Posts by Kalela W. (24)
Blog Articles
Updated Wednesday, September 30, 2020 4:45 p.m. The census deadline, originally slated for September 30 after the federal administration moved to an earlier date, has now been extended to October… continue reading A Census Story
By written by Kalela W. September 24, 2020 2
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas, and he had an announcement to make. More than two years before, President Abraham Lincoln had signed… continue reading Juneteenth Matters
By written by Kalela W. June 18, 2020 1
by Kalela W. and Andrew N. Celebrate Pride by standing up against racism. Black lives Matter. freelibrary.org/pride Fifty years ago, in June 1970, LGBTQ+ people in cities across the United States… continue reading Pride, Black Lives Matter, and Solidarity
By written by Kalela W. June 4, 2020 3
Many Philadelphians are struggling to feel secure and confident when it comes to controlling personal finances. Especially in these current times of uncertainty, financial empowerment and literacy… continue reading Money Mondays at the Free Library!
By written by Kalela W. May 4, 2020
"Even if I believed that women should be denied the right of suffrage, wild horses could not drag such an admission from my pen or my lips, for this reason: precisely the same arguments used… continue reading Women's History Month 2020: Stories We Know, Stories We'll Discover
By written by Kalela W. March 3, 2020
"This athlete is only nineteen years old, but he is six feet, two inches high, and weighs 210 pounds," noted the March 1918 issue of The Crisis , the NAACP’s flagship publication.… continue reading Portraits of Heroes, Portraits of You: Black History Month at the Free Library
By written by Kalela W. January 28, 2020
I’ve been called a walking disaster many times, and frankly, there's a lot of truth to it. I spill things, drop things, say things, and eat things I shouldn’t. But I’m… continue reading Maritime Disasters: Commercial Ships, Catastrophic Sinkings
By written by Kalela W. November 21, 2019 1
The workshop in the Free Library’s new Robert and Eileen Kennedy Heim Center for Cultural and Civic Engagement began with a quick quiz. And while I knew I wouldn’t ace it, I thought I… continue reading Modern Courts, Modern Lives
By written by Kalela W. August 28, 2019
With the launch of our Division of Cultural and Civic Engagement (DCCE), the Free Library is committed, more than ever, to getting Philadelphians involved in what’s happening in their… continue reading Plan for the Polls: No Excuses!
By written by Kalela W. October 24, 2018
Voting is an exercise in democracy. And no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, if you’re not registered to vote, your voice won’t be heard. Midterms matter! And for these… continue reading Midterms Matter: Democracy Looks Like You!
By written by Kalela W. September 20, 2018 2
Want to explore the outdoors? Start inside—here at the Free Library! Now through September 15, the Free Library of Philadelphia, with an exciting new exhibition and programs, is your pathway… continue reading A Field Guide to Exciting Programs and Special Exhibitions at the Free Library!
By written by Kalela W. August 2, 2018 2
There’s something about writing poetry that sparks the need to shape the community around us. It inspires us to engage with others, it encourages reflection—and it incites change.… continue reading Passion = Poetry: Be the Next Youth Poet Laureate!
By written by Kalela W. May 14, 2018 5
It may not have seemed remarkable. In 1895, at a college in Ohio, during a memorial service, students and faculty paid tribute to a man they held in high esteem. They recited the Lord’s… continue reading Wisdom, Bravery, Trueness: Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois
By written by Kalela W. February 23, 2018 2
How do we dream ourselves out of this? It’s 1968, 50 years ago. This is what August, a young girl freshly uprooted from her rural Tennessee home, now living in the Bushwick section of… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Black History, Our Philadelphia
By written by Kalela W. February 14, 2018
Like the enormous condo building that is being erected on your block right now, the word "gentrification" has loomed large recently. Its definition is tough to pin down and experts have… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Gentrification in Philadelphia
By written by Kalela W. December 6, 2017 1
Gladys Jamison couldn’t know this, but she was a girl coming of age in an exodus. Thirteen years old when her father moved her and her siblings to Brooklyn, she’d lost her mother five… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Brooklyn, Black Girlhood, and the Great Migration
By written by Kalela W. November 22, 2017 3
It has been more than 150 years since Octavius Catto may have slipped on a sack overcoat that hung by his front door, pushed a well-worn felt pocket hat over his parted hair, stepped out into the… continue reading Following Octavius V. Catto’s Footsteps
By written by Kalela W. September 25, 2017 13
Was I ever not-weird? I really can’t say. From the time I can remember, I was a weird child who grew into a weird teen who went on to become a weird adult. Part of my oddity has been a… continue reading #ThrowbackThursday: Revisiting Lois Duncan
By written by Kalela W. June 29, 2017
You don’t understand how much I love burgers. I love them. Give me a big fat burger on a bun with a couple slices of tomato, pickles, and cheese, and you’ll see the… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: One Book…Wow, Burger
By written by Kalela W. February 22, 2017
The 2017 One Book, One Philadelphia kickoff event is set for tonight and marks the 15th year of this beloved Philadelphia tradition. Can you believe it? The very first One Book, One Philadelphia… continue reading Celebrate 15 Years of One Book, One Philadelphia!
By written by Kalela W. January 25, 2017