150 years of Chinatown’s resilience | Morning Newsletter
How Cherelle Parker chose Philly’s next top cop
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
We’re in for another sunny day but make sure to wear some extra layers under your coat. It’ll be breezy and the temps will only reach the high 30s with gusts to 30 mph and wind chills in the 20s.
Since its founding 150 years ago, Philadelphia’s Chinatown has been a safe haven to Asian Americans. Immigrants and their descendants have upheld their heritage and continue to pass on centuries of tradition.
Our lead story explores the history of Chinatown and its storied record of resistance to displacement.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
🎤 And now, I’m passing the mic to reporter Massarah Mikati, who worked on the deep-dive of Chinatown’s history with fellow reporter Jasen Lo:
In May, the National Trust for Historic Preservation revealed their list of the 11 most endangered historic places across the country for 2023. On that list was Philadelphia Chinatown.
For over a year now, The Inquirer has been extensively covering Chinatown’s response to the proposed Sixers arena. But we wanted to take a step back to cover just Chinatown.
What is the history behind the neighborhood in the headlines? Why are community members fighting so hard to protect it? And how real is the threat of endangerment Chinatown faces?
Read on to look back on Chinatown’s extensive history of fighting to maintain their community.
Long before Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker won the Nov. 7 general election, she was vetting candidates to be the next police commissioner.
Over the summer, she met with contenders in her Mount Airy backyard. She had two former police commissioners conduct interviews. She gathered advice from a member of Congress and an out-of-state mayor. This was the process of how she narrowed a field of more than a half-dozen candidates to eventually land on Chief of School Safety Kevin J. Bethel as her pick.
Keep in mind: This could demonstrate how she’ll govern. Parker demands clear structure and wants input from as many stakeholders as possible.
Continue reading to find out what made Bethel stand out from the pack.
What you should know today
Vermont authorities arrested a suspect in the shooting of three Palestinians, including a Haverford College student, but said it is too early to determine if the unprovoked attack was a hate crime. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jack Stollsteimer, the newly re-elected Delaware Country district attorney, announced his candidacy for state attorney general Monday.
A former supervisor at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center was sentenced to three years’ probation Monday for accepting more than $28,000 in kickbacks.
The whistleblower who accused Franklin Towne Charter High School of manipulating its lottery to exclude certain students and zip codes is now suing the school for retaliation.
Workers at a Philly-area Amazon warehouse walked out on Cyber Monday as part of a multi-state organizing effort to get better pay and working conditions.
More shoppers are declining to round up their purchase amounts for charity when they get to the cash register.
Meet Bobby Fijan, the Philadelphia developer who wants to bring more family-size apartments to U.S cities.
🧠 Trivia time
A Princess Diana Eagles jacket signed by Kylie Kelce was sold for how much at a charity auction?
A) $50,000
B) $75,000
C) $100,000
D) $125,000
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
📚 Reading: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
🎨 Admiring: A South Philly electrical warehouse has a huge mural featuring Philly sports greats: Joel Embiid; Bryce Harper; Jalen Hurts; and most recently, Jason Kelce.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Philly-based pharmacy
EDIT AIR
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Stacy Rysak, who correctly guessed Monday’s answer: Jack Skellington.
Photo of the day
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Let’s do it again tomorrow. 👋🏽