want to see a movement about getting kids in line these days. If I had more patience, I think I’d be a teacher.

I was born here but the only thing that keeps me here is the convenience. I’d love to move away to California or Florida or Atlanta, somewhere warm. I am not a coldweather girl.

24/100

ASHLEY LANIER FEMALE 27 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN GERMANTOWN (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 24/100

JULIAN GRANT IV I’m in school for criminal justice and want to work in the federal prison system. Right now I work at the Target in Abington, unloading trucks and stocking shelves. I came up with some innovative processes for unloading to departments; I like to think outside the box.

I have a heart for people, I’m athletic, and I love helping younger kids. I feel like myself when I’m around my family or my lady friend, at the gym, playing ball with the fellows. When I’m eating. And when I have my music on, I’m in a whole ‘nother world.

I’m money-hungry: if I have an opportunity, I’ll go for it. I’m not lazy. I’m also not a follower, or one of those people who keep up with trends. I wouldn’t wait in line for Jordans. I hate when people won’t speak up when something is wrong, and I really dislike bullying and violence. I saw an internet video that really stuck with me of a homeless man who was treated wrong. People didn’t talk to him and assumed he was nasty and dirty, but he was a really nice person. I’d like to make a homeless person’s day, get them off the street, clean them up, give them clothes, give them a place to stay.

JULIAN GRANT IV MALE 21 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN SOUTHWEST PHILLY 25/100

I can recite the whole Lion King movie from memory.

It’s my favorite.

Every day when I look out my window I see a bright day with no hindrances, an easy-going day, problem free. Every day.

25/100

VARNANA “V” BEURIA I got an economics degree, worked as a financial planner, hated it, quit, and went to culinary school. I considered starting a waffle truck but bought a café space instead and named it Chhaya. I’ve taught myself a lot about coffee since then. We just moved to a bigger location that I enjoyed designing from the ground up.

I think personal connections are the only thing of value in the world. Everything I do is about brightening someone’s day or developing connections with or between people.

I also love entertaining; I can cook a seven-course dinner for twenty people in under two hours.

I’m very straightforward and usually not what people expect. There are a lot of assholes in this business, but I’ve never been one of them. Being a woman, and small, has meant that I’ve needed to work to prove to people that I can do the job, but I’ve done so without being a jerk or compromising my principles. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea but those who like me, like me a lot.

I was born in India and I’ve lived in the Communist Soviet Union, New York City, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and Philadelphia. I’ve lived here for sixteen years, the longest I’ve lived anywhere.

I love tango dancing. I find it very challenging to be a follower in tango; it means you have to learn how to let go of control. If I get a day off, I plan everything around a nap.

26/100

VARNANA “V” BEURIA FEMALE 35 MARRIED INDIAN PASSYUNK SQUARE (SOUTH PHILLY) 26/100

CELESTE DINUCCI I work in Development for the Settlement Music School.

I’m a singer myself—it’s a defining thing about me—and I’ve been a semi-professional performer throughout my life. I’m happiest when I’m singing with others, especially in that moment when you stop being a bunch of people making noise and start really listening to each other so the noise turns into a coherent whole.

I’m one of those PhDs who decided not to go into academia. I can’t stand intellectual snobs who are prematurely dismissive of others. I’m a great connector, have a lot of eclectic friends, and laugh at everything.

When I was on Jeopardy, I noticed that many people lose it or get self-conscious in front of a TV audience, but it was natural and easy for me. I was just playing a game.

I have a set of journals that go back decades. Sometimes I’ll keep them for a specific purpose, like the one I plan to turn into a book titled Sex After 50.

CELESTE DINUCCI FEMALE 53 NOT MARRIED WHITE QUEEN VILLAGE (SOUTH PHILLY) 27/100

I came to Philadelphia for graduate school and stayed because of the extraordinary smarts and creativity I saw in people who were making performance work here.

But I have a love/hate relationship with this city. I miss Oregon, where I grew up. I was raised in a city that’s easy to live in because it’s pretty, friendly, and clean, and Philly is just not those things. And come on, trinity houses? Who thought of that one?

27/100

WADEED TEWFIK I’m a retired mechanical engineer and I paint in watercolors. I am precise. I believe in the Evil Eye and can read coffee grounds. I am who I am and I don’t pretend anything; there’s no falseness. I could never be in politics.

I was born in Egypt. When I was seven our place caught fire. I picked up my piggy bank and left. When my mom saw it later she said, “Oh my god, how did you have time to get that?” It wasn’t full, but I thought we would be stranded with no home, people would need to eat, and I’d be the only one with money.

I love to eat and drink wine, but I’m mostly a vegetarian. Basically I cannot see the animal in the food—it turns me off completely. I never got hooked on smoking marijuana because I never allow anything to control me. I can’t stand the idea of losing myself for even a minute.

I definitely have a problem with going to organized war. I would defend my family to the death, but organized war is different. If no one showed up, there would be no war in the world.

I lost a daughter when she was nineteen. She was on a treadmill in college and fell and her heart went into fibrillation; she was brain dead by the time they got to her. We lived for four years under the hope she’d come back from the coma but she never did.

28/100

WADEED TEWFIK MALE 70 MARRIED WHITE, GREEK LOGAN SQUARE (FAIRMOUNT) 28/100

DAAMIR ROBINSON-JOHNSON I run track, and basically everything revolves around that. I don’t like distance running, I don’t even like running 400 meters. I can, but I prefer 200 meters and less. I think my happy place is before a race, when I’m at the start line and I just feel so calm inside my head and with my thoughts.

I’m a hard worker and very self-determined. I don’t want to associate with people who don’t do well in school or don’t have goals. I don’t necessarily have a single role model; I admire people who are honest and trustworthy.

I especially admire Allison Felix, who runs track and has medaled in three Olympics. She’s already got a college degree and has her life set. She only started running in her freshman year of high school, like me. I want to go to the Olympics some day.

I was born in Philadelphia but I think about moving other places. I don’t necessarily like Philadelphia myself, and I think there are other places with better school systems. I think I’d like to live somewhere quiet. The farthest I’d probably go would be Cheltenham or Abington, it wouldn’t be anywhere far out of state or anything.

DAAMIR ROBINSON-JOHNSON MALE 16 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 29/100

I believe in equality and everyone doing their fair share, even in something as small as house chores. It’s really important to me. I believe in equality for everybody.

29/100

JULIAN GRANT III I’m Grounds Crew Chief for the Parks and Recreation Department. I don’t think enough people know about the horticultural center, where I work, in Fairmount Park. It’s the only greenhouse in Philadelphia.

I’m kind-hearted and I like helping. I can work alone, but I get along with others real easy. I’m big on civil rights and justice. I volunteer with Philabundance and with Cobbs Creek Neighbors, which fixes up the parks around that area. I also belong to a Cactus Society. I don’t want to associate with any groups that want to harm people, animals, or our country, or with any organizations that try to prevent people from receiving health care.

I feel happiest when I’m giving, maybe at a homeless shelter, or at work, giving directions, talking to the public coming in. I like making people feel comfortable, even in the way I present myself. I might be a big guy but I make visitors feel like they’re in a special place, and welcome. I know people appreciate it because they come back and tell me stories or share how their plant is doing.

I’d like to see the neighborhoods more attended to by our city government, not just led astray and pushed to the wayside. The budget crisis is making this more apparent now—there’s no money to supply the neighborhoods with what they need. But there are people in them who work hard and want to do good things.

30/100

JULIAN GRANT III MALE 49 DIVORCED AFRICAN AMERICAN MT. AIRY (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 30/100

JEREMY GRANT I’m fun, like, I’m cool. I make people laugh. I’m tall.

I like to play video games a lot, and football and basketball. And I like using electric type things—last year I made a glider all electric.

I go to Cappa Beach Elementary School and am in the drama club at church. I don’t like shoppers, high roller coasters, dark places, McDonald’s, or bullying. I wouldn’t want to be a delivery person or in the Eagles.

If my place caught fire, I would run out with the fire extinguisher.

I’m happy when I’m helping people who need help.

Maybe people need assistance lifting heavy things.

Maybe people who are down, I can make happy again. If they’re stuck in something, stuck in a game and can’t beat the level, I’d help them. I helped a little kid tie his shoes.

JEREMY GRANT MALE 10 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN MT. AIRY (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 31/100

My favorite spot in the city is Cobbs Creek, in the southwest, because it has trees, a picnic area, a hockey area, and a playground. The Flower Show is cool.

There are lots of artifacts that people haven’t even seen before, paintings, flowers, and people who made stuff and sculptures out of flowers.

31/100

DARLENE MONTS I graduated from high school but basically stopped learning after tenth grade. I’m a student again now, though—I love saying that—at the Community College of Philadelphia. Before going back to school I was a Crew Chief of airport window washers. I was also a Custodial Supervisor for the city for fourteen years. The work environment was horrible; the other supervisors were men with poor work ethics, and the city handled some matters very poorly.

I co-signed on residencies for two family members who both defaulted and didn’t tell me. I only found out after the court dates, and my bank accounts were frozen. I got depressed when I ran out of money; the doctor put me on pills for a while, but I didn’t like that. At some point I remembered the United Negro College Fund motto: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. I shed everything and chose this new life.

I met Michelle Myers at the College. She wanted nothing from me except for me to be the best person I could be, and that allowed me to heal. Now I want to encourage others because someone encouraged me.

My favorite spot in Philadelphia is my bedroom. It’s on the third floor, above the surrounding homes, and it has a door that leads to a small area where I can go out and watch the rain. It’s peaceful, private, and beautiful.

I’d like to ask 100 people from Philly: Can I see you smile?

32/100

DARLENE MONTS FEMALE 53 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 32/100

OVID AMORSON I’m a queer brown trans* activist artist child of God who likes learning about stuff and hanging out with little children. I’m a nanny for my niece, and I go to the Philly Dads Meet-Up even though I’m not a dad. I don’t like Mommy & Me groups because there’s not much queer parenting or male childcare in those circles.

I’m happiest when I’m creating something or making art with kids. I’m into the inner child and enjoy things we stereotype as “for kids,” like bubbles and running around. I also clap more than the average adult person.

A lot of adults want to have certain ideas of success and fit into certain boxes, but that doesn’t appeal to me.

