Tagged Social Justice

Nothing Less Than What We’ve Earned: Black Voices in the Labor Movement

For centuries Black free labor was simply a guarantee. However, there was always an awareness that we were entitled to equity in the profits from the country we worked hard to create. 1850 ushered in the first attempt at a Black labor…

Abortion and Women's Rights 1970: Film Screening and Panel Discussion

On Tuesday, January 21, at 6:00 p.m. the Social Science and History Department will screen Abortion and Women's Rights 1970 , the first documentary made in the U.S. about the struggle for reproductive rights. Following the…

When Your Favorite Creator Does Something Terrible

With the internet at our fingertips, learning about the people who make our media has become much easier. Sometimes, we learn things we wish we could un-learn. The betrayal feels so personal. How can the stories that inspire and comfort…

Power Up! for Civic Awareness with the Free Library

September is Civic Awareness Month — a time to engage with our community, learn more about our civic responsibilities, and participate in initiatives that make a difference. In honor of this month, the Free Library of…

Join Us for the Premiere Screening of “The Command Center to Bring Women Home”

Join your neighbors at the Parkway Central Library on Wednesday, November 30 at 6 p.m.  for the FREE Philadelphia premiere screening of the new short hybrid documentary film, “ The Command Center to Bring Women Home…

Empathy Versus Misinformation Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Empathy Versus Misinformation: Transgender Youth series of panels. There has been a lot of interest in transgender youth in the media, and yet so few easy ways to access reliable answers to…

Free Library Seeking Teen Social Justice Fellows!

Are you between the ages of 14 and 19? Do you have a passion and commitment for social justice? Are you looking for an opportunity where you can learn, serve your community, and develop/demonstrate your leadership skills? Would you like…

Lovett Library's Book Walk Continues the Conversation on Race

If you have been to the Lovett Memorial Library recently, you have likely seen the Black Lives Matter book walk prominently displayed in its park. The idea came from Lisa Browne of Colorful Stories . Following the racial justice…

The Social Justice Symposium Turns Five!

Planning and hosting the Free Library's Social Justice Symposium for young people has become an important tradition at the Philadelphia City Institute Library . We held the first Symposium in 2016 and have scheduled one annually…

Indigenous Peoples' Day Philly

Though I’ve lived in so-called Philadelphia for several years, it was only last year that I learned that Lenapehoking is the name of this place so many of us call home. In learning how to acknowledge the ancestral homeland of the…

Race in the United States: Social Justice Virtual Workshops for Teens

Updated Friday, July 10, 2020 4:59 p.m. "The Social Justice Symposium Teen Planning Committee supports the Concerned Black Workers of the Free Library of Philadelphia ! CBWFLP Response to DEI/Board of Trustees' letter We are…

What is "Public History", Anyway?

On Thursday, February 20 , David W. Young will appear at Parkway Central Library to discuss his book, Battles of Germantown: Effective Public History in America .  Many Philadelphia residents are familiar with the annual…

Food Insecurity, English Language Learning, and Community Conversations in North Philadelphia

Edible Alphabet is a free English language learning program offered to adults by the Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center . The mission of the program is to teach English language and literacy skills through hands-on cooking and…

Second Annual Social Justice Symposium Wrap Up

A little over a week ago, on the same day that a hate-fueled gathering was taking place in Charlottesville, Virginia, a group of teenagers was gathering at a small library in Philadelphia to talk about combating hate. The Philadelphia…

Resources for Responding to Hate

As adults, it’s our job to help the children in our lives make sense of the world around them. After the events in Charlottesville this past weekend, and events around the country in recent months, there seems to be more need than…

Love is Love

Looking for something heartfelt and inspiring to read while supporting a worthy cause this Valentine's Day? Check out Love is Love , a 162-page graphic novel from IDW Publishing and DC Comics , honoring the victims, supporting the…

Graphic Novel Memoirs

I love a graphic novel—and even better I love a graphic novel memoir . There is something so much more intimate about reading the words AND pictures when someone shares her story. Or maybe I’m just a slower reader when it…

Social Justice Symposium for Teens – Register Now!

Parkway Central is hosting a Social Justice Symposium for Teens on Monday, August 29th and if you are a high school student who is passionate about your Philadelphia community and care about issues such as racism, inequality, or…

Tackling Tough Topics in Classroom Conversation

How can literacy be used for social change? At the recent International Literacy Association conference in Boston, this question was addressed at an impromptu session for literacy specialists and coaches. Recent tragedies, such as the…

Muhammad Ali's Philly Ties

The world is mourning the death of another larger-than-life pop culture icon, hero, and force of sheer nature: Muhammad Ali . The self-described, but no less true, "Greatest of All Time" may have been a worldwide phenomenon,…

Author Talk: Hope and Struggle in the Policed City

Join us for an author talk with Menika Dirkson, author of Hope and Struggle in the Policed City . Menika Dirkson is a Philadelphia native and an Assistant Professor of African American History at Morgan State University. She received…

Author Talk | You Only Get What You’re Organized to Take

4th Floor Skyline Room Rev. Dr Liz Theoharis and Noam Sandweiss-Back in conversation with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Join two leading anti-poverty organizers to discuss the largely untold story of the movement to end poverty, led by the…

Una Voz por la Paz, la Concordia y la Armonía: XI Festival Internacional de Poesía en Filadelfia (En persona en PhillyCAM)

Una Voz por la Paz, la Concordia y la Armonía, el XI Festival Internacional de Poesía en Filadelfia , celebrado en el marco del  XIX Festival Internacional de Poesía (FIP) Palabra en el Mundo ,…

Coffee & Conversations: Open Mic Spoken Word Night

Join us for an evening of poetry and community at Coffee & Conversations: Words That Carried Us! Celebrate National Poetry Month with us as we explore the words that have lifted, comforted, and inspired us through life’s…

Encontrar Nuestra Voz: V Taller de Creación Poética (Salón virtual) | Finding Our Voice: V Poetic Creation Workshop (Virtual room)

Nos complace presentar,  Encontrar Nuestra Voz: V Taller de Creación Poética , un evento que se llevará a cabo en el marco del  XIX Festival Internacional de Poesía (FIP) Palabra en el Mundo ,…

Modern Juries, Modern Courts Speaker Series

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts (PMC) presents the first session of Modern Juries, Modern Courts . Join the Free Library and Professor Nancy Marder to learn about the crucial role of jury service in promoting fairness, democracy, and…

Who Gets to Decide: A Conversation About How Local Govt. Actually Works (TEEN)

Join Field Teen Center and Committee of 70 for a nonpartisan discussion about how local government works in the real world. Participants will identify problems faced by Philly students, learn how to connect with their city…

Fannie Lou Hamer's America Free Film Screening

This film explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of a Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist and one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders. Through the layering of audio recordings and archival…

Rising Giant: An Introduction to the People & Culture of Brazil

Brazil is one of the most fascinating and complex societies in the world. It features 13 racial categories that help define Brazilian identity, making issues of race and class particularly significant in this vast Portuguese-speaking…

Hope and Struggle in the Policed City

Join us for an author talk with Menika Dirkson, author of Hope and Struggle in the Policed City . Menika Dirkson is a Philadelphia native and an Assistant Professor of African American History at Morgan State University. She received…