Daily Record

Vol. II No. 115 (275)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

August 4, 2011

Philadelphia Daily Record

The Ride North

STARTING IN THE 1910s, Black Americans fled their oppressive Southern homeland in droves. Almost all of them rode the train to Philadelphia and other Northern cities in search of a better life. An exhibit by Amtrak at 30th Street Station features this remarkable migration that reshaped the “face� of America. Story page 6.

The Philadelphia Public Record Calendar

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Meat & Deli Prego Pizzelle Baker $29.99 $39.99 Uno Panini Grill

Aug. 5Swedish Museum hosts Summer Crayfish Party in FDR Park at 1900 Pattison Ave. Tickets $50.

Call (215) 389-1776 for details.

Reservations end Jul. 29.

Aug. 6Mothers In Charity Fundraiser Spades Charity tournament at YMCA, 1400 N. Broad St., 2-6 p.m. For info or to register (215) 228-1718.

Aug. 6Johnson House will host Jazz In The Garden summer benefit at 6306 Germantown Ave., 4-7 p.m. featuring John Blake, Jr., jazz violinist, and Alan Segal Quartet.

Admissions from $30. For info (215) 438-1768.

Aug. 6Friends of Bill Rubin present District Council 33 Members Night with Camden Riversharks (vs.

Road Warriors at 5:35 p.m. at Camden’s Campbell Field) as DC 33 members work 3rd and 1st Base concession stands. Tickets $12. Proceeds to Bill Rubin. For info Joan Gallagher at (267) 4386998, Irene Snyder (215) 5828611 or Sylvia Bullock (215) 471-6469.

Aug.11Friends of Ron Donatucci hold Delaware River Cruise at Independence Seaport Museum Terrace Ballrm., Columbus & Walnut Sts., 6:30-9:30 p.m. $145 per person. For info (215) 271-1667.

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IBOPE Poll: Two-Thirds Doubt Lost Jobs Will Ever Come Back Likely voters are even more pessimistic about the US economy than they were a year ago, as two-thirds believe jobs lost in the recession are not likely to come back.

They are also split on whether the nation’s best days are still ahead or that our economy will never return to its former strength. Despite those beliefs, two-thirds still have hopes our best days are still ahead.

These results are from an IBOPE Zogby interactive poll conducted from Jul. 29 to Aug. 1. The same questions were asked in polls conducted last year.

“Which of these statements comes closest to your opinion?

“Statement A: The unemployment rate will begin to drop over the next year as businesses add jobs.”

“Statement B: Many of the jobs lost during the recession are not likely to come back as many businesses will simply ask more of their current employees instead of hiring new ones.”

Response

Aug. 1 2011 June 2010

May 2010

Businesses will add jobs

17%

23%

33%

Many lost jobs unlikely to come back

69%

66%

60%

Neither

7%

7%

4%

Not sure

7%

5%

4%

Casey Calls On Nation’s Governors To Report Veterans Suicides US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has joined three Democratic colleagues to call on State Governors to begin reporting critical statistics on suicides among military veterans in their states. The effort, which comes amid a steadily rising suicide rate among veterans and members of the military, focuses on pushing 41 States to create a direct link to the VA to communicate information about veteran suicides. That information is particularly important for tracking and prevention efforts as many suicides among veterans not enrolled in the VA often go unrecorded.

“One of the most significant obstacles to understanding veteran suicide is the lack of information available regarding these individuals,” the Senators wrote. “In many cases, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs does not even know that a veteran has died if that individual was not enrolled in VA health care.”

In addition to the National Governors Association, the letter sent by the Senators also went to the National Association of Medical Examiners, which is the professional organization for medical examiners and death investigators who are responsible for investigating deaths that are violent, suspicious, or otherwise unusual.

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Toomey Urges Stronger Sanctions On Iraq

Butkovitz Releases Audit Of Youth Commission

US Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) signed a bipartisan letter to President Obama yesterday, urging the president to implement stronger sanctions on Syria. The increased pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will send an important message that his tyrannical and violent actions will not be tolerated and will encourage a united international front against the Syrian regime.

City Controller Alan Butkovitz released the Youth Commission Auditor’s Report for FY2009 yesterday.

Under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act of 2003, Congress instructed then-President Bush to impose two or more of six possible sanctions on the Syrian regime. President Bush opted to ban nearly all U.S. exports to Syria as well as ban landing in- or over-flights of the United States by Syrian aircraft.

In the letter, Sen. Toomey urged President Obama to impose the following additional sanctions: a ban on U.S. businesses operating or investing in Syria; restrictions on travel by Syrian diplomats in the United States; blocking transactions of property in which the Syrian government has an interest.

“The Syrian people deserve a government that represents their aspirations, and respects their basic human rights,” the letter maintains. “It is clear that President al-Assad is not committed to pursuing the reforms that would meet these goals. As such, the United States and the international community must hold the regime accountable, and pressure them to change course. Implementing additional sanctions would show the Syrian people that we stand with them in their struggle for human rights and a more representative government, while also making it clear to the Syrian regime that it will pay an increasing cost for its outrageous repression.