I went to school for psychology and art. I’m currently working on a Leeway Foundation-funded project called My Body is My Own. It’s about normalizing consent, boundaries, and personal space and talking to children about owning their bodies. People usually talk to kids about “stranger danger” and not letting other people touch your private parts, but it’s actually not okay for others to touch you at all without you agreeing to it.

OVID AMORSON MALE 30 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN WEST PHILLY 33/100

I put a lot of energy towards activism. We can always use more visibility around some of the specific issues that trans* folk endure, including incarceration and trans* women of color being murdered around our city.

I hate the smell of cheesesteaks. The smell of the cooking onions is nauseating.

33/100

ALISHA DANTZLER I’m silly, indecisive, and open-minded. I like to talk about things and look at every side, not just engage with yes/no topics. The gray area that’s open to interpretation is the most interesting, so it frustrates me when people can’t have an intellectual conversation.

I was unhappy coming through the Philadelphia education system and felt like I should do something about it, even if that was just being in a classroom every day. I did City Year. Now I’m a behavioral health worker; I’ll be doing Special Education one-on-one.

I’m also a spoken word poet. I’m a member of On Point Ink, a collective of poets and rappers. A lot of times people struggle with being themselves, but when I’m performing, I know I’m fully myself.

I would join a demonstration on behalf of educational or mental health care systems within Philadelphia. I’ve seen firsthand how mental illness is often ignored and people are put back on the street rather than treated. My brother faced battles with schizophrenia and other diagnoses.

Our family tried to intervene and took him to a mental hospital; they gave him a drug that was noted in his chart as one he wasn’t supposed to have. It nearly killed him.

He committed suicide in 2010 without ever receiving help.

Three mental health hospitals have closed across Philly, mostly in the early 2000s, and there are only two left.

There are not enough facilities and there is not enough support. Taking the future from people matters.

34/100

ALISHA DANTZLER FEMALE 24 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 34/100

SHAWN JACKSON I’m Chief Technology Officer and brand manager for a cosmetics company as well as a freelance photographer.

I’m happiest when I’m out shooting photographs or in front of the computer, being creative.

I’m the oldest breakdancer ever. I did breaking when I was younger, too, and was in the hip-hop community and hip-hop graffiti scene growing up. I went to art school but the real stuff was happening outside. Now I do street portraiture and photography with a fine arts approach, which is not that common. I stay away from downtown and go in to regular neighborhoods, trying to shoot the real Philadelphia before it disappears. I try to keep the shows in the neighborhoods I shoot so that people can walk in and see their neighbors or themselves.

SHAWN JACKSON MALE 43 MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN, GERMAN EAST FALLS (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 35/100

I love seeing remnants of Philadelphia’s past and am against tearing down or otherwise destroying antiquated signs and old buildings. I recently freaked out when I saw Mural Arts scaffolding alongside the building of a local piano company that’s been there since 1862, but luckily they were just restoring the company’s sign. I don’t want to see another mural— they aren’t the only way to communicate art. They’re too high. Get down to where the people are!

I’m against student loan debt. It’s a vulture over our heads and holds everybody back. I’m in favor of marriage equality—why shouldn’t everyone get a taste of it?

35/100

ASAMI ADACHI I came to Philadelphia a year ago because I fell in love with a Philadelphian. I still feel like I don’t know Philly all that well, but I discover the city by riding my bicycle through it and by being taken by my husband to a new place every Sunday. I was recently turned on to Rita’s water ice; I like the black cherry misto. Germantown was the first place I saw in Philadelphia and the area is starting to feel like home. When I think of the sounds of Philly, I think of voices. People talk really loudly here, at least compared to Tokyo where no one yells on the street.

I had my own salon in Tokyo but now my occupation is raising my daughter, Ghazi. I sing to her in Japanese.

I’m shy, but a joker. I’m also creative, supportive, and very Japanese. I like summer better than winter. I’m not very religious. I could not be a vegetarian; I eat a lot of meat and have a friend who’s a butcher.

I would join a demonstration against closing schools because Ghazi needs them! We ran into Mayor Nutter last year and said, “Mike, what’s up with closing these schools?” He just shrugged. Our five-year plan has everything to do with Ghazi going into kindergarten.

Wherever we are financially or whatever is happening, it’s all about a school for her. We would consider leaving Philly or even going back to Japan.

36/100

ASAMI ADACHI FEMALE 41 MARRIED JAPANESE EAST FALLS (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 36/100

GHAZI JACKSON Shawn and Asami talk about Ghazi: Ghazi likes smooth jazz music but not salsa music, which has too much of a percolating quality to it.

She loves art and will stare at it, totally engaged. She is curious about things. She’s very social; she likes being around a lot of people and hanging out. She actually has a lot of friends because she’s been to six art openings already. Ghazi is very cultured; she’s even been invited to be a guest DJ for DJ Ghost Punch.

She likes being out and about. She’s happy when you put her in her car seat because she knows it’s a trip, so she stays calm and gets in her mellow vibe.

She is friends with Shug, a one-year-old cat who lives in our house.

Ghazi likes breast milk, especially hummus flavor.

She has a great smile. She likes Pandora and her phone. She likes chilling in her swing and chewing on her hands. She does not like the word “lime.” When Shawn says “lime,” she goes ballistic.

GHAZI JACKSON FEMALE 5 MONTHS LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN, ASIAN EAST FALLS (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 37/100

37/100

JAMES “JIMMY” LEMMA, JR. I’m a roller figure skating coach. I’ve been to world championships and trained medalists. I can express myself through skating, and I like helping children develop life skills through their training.

I got my dog Lulu in a challenging time when I felt like I was at loose ends. Through walking her and going to the dog park I realized I could meet many new people.

I’m actually more outgoing now; I’ll say hello to more people, which catches them off guard. I explore a lot more. I feel really different about myself as an adult since having this dog.

In 2001, everyone in my building lost everything to a fire. It simplified my life. Now the things that are extremely important to me are all together in a leather tote bag, ready to go. Each time you start again, it makes you stronger.

I’m truly enjoying getting older, and if I had to live my life over, I don’t think I’d change anything. Everything was for a specific reason and has gotten me to this point—the people, the jobs, being in the service, being in Vietnam, the fire, my dogs. I know I have things to change about my life, but I’ll keep working to get to the bottom of myself and find what I want to accomplish.

38/100

JAMES “JIMMY” LEMMA, JR. MALE 67 NOT MARRIED WHITE SOUTH PHILLY 38/100

MICHAEL “MIKE” OSTROWSKI I go to Catholic School and am one of the few inner city kids who play lacrosse. I’m a mid-fielder, so I do all the running. I also volunteer at SpArc Services, a place for people with developmental disabilities. If I ever have a kid I’m not sending them to public school unless it gets fixed. I’m not sending them to Catholic school because I’m not paying for it.

I’m ADHD, so my brain is one idea to the next to the next. My friends all love that because some of the stuff I say makes sense but it makes zero sense at the same time. I say stupid stuff that makes them laugh.

I basically live in my basement playing video games on my PS4. It’s my happy place, and it’s the easiest way to talk to my friends. I put everything else aside to play, which means sometimes my parents flip out on me because I’ve forgotten to do something.

MICHAEL “MIKE” OSTROWSKI MALE 16 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE PINE VALLEY (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 39/100

I’m one of those people who just don’t care—anything could happen, I’m unaffected. A friend told me that for a sixteen-year-old kid I have really good zen. I get frustrated, but not stressed. I’m not that interested in politics, and I stay away from demonstrations. I have better things to do.

I’ve been all over Philadelphia; there’s really nothing new for me to do here. I want to leave. At the same time I don’t, because it’s familiar. But I think I want to move to California.

39/100

AYASHE JAMISON I’m a native Philadelphian. I have had a bunch of very different jobs but am currently studying at Moore College of Art, majoring in interior design. I love doing art in bed. I’m small, so I’ll sleep in one spot while surrounded by projects and tools like a drafting board and X-ACTO knives.

I’m proud of having done City Year, where I worked with an eighth-grade class. I had problems in eighth grade too, but when you’re just a student you can’t do anything about it. So this was my chance to change situations and give back. My City Year team called me Sour Patch Kid for looking so mean at first glance then being a nice ball of annoying fun once you get to know me; I play right into that “Philly Mean Mug” stereotype that’s actually true.

I am a lesbian and an advocate for the queer community, especially the trans* population. I’m very detail-oriented. I’m very get-things-done, if not with plan A, with plan B, and if still not, we have more letters to go. I take the subway a lot, so I know exactly what the Broad Street Line sounds like. I can tell which direction it’s coming from and if I need to run to catch it.

AYASHE JAMISON FEMALE 23 NOT MARRIED JAMAICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN SOUTH PHILLY 40/100

40/100

ELICIA GONZALES I’m quirky, perky, queer, sex-positive, and feminist.

With quick fingers on my mouse and a quick tongue in my mouth, I’m a fighter of all of the –isms in the world. I’m the Director of the Queer Latino Social Justice Organization. I work to educate people about sexuality and to help people feel better about the female body. There’s not much division between my personal and professional lives—what I do is what I am and what I love.

I came to Philadelphia from New York for school and intended to move back, but Philly became home. I feel like I’m part of a unique community and wouldn’t have the same chances to do my work in another city.

In Philly I see people coming together to celebrate all things big and small. I see music, edginess, anger and hurt, hope, and complexity.

I feel most like myself when I’m really laughing; when I’m zoned out on the dance floor, letting loose and not caring what I look like; when I’m with my family; when I get up in front of people to talk about sex; and when I wake up in the morning and look at my partner’s face.

Being happy is my default setting.

ELICIA GONZALES FEMALE 39 COHABITATING WITH PARTNER LATINA KENSINGTON 41/100

41/100

TAMERA HOUSE Every day I wake up at 1:30am, go downstairs to the kitchen, and meditate to an hour and fifteen minutes of chants. I get in my happy place and go to work ready! People look at me like, “What kind of drugs you on?” I’m high on life, baby. Love it, embrace it.

I’m a Field Operations Assistant for FedEx. I have four scanners, two printers, a radio, and my badge all on my belt. Even wearing all that, when I think of the last song I heard in the car on the way there I just get in my groove, rocking out and doing my work.

One of my most precious objects is a blue rock that I found in Barbados when I was seven and has been with me ever since, no matter where I’ve gone. It looks like coal on the back and blue glass on the front. I like crystals and this one is the focal point of my collection.

