For Release: Immediately
Department of External Affairs
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710
FAX (215) 567-7850
Contact: Communications and Development
For Release: Immediately
Contact: Communications and Development

FREE LIBRARY TO HOST PANEL DISCUSSION “THE LEGACY OF RACE AND POLICING”

PHILADELPHIA, October 5, 2017—The Parkway Central Library is hosting a panel discussion titled “The Legacy of Race and Policing” on Wednesday, October 25, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. This program has been created in response to the National Endowment for the Humanities’ call for public programming on humanities and the legacy of race in the United States. It is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. The free event will be held in the Montgomery Auditorium, on the ground floor of Parkway Central.

Dr. James Peterson, Director of Africana Studies at Lehigh University, will moderate the discussion between Andrea Ritchie, attorney and activist; Andrea Custis, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Urban League; Councilman Curtis Jones of Philadelphia’s 4th District; and Kevin Bethel, Stoneleigh Fellow and former Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department.

This event is in step with the Library’s broader goal to increase dynamic public programs dedicated to civic engagement and discourse. The Library is committed to diversity and inclusion—seeking to encourage and host conversations about differences and complex social issues, supported by educational resources, access to a vast array of information, and ideas that transform communities and open minds.

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The Free Library of Philadelphia system, with 54 locations and the Rosenbach, advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity with millions of digital and physical materials; 25,000 yearly programs and workshops; free public computers and extensive Wi-Fi, including neighborhood Hotspots; and rich special collections, including  those at Parkway Central Library and at the Rosenbach. With more than 6 million in-person visits and millions more online annually, the Free Library and the Rosenbach are among the most widely used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia and boast a worldwide impact.

10/05/2017


Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850