Sixty-eight senators signed the letter.

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To view a copy of the audit, please visit the Controller’s website at www.philadelphiacontroller.org.

School District Briefs Congress On Engaging Parents MEMBERS of the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Parent, Family, Community & Faith-Based Partnerships took part yesterday in a US congressional briefing on family engagement in education.

The briefing was in support of the The Family Engagement Act of 2011 that was introduced in the House of Representatives in May 2011. The Act looks to incentivize schools and districts to meaningfully engage families to accelerate student achievement.

Karren Dunkley, Deputy Chief of the District’s office that oversees parent engagement, spoke to the number of parent-, family- and community-engagement strategies that have been successfully implemented in the District. Highlighted in Dunkley’s speech was the District’s nationally recognized parent-education program, Parent University. More than 29,000 parents have participated in Parent University, participating in a range of classes including, parenting skills, GED preparation, family literacy for reading and math, financial literacy and technology classes.

Another important initiative presented was the District’s Parent and Family Resource Centers located throughout the City of Philadelphia. These seven Centers are staffed with individuals trained to provide guidance to parents regarding all school-related issues. The Centers are also staffed with bilingual staff

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to provide services to non-English speaking parents.

In the 2010-2011 school year, the Centers worked to deliver over 100,000 units of service to parents through parent phone calls and parent walk-ins.

Williams Joins Eastwick Rec For ‘Weekend Of Peace’

Also highlighted were the District’s targeted supports and services for multilingual families.

In addition, the District underlined its ongoing effort to create a School Advisory Council in every school.

The Councils will be comprised of parents, community members, students, teachers, non-teaching school staff and principals. Councils have already been successfully implemented in schools that are part of the District’s Renaissance Schools Initiative.

The briefing was hosted by the National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group, and took place at the US Capitol Visitors Center.

Payton Seeking School Supply Donations State Rep. Tony Payton Jr. (D-Kensington) is seeking school-supply donations for his Back-to-School event to prepare students in the 179th Legislative Dist. for the upcoming school year.

Donations can be dropped off at Payton’s constituent service offices, located at 4509 Frankford Avenue and 627 W. Erie Avenue. Payton said he is seeking contributions of common school supplies such as note pads, book bags, pens, pencils and scissors to be handed out to students free of charge.

The Back-to-School event will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 at Sankofa Freedom Academy, located at 4256 Paul Street.

For more information, residents may call Payton’s Frankford constituent service office at (215) 7447901.

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STATE SEN. ANTHONY WILLIAMS prepares balloons to send aloft, commemorating “Weekend of Peace” in S.W. Phila.

The message of peace continues to spread this summer throughout the Philadelphia area, thanks to the efforts of ordinary citizens who have State Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D-W. Phila.) as their key ally.

Most recently, Williams last weekend participated in the 8th annual Weekend of Peace at Eastwick Recreation Center in Southwest Philadelphia, a community event that has grown from one site to 12 citywide, offering summertime fun and activities for kids.

The initiative was funded by one of Williams’ Neighborhood-to-Neighborhood 2011 Summer of Peace grants.

“When we designed the Summer of Peace grants, we had organizations and initiatives like this in mind,” said Williams, who praised the efforts of the event’s organizers, West Philadelphia natives Calvin and Malik Johnson.

“Here were two brothers who decided that rather than wait for someone to step in and try to solve the problems so many communities face — lack of involvement, too many idle kids, too much violence —

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they would do what they could to make a difference.

They’ve developed mentoring and tutorial projects,” Williams added. “They’ve structured wholesome activities for students to learn and play, within a safe environment. They have worked to patch a sense of community where it may have been fraying, if it existed at all.”

“Through historic documents and compelling images, the exhibit recounts the significance of rail travel during a crucial time in the history of African Americans, and it’s our pleasure to share the exhibit with new audiences,” said Emmett H. Fremaux, Amtrak’s VP, marketing and product development.

Participants at every Weekend of Peace location held a moment of silence for the 189 victims of violence in Philadelphia in 2011, a number that has increased, compared to this time over the past several years — part of the impetus for the N2N 2011 Summer of Peace initiative.

The exhibit will first display in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station Aug. 2-19. Then it moves to Washington, D.C.’s Union Station Aug. 20-Sep. 26. The exhibit will conclude with a display in Baltimore’s Penn Station Sep. 27-Oct. 26.

The Great Migration Exhibit chronicles the journey of Residents throughout the city took part in various ac- more than 800,000 African Americans from the South tivities at each of the Weekend of Peace sites. At East- to the Northeast, Midwest and West via passenger and freight trains between 1910 and 1930. Amtrak dewick, children participated in a basketball cided to tour the exhibit after receiving numerous retournament. quests from both passengers and Amtrak employees “The Weekend of Peace may be their signature event, who missed the exhibit this past May. but Calvin and Malik Johnson work tirelessly all year The exhibit was designed with the help of the Schomlong on behalf of other people’s children as well as their own,” Williams said. “These are the kinds of ef- burg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library, African American Museum of forts that deserve our support, and are able to leverPhiladelphia, Library of Congress, The Henry Ford®, age these mini-grants into maximum returns. I’m and University of Chicago and Florida State proud that they are part of the N2N 2011 Summer of Archives.