Philadelphia’s supposed to be the City of Brotherly Love, but there’s so much negativity, so much forced oppression, there’s no get up and go. There are so many resources out there. Just take a moment to be still and be open to receive. Some people are very closedminded, they enjoy their little comfort zone of being oppressed or living in squalor.

I don’t want to mix with racists, atheists, unhappy people, people who get sloshed and can’t handle themselves, moochers, or pains in the buttocks.

42/100

TAMERA HOUSE FEMALE 52 COHABITATING WITH PARTNER NATIVE AMERICAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN SOUTH PHILLY 42/100

HEATHER ROBB I’m a fifth-generation Los Angeles girl, but my husband is from Philadelphia and I’ve been here for three years.

So far I love it. There’s more diversity here than where I was living and it’s more affordable.

It upsets me when politicians use their religious beliefs to restrict people’s rights; religion has too much influence within the U.S. government. I’m pro-choice, in favor of gay rights, and an advocate for clean energy.

I’m very adventurous. I like to rock climb and hike. I love going on vacation near a body of water.

Swimming is my happy place, especially in the ocean, and I love snorkeling.

HEATHER ROBB FEMALE 38 MARRIED WHITE SOUTH PHILLY 43/100

Traveling is very important to me and has made me resourceful. I love meeting people from all over, exploring the less touristy areas, and letting that help me grow as a person. I’ve been to about 24 different countries so far, and I make a point of learning at least some basic words of social politeness wherever I go so I can be respectful. I taught English for a year in South Korea and Costa Rica. In India, I rented a motorcycle and drove up a random dirt road to a village where I was greeted by excited school children and given a tour of the village by the director of their school. In Vietnam, my friend and I swam from the beach to a fishing boat; we laughed, ate grilled fish, and did shots of some mysterious alcohol with the fishermen.

They’re great memories.

43/100

LINDA PRICE I’m the Director of the Cultural Arts Center at SpArc Services, a center that provides therapeutic recreation activities and a nurturing community to people with developmental disabilities. I knew I needed to work there the first time I walked in. I don’t get a lot of time for my own art but I try to dance, draw, or write for five minutes each day.

I’m a happily divorced single mom who gets really enthusiastic about a lot of things in life. If I had a superhero power I’d want to be able to be a functional human being on no sleep. I’m anxious all the time about the dumbest stuff. I talk with my hands, share too much, and am usually very bad at accepting help.

I prioritize doing things for others over nurturing myself, because I feel guilty otherwise.

Food is worth spending money on because it literally enables you to function. I’m from an Italian family and I keep emergency prosciutto and pancetta in the house because you never know when you’ll have company. I love cured pork products!

The salary system in this country is screwed up and doesn’t reflect the cost of living. Childcare is like a third of your salary. Like a mortgage payment. It’s important that people get paid fairly! I barely get by with a kid on the salary of a director; I don’t know how members of the support staff with kids do it.

44/100

LINDA PRICE FEMALE 33 DIVORCED WHITE FISHTOWN (KENSINGTON) 44/100

ANDY GREENHOW My official title is Minister of Stewardship, Congregational Partnership, and Belonging at Broad Street Ministry. I try to use my job to bring together totally unlikely company and highlight the diversity of Philadelphia. If I didn’t work there I’d still be marching for homelessness, hunger, and anti-war movements, but this is a more rooted way to do something meaningful. I want to stand up on moral causes that really matter, not live and die by what my wife calls “junior varsity moral causes,” like recycling.

I sometimes try to be a little off-putting in a first encounter because I want people to get to know me beneath the surface and not take first impressions seriously. I may seem like a jerk now but you might not find me to be a jerk later, or you might still, I don’t know. But at the end of the day I want people to know that sure, I’ve messed up a lot, but I’m really trying. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to be a good spouse. About how to avoid being a gentrifier. I know I’m part of the group that’s been given every privilege: I’m Christian, male, white, straight, middle income, and American-born. I think about that a lot, especially in this city and at my job.

ANDY GREENHOW MALE 29 MARRIED WHITE LOWER PORT RICHMOND (KENSINGTON) 45/100

My favorite spot in Philly is the plaque under the north side of City Hall, which holds William Penn’s prayer for Philadelphia from 1684.

45/100

BREE HOLLAND My mom and my family are from Chester. I was born in Crozer-Chester Hospital, we moved to West Philly when I was three months old, and now my family is here. I wouldn’t necessarily stay in Philly forever but there’s no money to go anywhere right now.

I’m a mom. I just lost my job at Chipotle, but I never really give up and am trying to do anything for my kids by any means. I’m very smart and can do math really quickly. I’m blunt, outgoing, and funny. For someone this small, I really like to eat, and I’ll always go to different restaurants and bars so I can try something new. I’m pretty adventurous, too, I just can’t always actually go on adventures. People without kids get to do more.

If something happened to my kids I’d protest against it, but in general I’m not really into protests or demonstrations. I don’t really care about people being gay or whatever, so I don’t see the need to protest about that.

I’m most relaxed and at peace when I’m asleep. I love my kids, but there’s a lot to do and deal with when I’m awake. I don’t really have a personal hero because nothing significant has happened to me, but I admire the single parents who are still doing it no matter how many kids they have and even if they don’t have a job or their partner is a bum.

46/100

BREE HOLLAND FEMALE 23 COHABITATING WITH PARTNER AFRICAN AMERICAN FRANKFORD (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 46/100

RASEAN GLADDEN I’m non-judgmental and an overachiever. I think through my next steps before I take them. I like to learn new stuff from other people and hate that some people are so closed off and worried about what others will do to them.

I went to school for the performing arts and have tried a little bit of everything in that area. I got a job at eighteen working with cars and have been into it since; I like that you get to see the effect of your work. I’m an automotive detailer now, and I’m good at it. It kills me to work as much as I do because I want to spend more time with my kids, but at the same time they push me to do more. I make sure I’m in their lives every day, though. I’m really proud of them. I’m happiest when I get to sit down and enjoy their company.

RASEAN GLADDEN MALE 27 COHABITATING WITH PARTNER AFRICAN AMERICAN FRANKFORD (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 47/100

My current neighborhood is quiet and less crazy than West Philly and my kids can go to better schools here.

But I think we all need to be more aware of our city, start small, and take care of where we live. We should be able to play football in the street without worrying about someone coming around the corner shooting or go downtown without worrying about being robbed.

I’ve tried living all over Pennsylvania, and Philly isn’t one of best cities like it used to be.

47/100

A’KAI GLADDEN Bree talks about A’Kai and his twin brother, A’Kier: A’Kai likes bananas. He is mean, selfish, and shy. He gets an attitude if things aren’t going his way and can be a bully, but he’s also a leader. He has started everything first, with A’Kier following.

Their first word was “dad.” They love the park and they like playing with their toys and their cousins.

A’KAI GLADDEN MALE 2 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 48/100

48/100

A’KIER GLADDEN Bree talks about A’Kai and his twin brother, A’Kier: A’Kier eats everything but especially loves watermelons right now. He is a sweetheart who just wants to love and play. Sometimes he’s very sneaky and determined. He’ll just look at you and keep doing something even when you say no.

Both boys are all over the place, playing and climbing and getting into mischief. They’re in their terrible twos, but they love each other a lot.

A’KIER GLADDEN MALE 2 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 49/100

49/100

CHARNELLE BROWN I am a certified nursing assistant for the elderly. I also worked as a biller and coder in a dental office, but new owners there laid me off, so I’ve stayed at the nursing home. I did both because I didn’t want to lose my nursing license.

I’m funny and collected. I get offended quickly, but overall I’m nice. I just expect people to treat me the way I treat them.

My neighbors are lovely, but as a mom I think children are to be monitored at all times, point blank, period.

I don’t think it’s safe outside, and I’m worried about what they might get into. There are so many predators.

I’m monitoring my kids’ every step until they’re eighteen, then they can do their own thing. I’m going to protect my kids. It’s my job.

I don’t discuss any of my childhood stories with my kids. If it’s not something that’s going to help them now, what need is there for them to know?

CHARNELLE BROWN FEMALE 33 MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN OLNEY (NORTH PHILLY) 50/100

50/100

BRENT BROWN I was asked to choose an object to take on stage with me and I choose this camping chair. I don’t like to stand.

I love computers. My favorite toy is my ball, and I love catching stuff. I like getting on people’s nerves, too, I’m really good at that. I’m in golf and I used to be in baseball and football. I had an Eagles shirt: #25 McCoy. Basketball is my favorite now. I can also dance. Not when I was four, that was a disaster. But my brother taught me, and I copied him, so I’m better now.

My favorite foods are sweet corn and baked beans and chicken.

If my place caught fire I’d do one thing, call the firefighters. Or, get our shovel and dig us out, or get my bat and bust us out.

Spelling is my specialty. I can spell oven porkchop!

I’m scared of the dark and scared that when I’m asleep I’ll probably wake up and see shrimp all around me. I don’t like shrimp!

BRENT BROWN MALE 7 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 51/100

51/100

IBBLEM “IBBY” SHEARS I’m in fourth grade and I’m good at math. I like riding my bike with my brother and sister, and I play football on a team called the Aztecs. I also do track and would like to be in a club where you could flip, like a dance club. Dancing is awesome. I do dances for my mom, and my sister and I make up dances all the time.

I spend a lot of time with my family. We’ll go out to eat, which is great because I really like food. I don’t speedeat or over-eat, though. Sometimes my stepdad takes me out for ice cream.

I stay in Philadelphia because they got all these fun places you can go: Dave and Busters, Chuck E. Cheese’s. I really like the Funplex, this place where you can do all this stuff like play in a water park, go bowling, and do laser tag.

I look up to my dad. He always buys me stuff and I love him. He tows cars.

IBBLEM “IBBY” SHEARS MALE 9 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 52/100

52/100

SHAKEENAH “KEENA” HOOKER I can run fast and dance and I am smart and flexible.

I can do backflips. I am happiest when I’m dancing because I can express my feelings that way. I learned to dance from watching YouTube. I won a trophy for hiphop and I like to make up dances to do with my brother.

If my place caught fire, I would run out with my dog and that trophy. Mom stepped on the trophy and broke it, but they fixed it.

I like eating grits and I’m good at multiple-choice questions. I do track, basketball, swimming, and obstacle courses. I don’t like math, science, car racing, debate, drama, or music. I always complain.

