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Black elders helped make North Philly | Morning Newsletter

And breaking down the dollars per vote 💰

Jackie Wiggins, left, and Marilyn Jewett are creators of the Black Elders oral history project.
Jackie Wiggins, left, and Marilyn Jewett are creators of the Black Elders oral history project. Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
    by Taylor Allen
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Enjoy the sunny skies with a high of 80. ☀

Happy Monday. I hope you had a relaxing weekend.

Today’s lead story focuses on the oral histories of five elders in North Philadelphia. They shared stories about their lives and the moments that shaped the city’s history. The Black Elders Project highlights and celebrates those who haven’t received the credit they deserve for making North Philly.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Telling the story of North Central Philly

Marilyn Kai Jewett and Jacqueline Wiggins, creators of The Inquirer’s Black Elders oral history project, knew that some stories should come directly from those that lived them.

It’s why they interviewed five Black women and men from North Central Philadelphia about their lives and the events that shaped this section of the city into what it is today.

In their own words: “Our people and others need to hear these stories, [they] need to hear the stories of some of these hardships, if you will, but also the resilience,” said Wiggins, 73, who has lived the majority of her life in North Philly. “If we can have those honest stories, then it’s almost like looking at literature.”

This project is a glimpse into what Black people in North Philadelphia have seen and done over the decades. You’ll hear from people such as Curtis Brown, an artist and educator who grew up in Francisville in the 1940s and ‘50s, and Edna Devlin, an East Poplar community activist who’s still fighting for her neighbors while in her 70s.

Read, watch, or listen to each story of the Black Elders Project.

What you should know today

  1. Changes under new leadership at the the MĂŒtter Museum mean it could get way less weird. 🔑

  2. Thousands of people celebrated at Philly’s Pride March and Festival Sunday in the Gayborhood.

  3. A Philadelphia home-care agency will have to pay $7 million in back wages and additional damages for uncompensated travel time.

  4. Pennsylvania teachers are quitting their jobs at the highest level on record. These Philadelphia teachers shared why they considered leaving the profession.

  5. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Philly area have to reapply for Medicaid. We have an early look at how many could lose coverage.

  6. A prominent right-wing and anti-vaccine advocate from South Jersey was sentenced to 10 days in jail for directing rioters in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

  7. We interviewed Henry Grabar, author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains The World, to discuss how Americans’ obsession with parking shaped our streets and cities.

  8. Jason and Travis Kelce are bringing their popular “New Heights Show” podcast to Sea Isle, N.J. They will host their first fan competition, “Beer Bowl.” It will be a “Beerfest”-style competition and the winner will get $50,000.

This past mayoral primary was the most expensive. We broke down the dollars per vote.

Not everyone got much bang for their buck.

Allan Domb, a former Philadelphia City Council member and a real estate magnate, gave more than $11 million of his own money into his mayoral campaign. He paid $460 for every vote — the highest cost-per-vote of any mayoral candidate in recent city history.

Meanwhile, Democratic nomination winner Cherelle Parker raised about $26 for every vote she earned. That’s the lowest among the top five candidates.

The takeaway: Although self-funding candidates can spend their way into contention, their money isn’t necessarily decisive.

Keep reading to learn how much each candidate raised per vote.

🧠 Trivia time 🧠

Which entertainer learned how to make a cheesesteak when they came to town?

A) Ed Sheeran

B) Dave Chappelle

C) Zach Bryan

D) None of the above

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re...

🎉Congratulating: Philly’s own Kristen Welker will take over as the host of NBC’s Meet the Press, succeeding Chuck Todd.

đŸœïž Anticipating: The 2023 James Beard Awards are tonight. Friday Saturday Sunday, Ellen Yin, Amanda Shulman, Jesse Ito, Dionicio JimĂ©nez, and ‘Nok’ Suntaranon are representing Philadelphia at the ceremony in Chicago.

đŸ§© Unscramble the anagram đŸ§©

Hint: This group reunited at the Roots Picnic

FEE HUGEST

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Michelle Eng, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Beetlejuice.

Photo of the day

And that should be enough to start your week. Thanks for waking up with The Inquirer.