Peace initiative.”

Williams participated in releasing balloons to honor the city’s homicide victims at the Eastwick event.

“I will continue to work with the community to promote peace and work toward a day when we don’t have to release any balloons,” he added.

Amtrak Exhibit Shows ‘Great Migration Of African Americans’

By Train Amtrak is taking its popular Great Migration of African Americans Exhibit on tour to its Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. stations from August through October 2011. The exhibit, which documents the journey of African Americans from the rural south to the industrial north during the early 20th century, was first displayed in Philadelphia for National Train Day in May 2011.

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East And West, The Indies Come To Penn’s Landing Back-to-back cultural festivals at Penn’s Landing feature the ethnic folkways of Americans from India and the Caribbean this month.

The Council of Indian Organizations of Greater Philadelphia celebrate India’s Independence Day on Sunday, Aug. 14 from 12 noon until 7:00 p.m., at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing on Columbus Boulevard at Chestnut Street. As part of the PECO Multicultural Series, the Festival of India attracts more than 6,000 people, and portrays the vibrant Indian American community in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Now in its 18th year, the Festival of India reflects many facets of the local Indian American Diaspora and provides a range of traditional to contemporary

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styles of Indian art and crafts, entertainment and ethnic cuisine. Every year, thousands of people with diverse backgrounds come to enjoy this day of free, fun-filled entertainment for the whole family.

The Festival of India presents a colorful panorama of art, music, dance and cuisine that creates a mosaic of Indian culture. This year’s festival will feature live entertainment and authentic Indian cuisine and a variety of cultural exhibits and displays.

A highlight of the Festival of India, the cultural program offers continuous live music and is a showcase for classical, folk, modern and the popular Bollywood song and dance. The cultural program provides a platform for aspiring and upcoming artists from local music and dance schools.

There will be an exhibition and sale of traditional Indian handicrafts, clothes, jewelry and various other items, while a wide array of popular food items from different regions of India will be available for purchase. Another highlight will be the India Pavilion, an exhibit of India’s rich ancient music heritage and a glimpse of various musical instruments such as tabla, sitar, dhol, tasha and mridang.

On the following weekend, immigrants from the New World take their turn on the riverfront. The Caribbean Festival & Cultural Committee celebrates its 25th year of cultural awareness at the Great Plaza on Sunday, Aug. 21 from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

The FREE festival of Caribbean culture of 14 Caribbean Islands will treat you to wholesome family fun in a beautiful atmosphere with a line-up of authentic island sounds of Reggae, Roots International beat, Soca/Calypso, Spoken Words, Gospel, creative dances, and the pulsating sounds of a Caribbean steeldrum band.

Fragrant aromas will surround and grace The Great Plaza as the vendors prepare a variety of tempting island cuisine for visitors to enjoy. Some of them include family Caribbean cuisine, Jamaica wings and the Caribbean pot. This Caribbean celebration will featured escovitched fish and festival cakes, codfish fritters, Jamaican jerk-chicken and hard-dough bread, Jamaican patties, curried goat, rice and peas, Trinidadian roti and rotisserie-roasted corn.

Local beverages like Caribbean Kola Champagne, Sorrell, Caribbean Ade, carrot juice and mauby drink, coconut water, sugar cane and guinnep will also be available.

This year’s event will be complimented by a marketplace of Caribbean fashions, souvenirs, arts and crafts, along with a Caribbean Culture booth – “tings Caribbean” featuring Caribbean history, fashion and religion. A popular Caribbean Children’s Village will also be part of the event.

The Caribbean Festival & Cultural Committee works to publicize the importance of the Islands and the culture and the contribution of the Caribbean community to the Philadelphia region and, importantly, to raise funds for charitable undertakings, specifically, for scholarships to college-bound Caribbean and Caribbean-American students. This year’s recipients are Joshua Thompson Bailey - Marist College; Dane S. Lawrence - Penn State University; Julian Thompson - Monroe College; and Sierra Monet Williams Howard University.

Admission is FREE for all PECO Multicultural Series events. KYW Newsradio and NBC 10 are proud media partners of the series. The 2011 Summer Program of Free Events at Penn’s Landing is funded and produced by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation.

The 2011 Caribbean Festival is proud to announce its musical entertainment line-up, but subject to change, which will feature: Spoken Word’s Lyn Blue; Philadelphia’s own Warieka Hill Band; the Calvary Baptist Mass Choir; Jah Guide Band; Spoken Words presented by Devington Watkis (aka David Benjamin) accompanied musically by Charles “Timi” Timmons, Jamaica’s rising star Cherine Anderson; the Popular Image Band from Washington, D.C.; and the steeldrum band Philly PanStars.

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