I would join a demonstration again killing cheetahs just for they skin, because I love cheetahs.

I like that there are no tornados or hurricanes in Philadelphia. My favorite place in the city is the YMCA. There’s a pool, a gym, all that, and it’s indoors. I want to go to SkyZone where there’s an indoor trampoline.

SHAKEENAH “KEENA” HOOKER FEMALE 12 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 53/100

It’s quiet around my house—you hear the birds flying—but on trash day it stinks.

53/100

ELIJAH RAMADAN I have a stick, to fight other sticks. My favorite toy is a Thomas train because it goes on the tracks. I also have Spiderman and motorcycle toys. The sound of Philadelphia is a motorcycle. Vrrmmm, vrrrmmm!

The smell of Philadelphia is my butt. A stinky smell.

The bus.

I like riding my bike with a helmet. It’s red for Spiderman. Camille is my best friend. We play basketball and football. I like watching Pokémon with my mom and giving hugs to my Grandpa Akeem.

Sidrah talks about Elijah: To me, his personality is very vibrant, very out there.

When we’re just walking down the street, he tries to get high fives and asks people, “How are you doing?” or, “What’s your name?” He’s very into sharing. When I come to pick him up from preschool with a handful of lollipops from work, he’ll make sure everyone gets one.

He will even pass random kids on the train and offer them his own toys—he’ll just give them away. He’s very innocent, and though I know this will probably wear off as he gets older, I hope that his genuine quality of being nice won’t leave him.

ELIJAH RAMADAN MALE 4 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN SOUTHWEST PHILLY 54/100

54/100

DAVID SCHOLNICK I like food and I especially appreciate food that is very good and not that expensive, which Philly has a lot of.

Sandwiches are one of the things that keep bringing me back here; I’ve considered starting a sandwich blog.

Two spatulas making a cheesesteak on the grill is an essential sound of Philly.

I do political advocacy and outreach for a gun violence prevention organization. I’m a member of Sixers Nation; Philly for Change, a progressive political group; the Pen and Pencil Club, the country’s oldest press club; and a Quizzo team. I don’t want to be associated with religious hate groups or any group that’s interested in tearing apart public schools.

DAVID SCHOLNICK MALE 39 MARRIED WHITE POINT BREEZE (SOUTH PHILLY) 55/100

My current block is the most ethnically diverse one I’ve ever lived on, and I’ve lived in a lot of places.

When my wife and I first moved in, we were out on our second-floor roof when a guy came out of a neighboring house in his boxers, smoking a cigarette.

He was surprised to see us and apologized for the boxers. Then he offered us food. He’s Vietnamese, his wife is Indonesian. He put food in a Styrofoam bowl to hand to us but there’s an alley between the houses so we couldn’t quite reach. He disappeared into his house and returned with a 1x4 board that he used to bridge the gap. We didn’t want to ask for utensils, so we just ate with our hands. It was chicken.

55/100

LOUISE LÉON GREGORY I’m a student, but I also make collages and books. I have a different imagination than other people. I love creepy pasta and making creepy pasta outfits and collages. Wild and artistic, that’s a great combo. I am a comedian and sometimes I go a little overboard with the jokes, because I can. I like playing Minecraft, Call of Duty, and The Sims. Mom is not happy when she finds out her elevenyear-old child is playing Call of Duty.

I’m part of WATT PAD, a writing group on the internet.

I’m also in collage schools on Pic Collage, an online art forum where people make their own school groups.

When I first came to the Philly school I go to now, my now-best-friend Anya was handing out papers and asked me, “Are you a unicorn?” We started the Rebel Unicorn Club. Other people say, “You think you’re such rebels because you don’t care about the world,” but actually I do.

My favorite spot in the city is the cafeteria at my school. I love food. They serve turkey, that’s good.

Turkey with gravy. I also love the abandoned lot on my street that gathers the most snow in winter.

When everybody is complaining they can’t build snowmen, we can build an igloo.

I hear garbage trucks every morning when I wake up. I thought they were only supposed to come by on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

56/100

LOUISE LÉON GREGORY FEMALE 11 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE SOUTH PHILLY 56/100

SPIKE MAXIMILLIAN GREGORY I love fire, love Pokémon, love Yu-Gi-Oh!, and am an Aries. If I was an action figure I’d breathe fire and destroy everything. If my place caught fire I wouldn’t grab anything, I would stay there because I love fire. I used to think I was born from lava.

I am a reader and am not a bully. I like hammers. They destroy everything. I can roar. I do it every day.

I would join a demonstration for homelessness. Here’s a joke: Some people think homelessness is a small problem. It is, because kids get homeless a lot.

My favorite place is Centre Parcs, a place in England where my family went every year for my birthday. It has a gigantic swimming pool, loads of activities, an arcade, gamestar, a free food gift basket in your room, and a restaurant. It’s in Sherwood Forest and we would rent a bungalow to stay there.

SPIKE MAXIMILLIAN GREGORY MALE 9 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE SOUTH PHILLY 57/100

I’m only in Philadelphia because my mom makes me.

I’d rather be in England. But I really like the Academy of Natural Sciences here because it has a bunch of awesome science stuff and my favorite subjects are science and math. At the Please Touch Museum I especially like the rocket ship area because you build a mini rocket ship and then you put it on a thing, press a button, and try to make it fly really far.

57/100

SEQUOYAH HUNTER-CUYJET I love Philly at night. I’ll take my dog on wild walks at the most obscure hours to see the city. My favorite spot is at the baseball field on 5th between Masters and Jefferson.

At 3am there are no lights, so you can lie on the grass and look at the stars.

I came to this city for graduate school—I’m a full-time student at Moore College of Art and Design. I thought it was important to be an example for other women and people of color by going back for another degree.

I’m always thinking of the big picture in my work, always questioning its value and purposefulness, always questioning how people interact in the man-made, built environment. I try to keep myself grounded in the reality of how much inequality and discrimination exist in the world. It’s challenging to constantly think with rose-colored glasses off, but you have to do so in order to navigate your choices.

I have demonstrated against war and on behalf of people’s right to be who they are. It’s hard, though, because some people are racist and bigoted, and you have to allow them to be that, so long as they aren’t harming others. We need balance, not a homogenous society.

If my place caught on fire, I’d definitely grab traditional regalia and objects from my Shinnecock Indian Nation ancestry. And at least two sequin dresses. I have a vintage sequin dress obsession.

I’m totally non-verbal, and kind of a weirdo.

58/100

SEQUOYAH HUNTER-CUYJET FEMALE 31 NOT MARRIED NATIVE AMERICAN KENSINGTON 58/100

LEO GODFREY CERRAI I’m very playful. Let’s play freeze-tag! I like biking, playing soccer, and reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I also really like playing with my new Lego set. I built it in half an hour and it’s called Invasion from Below, Lego Hero Factory. I bought it with my own money I earned from cleaning the cat litter. I also earned a $10 bill from choir. I’m going to go to choir camp this summer.

I am very happy at home because whenever I enter this house it feels so cool, and I’m always really sweaty before I come in. I like helping my parents with the cooking. If my house caught fire I would run out with my Lego Hero. Hmm, not the treehouse, it’s huge. Maybe the TV, or my football helmet from a Halloween costume.

I’m always hopping and jumping. I can’t stop doing it.

I don’t notice that I’m doing it and I’m like, wait, stop, but it keeps on going. I also do a lot of handstands. I taught myself. When I first tried it was pretty fun, so I kept on doing it and got really good. I learned how to a ride a horse when we were on vacation in Colorado.

LEO GODFREY CERRAI MALE 8 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE FAIRMOUNT 59/100

I don’t want to be in a band or the Girl Scouts— eeww—and I don’t want to be a nerd.

Philadelphia smells like things that smell good, like fresh air and food. Sometimes hot dogs and popcorn.

59/100

DAUREENA “REENA” WILLIAMS I’m not a human, I’m an artist. Saying that usually makes it easier for other people to understand where I’m coming from. I’m weird and eccentric. A lot of my associates refer to me as the phoenix: a burst of energy, something lively.

Maybe I’m a mix of a phoenix and Rainbow Dash Barbie.

I’m a freelance photographer, graphic designer, and writer.

I love doing sick edits, where I make my photographs look like an art painting. Others use the technique, but I think I do it better than anyone else. I’m also working on clothing and furniture lines. My stepdad was a steamster and showed me how to sew and upholster.

I’m also a mom with a life. I help at a nonprofit for children. I like to have fun and do all kinds of dancing, including salsa. I love karaoke, but haven’t been since my bridal shower. I love doing anything when I’m going out with the girls, even though I have a lot of social anxiety.

I’m arachnophobic and terrified of trains, even though I’ve grown to be comfortable riding them all the time for work. I don’t wear high heels or matching socks every day and I’m not a feminist. I’m happiest in my bathtub and I love Race Street Pier because people, even little kids, understand and respect that it’s a quiet place.

I would join a demonstration against domestic violence.

It’s relevant to my life and I feel strongly about it.

60/100

DAUREENA “REENA” WILLIAMS FEMALE 31 DIVORCED AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 60/100

AIDEN WILLIAMS I love to perform, dance, be on stage, and sing. I was in a show and sang a Power Rangers song. I also like pretending to be a samurai. I have a sword.

I have fun when I to go to the fountain to go swimming or go to the farm to see all the animals. At the playground I go really high on the swings. I go all the way high and all the way back down and all the way high. Sometimes I jump off to the ground. I also ride my scooter and play basketball, baseball, soccer, and football. Football is my favorite. One time I went on a boat to go fishing with my dad. I caught three fish.

My favorite foods are sausage and chicken nuggets.

If my place caught on fire I would grab a mitten to put out the fire. I’d also put on my coat before I ran outside.

I run around and fall down to be silly. If I meet new people I could ask them, “Can I be your friend?” and they’d say yes.

AIDEN WILLIAMS MALE 6 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 61/100

61/100

BELLA MARIE WILLIAMS I love my family forever but I might have to leave them because I’m a mermaid. If you let me get my feet wet in the fountain, you have to keep an eye on me or I’ll hop right in to go swimming.

Painting makes me happy and I paint with my mom.

I paint dragons and giraffes. I also like singing and flowers, especially white flowers. Mommy has a big garden. With my dad I pull weeds.

I have a pink bike. I ride in the street from tree to tree with my friends. My favorite food is sausage. We all cook with Mommy.

