Preserving Marian Anderson’s legacy | Morning Newsletter

Morning, Philly. Enjoy that sun yesterday? As we inch closer to spring — and severe-storm season — experts have an idea of what National Weather Service cuts may mean for forecasting.

Philadelphia-born songstress Marian Anderson is having a moment in the spotlight. So, today’s lead story asks, why doesn’t her museum get the respect it deserves?

And thousands of Muslim students in the city observe Ramadan. Read on to learn how their schools are supporting them.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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The Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society sits in a tiny rowhouse in Southwest Center City. It’s the same house where the celebrated contralto lived when she gave her historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, after being barred from performing at Constitution Hall because she was Black.

The museum’s CEO, Jillian Pirtle, has been working hard — and largely alone — to reopen the 27-year-old museum after renovations, and to launch a new exhibition on Anderson’s Philadelphia connection.

Yet fanfare for her efforts has been notably muted compared to that surrounding the recent renaming of the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall to Marian Anderson Hall and other well-funded institutional celebrations of the singer.

Columnist Elizabeth Wellington visited the museum to see how those close to Anderson have kept her legacy alive on Martin Street.

During Ramadan, the monthlong Muslim holiday that this year ends March 29, accommodations for observant students vary by school. At Paul Robeson High, students are escorted to the nearby masjid for midday prayers. At Boys Latin, there are rooms dedicated to prayer and fasting.

Students say the accommodations are invaluable. For their teachers, it’s a worthwhile way to show support.

“Our job as educators is to focus on developing the whole student,” Boys Latin’s principal told The Inquirer, which includes “their mental, physical, and spiritual selves, too.”

Education reporter Kristen A. Graham explains how some schools are making space for religious practice.

In other education news: Lower Merion School District led racial equity efforts in the 1990s, but its achievement gap has only widened. West Philly’s Overbrook Environmental Education Center lost a multiyear grant worth $700,000 to federal cuts. And the U.S. Department of Education plans to lay off 1,300 employees as President Donald Trump vows to dismantle the agency.

What unique real estate opportunity is available for $1 million in Cape May?

A) An entire undeveloped block

B) Part of a beach

C) An abandoned hotel

D) The Cape May Court House

Think you know? Check your answer.

🫧 Taking over: Rittenhouse Square every Sunday in April via the return of Open Streets.

👾 Spotting: Steven Spielberg filming in South Jersey for a new, possibly UFO-themed movie.

🍴 Anticipating: Stephen Starr’s forthcoming ninth restaurant at the former Devon Seafood Grill.

🏀 Remembering: March 2020, when the NBA shut down for COVID.

🏛️ Considering: The goal of the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act.

Hint: The annual Philadelphia _ _ _ will return to Franklin Square this June.

CHANEL TENNIS AFTERLIVES

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Sean Kearney, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Down North. Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, founder of the mission-driven, award-winning pizza spot in Strawberry Mansion, has a new book out called We the Pizza.

🦕 One last prehistoric thing: The Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University opens on March 29. Take a peek into the past and see what to expect from the immersive site.

Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer, as always.

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