I’m scared of fish because they might bite me, but I want to pat their tails.

BELLA MARIE WILLIAMS FEMALE 4 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 62/100

62/100

FRANCESCO CERRAI I am passionate about biking. Going to work via bike is the most fun thing to do in the city. I feel most like myself when I’m biking in the woods. I love the sense of peace and making space, especially when I’m biking by myself.

It’s a sacred place.

I’m not much of a joiner, but I’ll meet up with people who really care about the same things I do. I’m a member of the Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association and I like to lead the summer entertainment on my street, where we hold cookouts and block the road for kids to play. You wouldn’t see me joining a book club—I fall asleep when I read.

I like to square things off at right angles. Why do people leave things around? It’s up to me to keep things in order because otherwise there’s no hope with my family. I can make bread with my eyes closed; focaccia is my specialty.

FRANCESCO CERRAI MALE 52 MARRIED WHITE, ITALIAN FAIRMOUNT 63/100

In Italy I studied agricultural science. I came to the Philadelphia area initially for a fellowship in agronomy, then decided to study landscape architecture. Now I’m a landscape architect for the city. My favorite place in Philly is Rittenhouse Square; we go there and play bocce or just look at people walking by. I go at lunch, even for five minutes.

My son Leo is my personal hero. He teaches me every day and reminds me how fun it is to be a kid. Everybody should have fun.

63/100

MARTIN CASTRO My story: I was born in Chile, la la la la la, then I moved to Philly. Mostly because my mom moved here, so I didn’t really have an option. But I like it. There’s a lot of diversity, not just race, but religion, too. It’s a city of brotherly love, everyone is united, even though sometimes people don’t get along.

My mom and my dad are my heroes because they’re always looking out for me, making sure I don’t mess up, making sure I do good in school. Even though my mom sometimes annoys me, I annoy her back. But we fight about little stuff that’s not that important. And my dad, he’s just a really good guy, he always wants to make sure I’m doing good in life in general. He lives in Chile.

I’m a SEPTA rider. I take the 64 bus the most, sometimes the 57. I’m Catholic, but don’t go every week. I’m a basketball player with the Palumbo Rec Center team. We’ve been undefeated twice.

I would join a demonstration for putting money into public schools. Not a lot of people can afford private school, a lot of people do go to public school like me and it’s important that everyone have a good education so they can do something with their life. I know I want to go to college but I don’t know what I want to study yet.

If I were an action figure my box would say, “Respect the Moustache”.

64/100

MARTIN CASTRO MALE 15 LIVING WITH FAMILY HISPANIC, CHILEAN SOUTH PHILLY 64/100

JOE PAULL I do storage and moving work part-time. I also do large-scale transportation and event coordination, like organizing cars and drivers for NFL players to get around.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia and never took the chance to get out. My father was my friend and my hero as well as my dad, but he died during my first semester in college and I came home and swirled down for a long time. I’m back up, but now Philly feels like a representation of the things I always wanted to have happen but never did. The city has just stayed the same over the last 30 years—tough and complacent—and I can’t stand up for it anymore. But I’ll still do anything for anyone, whether or not they’d do it for me.

JOE PAULL MALE 30 NOT MARRIED WHITE LAWNDALE (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 65/100

When I was young, basketball courts were my happy place. Now I go to the Magic Gardens when I need all the weight to be lifted off my shoulders. When I’m there, everything else can wait. Music and art are so important. I spent eight years traveling to lose myself in music. I make furniture from salvaged goods, like turning an old shuffleboard into a table. There’s no need to waste. We can still make beautiful, beautiful things.

65/100

ANTHONY “TONY” WILLIAMS I like chicken nuggets and the roller coaster at Sesame Place. I’m a good runner. I love Thomas the Tank Engine and riding real trains or seeing big diesel trains.

I like things that are shiny. I am great with technical things and taught my mom how to use her phone.

I don’t really like anything that’s crunchy, so I’ll eat fresh broccoli but not frozen. I mean, I’ll eat it hot, but if I know it’s been frozen I’ll roll my eyes at my mom.

I don’t like people to crowd my space or touch me, usually. Loud noises scare me.

ANTHONY “TONY” WILLIAMS MALE 8 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 66/100

66/100

JENNIFER CRUZ I’m a nurse practitioner and a single mother of three boys who is passionate about healthcare and football. I’m dependable, proud, and positive. I create my own paths.

Some people approach an issue by making it into a big deal, but I just address it and that’s the end of it.

I drive too damn far to work, but I’m also happy and doing what I like to do there. I feel most like myself when I’m with my sisters. We don’t necessarily agree but we can say anything without getting too mad at each other.

I’m strongly in favor of starting independent practices for nurse practitioners. There are twenty states where nurse practitioners don’t need to have a partnership agreement with a physician, but Pennsylvania isn’t one of them.

People say patients will receive less care or it’ll put family physicians out of work, but this hasn’t happened in other states. There are way more patients than physicians who can care for them.

JENNIFER CRUZ FEMALE 32 SEPARATED WHITE BURHOME (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 67/100

Each neighborhood of Philly is such a different environment with different personalities. Some have a lot to offer, some don’t. I think Philadelphians across the city are frustrated with crime rates, young men killing other men, the prison system, healthcare, and our education system. In general I think Philadelphians are pretty resilient and hopeful, though, which is interesting because when there’s a lot of shitty things, why wouldn’t you just up and move? But Philadelphians see an issue and want to figure it out.

67/100

XAVIER ELI CRUZ I like riding my bike a lot. I also ride a scooter. It’s like a little motorcycle but a little easier, and I’m good at it. I also play basketball, football, baseball, and that’s all.

When I stay in, sometimes I make a car show or a racetrack, and when it gets really messy I clean it up and start over a new thing. I also play with my dogs.

We have two. At first we had just one, but then our first dog was chasing this other one, and that’s how we found Harley. He was in our backyard and was cold.

I think my favorite place, I never ever get to go to it but it’s for birthday parties, is Chuck E. Cheese’s. It’s funner than the Please Touch Museum. I know what else is fun: going to Dorney Park!

I’m not really silly that much. I’m sad when my brother is mean to me.

I like mac and cheese and cookie dough is my favorite kind of ice cream. I put Nutella all over stuff. That’s the only sandwich I eat, every day, nothing else.

It’s a little hard to say what my favorite color is, because I really like very dark orange and dark red. It used to be pink for a really long time.

68/100

XAVIER ELI CRUZ MALE 6 LIVING WITH FAMILY HISPANIC, WHITE BURHOME (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 68/100

NINA LIOU I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and was brought to Philly by my husband, who owns a business here.

I do consulting work on affordable housing, so I can live anywhere with a decent internet connection. I love living in the city and walking or riding my bike wherever I need to go. I’m deeply involved in my neighborhood because I believe in my community and in making Fairmount a great place to live.

I’m the mom of two children. There’s a lot of tension among parents about whether or not to move to the suburbs with your kids. If you move out there you’re basically dead to me. You can try to haul your ass in to the city, or I can try to get out there, but it’s hard to plan. The suburbs are a lifestyle choice. When I went shopping out there recently I couldn’t believe how mean and rude everyone was. Philly has a rap for mean people, but we’re not that mean.

NINA LIOU FEMALE 43 MARRIED CHINESE FAIRMOUNT 69/100

I’m an 80s music lover, which deeply embarrasses my husband. I run and bike a lot, and I love doing the Sunday New York Times Magazine crossword puzzle.

About five years ago I started making extra pies at Christmas and Thanksgiving and donating all the proceeds to my kids’ school. The first Thanksgiving I had twenty pies; this year I hit 53. I use my neighbors’ ovens and do it over four days. I make a mean pie crust from scratch.

69/100

ALYSSA NEGRON-SAMONTE I’m a musical theater geek, I volunteer to teach tennis to kids, and I’m crazy hard working.

Connecting with older people is easy for me. I have more trouble hanging out with people my age because they don’t have this part of them that can be mature sometimes. I’m such an old soul it’s ridiculous.

Both of my safe-havens are tied to family. One is my grandparents’ house, where I can speak my mind.

The other is the car. My mom and little sister and I are so comfortable there! We blast the radio with the windows down, sing at the top of our lungs, and serenade old ladies outside. Without my family I wouldn’t have been able to get through half the things I did.

People say there’s no way I grew up in the ghetto, but I did. Nobody goes to visit where I’m from, so not enough people know about how we live there, all the craziness. It’s not nice or safe. Nobody takes vacations there. Everyone’s ignoring it, and it’s not going to get better or change unless people visit and want to take a stand. Tourists might think Center City is all there is to Philadelphia, but there are so many different colors and faces. I have to say, though, that Center City is my favorite part of Philly. I’m very urban, so when I come downtown it’s like yes, this is where I need to be! When I’m home I just stay inside.

70/100

ALYSSA NEGRON-SAMONTE FEMALE 15 LIVING WITH FAMILY PUERTO RICAN, FILIPINO NORTHEAST PHILLY 70/100

OLIVIA C. NEGRON I was born in Philadelphia but my family’s so Puerto Rican—I grew up in it, we live it, I did cultural dance as a kid, we speak Spanish.

Yoga is the part of my life that keeps me sane and fixes my health issues. When I don’t go, something’s not balanced internally; it’s definitely a landmark for what I need to do on a daily basis to keep me who I am now.

There’s this ageless piece of me. I communicate with and relate to people who are any age. I can feel their vibes or voice; I just take a moment to be empathetic. I like to be open to everyone else’s situation and beliefs and respect them, even if I’m not going to be part of it.

That said, I especially don’t want to be part of orthodox religious groups, groups that support guns, or groups of upper crust mainline moms. I’m a city mom, and a hot one!

OLIVIA C. NEGRON FEMALE 39 COHABITATING WITH PARTNER PUERTO RICAN NORTHEAST PHILLY 71/100

I would join any demonstration that has to do with everyone having a fair chance at education. I’d stand up for people stepping in when children are being abused or molested. I’d also get involved on behalf of regulating our food, making it less processed, getting chemicals and hormones out that are changing our bodies.

Not enough people go to the hood and really see how other people live. Looking to adopt? Adopt kids from your own city—the hood is only fifteen or twenty minutes away.

71/100

TYRESE SASS-OUTLAW I’m a student, but last year I worked at a daycare.

I’ll wash dishes sometimes at my grandmother’s restaurant but I’d rather do deliveries. It’s called Grammy’s Kitchen, dedicated to Grammy who died two years ago.

I like to act like I can sing and dance, but I can’t actually. I sing as soon as I wake up and in the shower.

I used to be able to backflip. I broke my foot when I did it and started laughing because I don’t want to cry.

I just played a basketball championship; we beat the whole county. I’m really happy when I’m playing.

Before games I usually look at a picture of my uncle on my phone. They said I looked like him, that we were twins, and then he died in 2010. He was shot.

I want to at least try everything once, but I don’t want to get mixed with people who do drugs. I have a lot of friends I had to get away from before they influenced me. I don’t like going to parties because they’re trouble.

I don’t want to go to jail or be unsuccessful. I’d join a demonstration against gun violence—it’s just not smart.

I hear guns around here all the time. My grandma gets scared and tells me to turn off the TV because she doesn’t want them to shoot through the window.

I sleep all afternoon and stay up all night all the time, so I see the sunrise.

72/100

TYRESE SASS-OUTLAW MALE 15 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN NORTH PHILLY 72/100

MACKENZIE IRIZARRY Jasmine talks about Mackenzie: She loves doll babies, but really Mackenzie climbs around and plays with the other kids and doesn’t play with her toys that much. She loves to sing and dance and to get into everything. She will find something you’ve never found in months! She loves the pool and to go in the water even though she can’t swim.

She’s very independent, energetic, and smart. She can be mean, unfriendly, or bratty when she wants, but she’s also caring. She’ll come up to me and hug me and kiss me and say, “Oh, hi Mommy.” If Mackenzie’s happy, she’ll speak to any stranger or wave. Just recently she ran up to a stranger and hugged her. She’s a sweet little baby.

At my house she likes to eat chicken fingers, pancakes, and bacon, and at Dad’s house she likes rice and beans.

She learned what an apple looks like and what it is, so anything that’s round and red she calls an apple.

MACKENZIE IRIZARRY FEMALE 1 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC, PUERTO RICAN NORTH PHILLY 73/100

We have a lot of fun together. I have learning time with her and teach her Spanish. I’m not as fluent as her dad, but anytime I want to learn something, I ask him. We’ll learn fruits or body parts in English and Spanish. We watch TV together, just have fun, play fight, and run around. I make a lot of sounds with her; when I tell her I love her, she’ll make funny voices to say, “I love you, too.”

73/100

ANNA TEWFIK Professionally, I work on innovation and technology for PECO. Personally, I’m a mother of two children and I feel most like myself when I’m with my immediate family. I’m logical and analytical, but my life is very artsy and revolves about arts and movies. I’m also a runner and I absolutely love walking everywhere.

I moved in to Philadelphia four years ago from New Jersey and the suburbs, and I’m in love with the city. I love the history, restaurants, culture, and differences between people. My favorite spot is Washington Square; it’s quiet and has beautiful art deco architecture. I think it’s under-appreciated, so I feel bad for it.

I cannot dance, I cannot sing, but I can probably recite a short bit of poetry. My children and I were always amused by the poems of Shel Silverstein. I’m also a good cook.

I try to be compassionate about the reasons behind homelessness, but I don’t understand why our society enables it. I would join demonstrations against guns or against cruelty toward animals, the elderly, or children.

If a historic building or the art museum or a sculpture were going to be demolished, I would definitely be out there protesting it.

74/100

ANNA TEWFIK FEMALE 53 MARRIED WHITE, EASTERN EUROPEAN JEW LOGAN SQUARE (FAIRMOUNT) 74/100

EILEEN FISHER I’m a big fan of the arts and have a background in dance. In fact, it was writing about dance that led me to my current work in nonprofit communications, where I’m known as a strong writer and editor.

I’m very dedicated to my kids, who are twenty-one and eighteen now, and to education in Philadelphia. My kids came through public schools, and I’ve joined in various advocacy efforts for education funding.

I’m a Democrat and part of the adult community of the Jewish Children’s Folkshul, an educational alternative that centers on Jewish culture. I probably wouldn’t mix well with gun advocates, people who are strongly prolife, or people who blame poverty on the poor. And I’m a bit tired of people who say they value education but don’t respect those who choose it as a profession.

My husband spends every spare moment running.

But I love coming back from yoga class every Saturday morning, putting music on the radio, and dancing as I’m cleaning up the kitchen. I haven’t broken anything yet!

EILEEN FISHER FEMALE 55 MARRIED WHITE, JEWISH FAIRMOUNT 75/100

75/100

FRANK INNES I was a respiratory therapist, then a software engineer in healthcare. I’m retired now but don’t feel old enough for it. I live in Philly because I grew up in the suburbs and saw how much my father had to work to maintain the yard. When I got old enough to mow the lawn myself I decided I didn’t want to have to do that my whole adult life or be dependent on a car for all of my shopping.

My bicycle is one of my most precious objects. When my wife and I got engaged I gave her an emerald ring and she gave me my bike. We met through cycling. I volunteer at the Neighborhood Bike Works summer camp and go on their annual fundraising ride. I particularly like biking though Woodlands, Mount Moriah, and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries—there’s fascinating architecture, it’s quiet, and you can do loops to go as much distance as you want while staying close to home.

I try to be a realist, not a pessimist or Pollyanna. Nobody is 100% right about things, so I don’t appreciate people like Tea Party-ers and anti-intellectuals who reject others wholesale because of their own beliefs. I also don’t like people who self-identify as experts and have their whole ego tied up in that.

My personal hero is Robert Reich. He used to be Secretary of Labor and has been leading the fight for economic equality for people outside the wealthy sphere that controls politics.

76/100

FRANK INNES MALE 62 MARRIED WHITE UNIVERSITY CITY (WEST PHILLY) 76/100

MARY BREWSTER I’m a hopelessly incurable Philadelphian and I want to find out how I can make things better. I’m retired after working at the Environmental Protection Agency for 36 years mainly issuing big grants to states for water treatment projects. It really bothers me when people are down on Philadelphia and don’t see the good things here, or just want to make a quick buck off of the city.

I’ve been taking art classes. A blank canvas is the scariest thing ever. It’s a metaphor for my life after retirement, which started as an empty canvas. Where do you start, what color, how much, what shapes?

I do mindfulness or Zen meditation. I’m a Catholic but the more I learn about other Christian denominations the more I’m interested in what we have in common. I tried to be an Episcopalian, though, and I just can’t.

MARY BREWSTER FEMALE 63 MARRIED WHITE UNIVERSITY CITY (WEST PHILLY) 77/100

My main form of exercise is fast walking. I feel most like myself when I take a walk around the park or in some green place, or when I’m by the ocean. Not enough people know about the Heinz Center at 80th and Lindberg, a beautiful, quiet national wildlife refuge with trails. It used to be a dump and they got money to clean it up.

I’m really good at seeing how to fit furniture through doorways or other tight spaces. I’m left-handed but taught myself how to write with my right hand. I’d do it at boring meetings to keep myself entertained.

77/100

MAGGIE HOHENSTEIN I’ve always been much more of a school person than a summer person because I don’t like just sitting around. I enjoy having things to do and being places and thinking. I really like thinking. I’ll be working at an elementary school for part of this school year to try and find out if being an educator is really cool or really boring.

Rubik’s Cubes have become a big part of my life. The 3x3 especially calms me down; I can solve it in less than a minute. I’m really good at memorization and motion memorization. If my place caught fire I’d probably run out with the third Harry Potter book.

It’s my favorite one, my comfort book. I’ve read it a million times.

I’m a member of the Frankford Monthly Quaker Meeting, the Science Leadership Academy at school, and, less formally, the Hohenstein Clan. It’s massive—there are 32 people in my extended family.

I don’t do well with people who are controlling— everybody should just do what they want to do—or with people who try to talk about things like they’re really deep and meaningful. It’s frustrating when people try to put too much into everything. I’m not a big fan of making physical art like painting and drawing because I get bored, but I do circus school.

I’m not great at it, but I know how to do some stuff on trapeze and rope and fabric.

78/100

MAGGIE HOHENSTEIN FEMALE 17 LIVING WITH FAMILY WHITE FRANKFORD (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 78/100

GRETCHEN BROWN I’m a retired elementary school teacher. My husband and I were originally from Chicago but his ministry took us around the country. We moved to Philadelphia from South Jersey to be near Jefferson Hospital after he had a stroke.

I enjoy being around people and helping when I can. If there’s a need—even a small one—and I am able to fill it in any way, then it’s my responsibility to do so.

My granddaughter and I make clay miniatures and go to a miniatures convention every year. I love the opera and am a backup singer in my church choir. I have an annual lunch with retired teachers at the start of each school year to celebrate not working. I don’t like the Streets Commission of Philadelphia because of all the potholes and digging up of pipes. I’m really ticked off about it! I don’t want to be a part of the senior center yet; I’m not ready to make doilies.

GRETCHEN BROWN FEMALE 73 WIDOWED WHITE KENSINGTON 79/100

I have to confess I’m not always comfortable with the homeless or severely handicapped. I could handle helping them learn but not day-to-day care. I’m also uncomfortable with anything that involves violence, including riots and protest marches. Those things get me very upset. I’d carry a placard for teacher salary raises or better housing for the homeless and lower income people, but I wouldn’t join a demonstration supporting civil rights, Mexican children coming to the United States, or anything else that’s more likely to lead to violence.

79/100

PAUL G. BLOOD My grandparents had a tailor shop in Kensington and I was born a few blocks away from where I live now.

I dove out of the womb but my twin brother turned around, grabbed the cord, and tried to get back in. He came out fifteen minutes after I did because he played games. I’m still in Philadelphia because it was a lot easier than going somewhere else.

I learned banking from the ground up and grew to be a bank officer. In 2009 or 2010, a horse panicked and kicked down a fence that fell on me. I suffered a cerebral incident and was unconscious. They put me on a helicopter. I was in a coma at Pennsylvania Hospital for nine days. I still have to concentrate to walk a straight line. I’ve regained some functionality but haven’t been employable since then.

I’m a member of the Frankford Lodge and the Kensington Commandry Masonic organizations. I can’t personally identify with Afro-American organizations, but I recognize why they’ve existed. In the Civil War it made sense, in the 1800s it made sense, but now they only exist because they choose to.

Most people don’t know the detailed history of Philadelphia—how it expanded along different streets and how troops moved around the city during the Civil War. It’s really interesting.

80/100

PAUL G. BLOOD MALE 65 NOT MARRIED WHITE, ENGLISH, GERMAN KENSINGTON 80/100

LINDO JONES I’m a full-time artist and photographer. I perform spoken word and hip-hop throughout Philadelphia. To stay stable I do a lot of theater and poetry workshops with youth. For the last five years I’ve also been working with Congreso, a Hispanic community center in North Philly that serves as a health clinic, financial services provider, and even a school. It’s a major resource.

I’m chalk-o-phobic: I don’t like things that remind me of chalk and it’s hard for me to watch people writing with it. I just think about decaying bones. Sometimes I’ll start a conversation in my head and finish it out loud with someone, which can be confusing for them. Watching animation and eating warm cookies at 10pm makes me very happy.

I don’t enjoy very stern or close-minded people and would never get involved with hate groups. I believe police brutality is gang violence.

LINDO JONES MALE TIMELESS NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC MT. AIRY (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 81/100

I was born and raised here and I love every inch of this city.

I love that for the most part everybody is approachable and open to conversations about the betterment of people, and I love that there’s incredible artistic creativity across genres. People don’t know enough about the historical relevance of the music that comes out of here and our significant impact on the national and global scenes. We can have so much pride in that! We have some of the most popular skateboarding parks and there are murals and great old graffiti everywhere. Philly is a living gallery.

81/100

ZAHFIR SLAUGHTER If my place caught fire I would run out with my family.

Nothing else. For real for real, we have nothing. I guess my birth certificate and social security card—I don’t want to be an alien here.

I go to a school called Youth Built, for dropouts who want to take up a trade and get a high school diploma instead of a GED. Before I found this school I didn’t know how I’d do something productive with my life.

I’m going through some troubles. Sometimes I cry but I don’t want to because I’m a male and that’s a big ego thing.

I’m going to bring a dollar on stage. Money plays a major role in our black community. People deal drugs or become whores for money. Violence happens because we’re trying to get money, schools are closing down because of money. People are stuck here. It’s like a jail. If you ask people in the South Philly or North Philly projects how far they’ve been, they’re like here.

We might want to get out but we’re not emotionally and educationally built to do so.

We call this the City of Brotherly Love. You can hate your brother or love your brother, care for him or not care for him, he can bring out your best side or your worst side. I love my city but it’s a bully to the black community. There ain’t no love there, to be honest, and we tried.

82/100

ZAHFIR SLAUGHTER MALE 18 LIVING WITH FAMILY AFRICAN AMERICAN, HAITIAN, NATIVE AMERICAN UPTOWN (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 82/100

JOHN GREENE I worked for the Treasury Department, taught English as a second language, and coached tennis. Now technically I’d call myself a struggling writer. I’m working on a novel about my life with my alter ego as the protagonist.

Before last October I was homeless for about a year.

I didn’t have drug or alcohol problems, I just couldn’t afford rent. Broad Street Ministry lets you get your mail there when you don’t have a residence. Now I live in my own apartment, where I pay my own rent. There are a total of twelve apartments, all currently occupied.

It is not transitional housing. If you choose you may stay the rest of your life here, but I have a different plan. I will gain more stability here and then move on so that someone else can have the same opportunity to start over.

I meet friends at least once a week at McGlinchy’s Tavern. Those guys keep me balanced when I’m on the brink. I don’t want to spend time with over-zealous religious freaks, people who manipulate others just because they can, intolerant people, or anal-retentive or uptight people.

JOHN GREENE MALE 51 NOT MARRIED MULTI-CULTURED GERMANTOWN (NORTHWEST PHILLY) 83/100

I like Rittenhouse Square Park because old money, new money, and no money all come together and you never know who is who.

83/100

TYRICE GILMORE Philadelphia is where I was raised at. I was born here.

What keeps me here is just waiting for opportunity.

But I’m thinking about traveling—I like the idea.

I’m a writer, I write stories. Being creative is one of my strong points. I got into writing because I was incarcerated as a juvenile and there was nothing else to do. It was all educational stuff at the juvenile center.

That’s how I learned to play Scrabble, too. I’m a great Scrabble player. When I was older I did ten years upstate for robbery, starting in 1997.

I was going through a lot that people didn’t know about because I wasn’t talking or expressing myself. I was just doing basically what everybody else was doing, but I was an introvert who felt I had something to prove, so I did even more stuff that I really had no business doing.

I was actually angry and it wasn’t coming out in the right ways and I didn’t get help. I’m in the process now of turning my life around for the better.

I recently discovered LOVE Park at night. When the lights are out and the water comes up and the lights are on the buildings, it’s amazing. It’d be so romantic to propose to somebody there. I’m actually really romantic, a lot of people wouldn’t know that. I’m just starting to hang around good-spirited people now, so it’s starting to come out.

84/100

TYRICE GILMORE MALE 36 NOT MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN ORIGINALLY FROM KENSINGTON 84/100

JESS ORTIZ I’m a stay-at-home daughter looking for work. I’ve lived here my whole life but I don’t want to die five miles from where I was born. Eventually I want to help at-risk and gay youth. I will join anything that supports people who are disenfranchised.

I’m allergic to cats so I can’t be a crazy cat lady. I’m in the coffee and cigarettes breakfast club. I’m a serious fan girl, especially of Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Sherlock, and Supernatural. I built the Weasley’s Burrow from Harry Potter as a gingerbread house. That series was my gateway drug into hard reading and fandom.

My happy place is when it’s raining and I’m just reading a book in my room, a really really good book, not a re-read, the kind that you’re so into you don’t even hear your name being called, that leaves you slightly exhausted at the end.

JESS ORTIZ FEMALE 26 NOT MARRIED HISPANIC MAYFAIR (NORTHEAST PHILLY) 85/100

I could be friends with the devil if you give me enough time. In general, though, I don’t want to associate with people who don’t believe in evolution or people who picket abortion clinics. I don’t understand women who are against feminism. Really, you don’t see yourself as equal to society? I feel sorry for you.

In elementary school I could get a mid-morning snack of a soft pretzel for a quarter. I’d like to ask 100 people from Philly where they get their cheesesteaks. Because you don’t go to Pat’s or Geno’s, you go to a pizza shop, everyone knows that.

85/100

KATHY HERMAN I’m a corporate attorney, and although I’m currently unemployed, you can’t un-think that training. I will be a Democrat ‘til the day I die and I think it’s ludicrous that women still have to assert themselves against men and fight for equality in this day and age. I’m a learner, an adventurer, and a catalyst. I think that if you have passion for things you’re doing you can infuse that into your community or family or friends and create change by being positive.

On stage I’ll wear a charm bracelet. It has a compass charm my dad gave my mom because she had a terrible sense of direction. I wear it to remind myself that you can navigate through life without knowing where you’re going.

My happy place is still the camp I went to as a kid: Camp Tockwogh on the Chesapeake. I loved it for the people, the way relationships could grow in that environment, and all the time spent on play and doing fun things with no concerns.

I live on Broad Street and from my window can see the Broad Street Run, fireworks, medevacs overhead—a lot of life. I can walk from home to my favorite place in the city, the Barnes Museum. I just smile when I’m in there. It’s so peaceful and full of amazing art.

I despise it when somebody says, “The fact of the matter is….” It’s such a crap phrase, you never need it.

It doesn’t add anything!

86/100

KATHY HERMAN FEMALE 52 NOT MARRIED WHITE CALLOWHILL (CENTER CITY) 86/100

EMANUEL HAVENS My mother bought me my first guitar when I was seven or eight. I got frustrated and destroyed it, but she was kind, she bought another one. From that moment I started playing. I’d sit out and play with the guys next door, and it kept drawing bigger and bigger crowds. We were the only black guys playing rock music at that time.

I play twelve instruments now, but on stage with a guitar in my hand, I’m not even there, it’s almost transcendent.

I was totally a drug addict, but when you’re young and playing guitar, it’s there, what else can you do. I wasn’t working at the time, I’d been incarcerated, and I became homeless. These days my priority is volunteering and engaging with people through the creative arts at a drug rehabilitation program and Project HOME. I have no doubt there’s a higher power. I’m not going to defend it—it’s been there way longer than us and it’ll defend itself. Even though I belong to a church I don’t really support organized religion. Knowing a higher power is so important, but it’s hard to dictate the who, why, or how. A lot of people are so fanatical they miss the point.

EMANUEL HAVENS MALE 59 DIVORCED NATIVE AMERICAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN WEST PHILLY (SOUTHWEST PHILLY) 87/100

I’d say I didn’t want to associate with the KKK, but honestly, if I could wear a sheet all the time, I’d join them. Maybe if I infiltrated I could get some of them to change their mind, or just stop for a second and think. A lot stems from misinformation.

87/100

TONI NASH I hosted a TV talk show called Profiles, for which I did over two thousand shows and interviewed at least 1,500 people, from presidents to prostitutes. I love meeting and talking to people; each conversation is a chance to learn something new. People always said I made them comfortable during their interviews. I’m sure that’s mostly because I was always interested in them— nothing beats being interested.

I’m an avid reader and love every aspect of the arts. I’m currently producing and working on a documentary about a local artist. I’m a dumpster diver; I sculpt and make jewelry with found objects. I work mostly with wood, plexiglass, and metal. I have to move in the next six months, and I’ll have to deal with two rooms of storage stuff that include all these materials and all of my thousands of books. I feel flustered about this move, and I can get a little hyper in response to stress, so I practice trying to be still and quiet myself, dealing with tomorrow tomorrow.

My pet peeve is the miseducation and lack of articulation and literacy that is being foisted on school kids. It has such long ramifications for society. I try not to be conspiratorial, but I swear to God there’s a conspiracy going on to miseducate them. I get so upset it hurts my stomach. Without education there’s no decent life.

88/100

TONI NASH FEMALE OVER 75 SEPARATED AFRICAN AMERICAN WYNNEFIELD (WEST PHILLY) 88/100

JULIO NIEVES I work with people with intellectual disabilities and help families in the Latino community by explaining to them their rights for their kids with special needs. I’ve been doing it for 24 years. I know they’re not going to put up a statue of me and nobody’s going to remember, but this work is the most satisfying thing in my life.

I talk too much and don’t stay still. That explains why I’m single.

I like this city a lot and am a strong advocate for cycling, so I belong to SEPTA’s Citizen Advisory Committee. I’m also in the Neighborhood Association of Richmond. I don’t like to be in the mainstream groups; if you say you like football, I’ll say I like rugby, just to irk you. I prefer to associate with people of mixed ages, rather than hang out with just folks from the AARP or something. I don’t like to stick around with people who always say “the good old days,” because this is the good old days for somebody else, you know.

JULIO NIEVES MALE 54 DIVORCED PUERTO RICAN OLDE RICHMOND (KENSINGTON) 89/100

Without hesitation, I would join a demonstration for equal rights. What I wouldn’t join is anything that’s about just one specific idea, even if I agree with it, because I don’t want to offend someone who’s the opposite. You like chocolate, I like vanilla, but at the end of the day it’s still ice cream.

I really admire my father. He’s sickly now in bed but he’s not afraid to face death, and that’s cool.

89/100

This book reflects the casting process through September 3, 2014.

100% Tokyo photo by Yohta Kataoka

100% Gwangju photo by Ahn Gab Joo

OTHER 100% CITIES 2008 100% Berlin | Feb | DEU 2010 100% Vienna | May | AUT 100% Athens | Jul | GRC 2011 100% Vancouver | Jan | CAN 100% Karlsruhe | Oct | DEU 100% Cologne | Nov | DEU 2012 100% Melbourne | May | AUS 100% Norfolk | May | UK 100% Brunswick | May | DEU 100% London | Jun | UK 100% Zurich | Oct | AUT 100% Oslo | Aug | NOR 2013 100% Cork | Jun | IRE 100% Copenhagen | Aug | DNK 100% Dresden | Sept | DEU 100% San Diego | Oct | USA 100% Krakow | Oct | POL 100% Tokyo | Dec | JPN 2014 100% Gwangju | Apr | KOR 100% Brussels | May | BEL 100% Paris | May | FRA 100% Darwin | Aug | AUS 100% Philadelphia | Sept | USA 100% Amsterdam | Dec | HOL 100% Riga | Dec | LAT 100% Melbourne photo by Pigi Psimenou

100% PHILADELPHIA CREDITS

by Rimini Protokoll Concept Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi, Daniel Wetzel Direction

Helgard Haug, Daniel Wetzel

Stage Design Mascha Mazur, Wolfram Sanders Technical Director / Lighting and Projection Design

Wolfram Sanders

Project Manager / Casting

Sarah Gladwin Camp

Project Intern

Laura Lomascolo

Content Management Intern

Miriam Hwang-Carlos

Statistics

Nicole Hall

Live Band TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb Book Project Manager / Editor

Hannah de Keijzer

Book Design

Masters Group Design

STATISTICS SOURCES “Philadelphia (city), Pennsylvania.” United States Census 2010.

“How Much Value Does the City of Philadelphia Receive from its Park and Recreation System?” The Trust for Public Land and Philadelphia Parks Alliance, 2008.

“Pretzel Facts.” How Stuff Works. InfoSpace LLC, 2008.

“The Mummer’s Parade.” Visit Philadelphia. Visit Philadelphia, n.d.

“Life in Philadelphia.” Drexel University College of Medicine, n.d.

FRINGEARTS BOARD Richard Vague, Chair Conrad Bender, Secretary Jennifer Bohnenberger, Vice Chair Lisa P. Young, Treasurer Mark Dichter, Denise DiSimone, Anthony P. Forte, David Grasso, Leonard C. Haas, Gail M. Harrity, Liza Herzog, David Hoffman, Kevin Kleinschmidt, Kathy Lentini, David Lipson, Tom Lussenhop, Maria Papadakis, Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Ajay Raju, Hal Real, Peter C. Rothberg, Philip Santarelli, Michael Solomonov, Stephen Starr, Holly Stichka, Nick Stuccio, Audrey Claire Taichman, Marty Tuzman, Tricia Wellenbach, Paul Wright FRINGEARTS STAFF Nick Stuccio, President & Producing Director David Harrison, Vice President Carolyn Schlecker, Managing Director Maria Archer, Office Manager Conrad Bender, Executive Technical Director Sarah Bishop-Stone, Programming Manager Melissa E. Bridge, Finance & Administration Manager Jen Cleary, Box Office Manager Dan Comly, Marketing Director Morgan Farrow, Marketing & Development Associate Greg Frantz, Marketing Coordinator Nick Gilewicz, Blog Manager Sarah Gladwin Camp, 100% Philadelphia Project Manager and Guide Distributor Derek Hachkowski, Production Manager John Hawthorne, Programming Assistant La Toya Kitchens, Outreach & Education Manager Jordan Layman, Neighborhood Fringe & Artist Services Gina Leigh, Volunteer Coordinator Josh McIlvain, Information Manager & Guide Editor Meg Morris, Venue & Patron Services Manager Katie Pidgeon, Assistant Production Manager Sandy Upton, Development Director

ABOUT RIMINI PROTOKOLL

Helgard Haug, Stefan Kaegi, and Daniel Wetzel have been working as a team of author-directors since 2000. Under the label “Rimini Protokoll” they produce documentary theater plays, radio shows, and works in the urban environment. Using research, public auditions, and conceptual processes, they give voice to ‘experts’ who are not trained actors but have something to tell. Their work is also the continuous development of the tools of the theater to allow for unusual perspectives on our reality.

Photo by David von Becker

Rimini Protokoll was awarded the Faust Theatre Prize in 2007, the European Prize for New Theatre Forms in 2008, and the silver lion of the Biennale for Performing Arts in Venice in 2011. Their multi-player video-installation “Situation Rooms” about the weapons industry got the Excellence Award of the 17th Japan Media Festival.

Rimini Protokoll has been based at HAU, Berlin, since 2003. www.rimini-protokoll.de

ABOUT THE BAND TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb are a band of so and so’s who sound like Bob Seger high on cocaine and lost in the apocalypse.

They are a throwback, if such a thing is still possible, to the swinging, drunken, dancing memories of jump blues and roadhouse rock and big band leaders and Elvis.

Their new EP—KONG—was released on September 9, 2014 on American Diamond Recordings. WXPN calls it, “Eclectic and evocative, stirring together dusty cinematic arrangements with lyrical tales of depravity and hard-luck humanity that sound like something out of a Cormac McCarthy novel.”

For more: tjkongandtheatomicbomb.com

Photo courtesy TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb

Credit line

ABOUT FRINGEARTS FringeArts supports artists and brings the world’s newest and most cutting-edge cultural experiences to Philadelphia, amplifying the vibrancy of the city as a renowned cultural center and an unparalleled place to live, work, and visit. Founded in 1997 and formerly known as the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe, the organization serves local, national, and international artists of all disciplines and levels of achievement through an annual eighteen-day Festival along with a yearround series of high-quality contemporary dance, theater, and music performances; commissioned public art installations; and a residency program that continues to expand and grow as a state-of-theart incubator for artists. In 2013, FringeArts opened the doors to its brand-new waterfront headquarters in Old City Philadelphia.

First Friday at FringeArts, photo by Kevin Monko

100% Philadelphia is presented by

100% Philadelphia is being performed at

and Presenting Sponsor

and is sponsored by

COMMUNITY PARTNERS Alan Gung, Annie Huynh, Andrew Toy, Andy Greenhow, Ann Mintz, Bia Vieira, Bill Golderer, Brad Baldia, Carmen Febo, Catzie Vilayphonh, Christina Kerrigan, Christine Ostrowski, Clark Matthews, Craig Smith, David Huting, David Simms, Doug Chen, Drake Nakaishi, Elicia Gonzales, Fernando Trevino, Florcy Morisset, Gayle Isa, George Blackmon, Hazami Sayed, Hiro Nishikawa, Insook Seol, Jim Kawano, John Chin, John Francis, Johnny Irizarry, Jose Benitez, Juan Xu, Juliette Lee, Karen D. Bailey, Karen Leslie-Henry, Kathy Cruz, Kelly Skinner, Kenneth Holdsman, Kenyatta Henderson, Kirsten Britt, Kristin Gjesdal, Kristin Seale, Krupa Shah, Krystine Sipple, Kyle Cuffie-Scott, Laura Cohen, Laura Princiotta, Leela Kuikel, Liam Brickley, Linda Price, Liz Green, Lorraine Ballard Morrill, Maggie McBride, Marja Brandon, Mark Marcellino, Mary Faustino, Michael Canfield, Michelle Baxter, Michelle Myers, Molly Weingart, Nafeesa Akbar, Nancy Chen, Nancy Nguyen, Neville Vakharia, Nick Shenoy, Nicole Ray, Patty Mendoza, Parinda Patel, Peter Van Do, Phuong Nguyen, Rachel Ehrgood, Rahat Babar, Raul Moreno, Rick Olmos, Rob Buscher, Romona Riscoe Benson, Samantha Giusti, Samip Mallick, Sarah Yeung, Scott Nakamura, Shalimar Thomas, Shayna Israel, Shekhar Bastola, Sherry Guerrero, Shiella Cervantes, Steven Bradley, Susan Feagin, Thammajak Leelasanti, Tiffany Hwang, Unmesha Roy Paladhi, Valerie McDuffie, Van Nguyen, Will O’Brien

COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS African American Chamber of Commerce, Al-Bustan, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Festival, Asian Arts Initiative, Asian Mosaic Fund, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania (APABAPA), Asociación Puertorriqueños En Marcha Inc. (APM), BhutaneseAmerican Organization of Philadelphia, Boat People (BPSOS), Bradley & Bradley Associates Inc., Broad Street Ministry, Center For Hispanic Excellence: La Casa Latina, City of Philadelphia, Clear Channel, Comcast, Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, DISLABLED Philly, Drexel FANNA, Eatible Delights, Elements Organization, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, Filadelphia Latin American Film Festival (FLAFF), First Church of Love, Faith and Deliverance, GALAEI, Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs, hotpot!, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), KCUL Foundation, Legacy Youth and Tennis Education, National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), PA School for the Deaf (PSD), Pan Asian Community House, PECO, PENN Asian Senior Services, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF), Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, Philadelphia Film Society, Philadelphia Visitor Center, Project H.O.M.E., SAADA, SpArc Services, Taller Puertorriqueño, Urban Suburban Magazine, Vivant, Water Image, WURD-900 AM, Yellow Rage

a theater piece by RIMINI PROTOKOLL presented at the 2014 FRINGE FESTIVAL