Bodegas could be left behind | Morning Newsletter
And how Black workers are systemically shut out from construction jobs
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’ll get sunny and clear skies with a high of 87. Stay cool out there.
In today’s newsletter:
🥬 A food security win: SNAP users can shop online with their benefits to access better quality foods, but there may be some unintended consequences.
📣 A crashed ceremony: University City Townhomes protesters interrupted University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill’s convocation speech.
💉 Vaccines: The Moderna lawsuit has ties to Philadelphia.
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)
The push for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, to shop online has been hailed by anti-hunger activists as a win-win solution to food insecurity.
Their argument: Supermarkets will offer greater convenience and better access to healthier food while reducing stigma by providing the same customer payment experiences as non-SNAP consumers.
But corner stores and bodegas could get left behind. Trying to keep pace with large superstores like Walmart that already provide online SNAP shopping will burden the hundreds of less tech-savvy small businesses.
Necessary context: Locally, one out of every 10 households lacks access to affordable, healthy food on a consistent basis.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the federal agency that administers SNAP, has been running its Online Shopping Pilot program since 2017, starting with seven states.
Because of COVID, the pilot quickly expanded and is now in 48 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. ALDI, Walmart, and BJ’s Wholesale Club are among the stores offering the online shopping service in both states.
In May, the USDA FNS reported 3 million SNAP households shopped online that month, up from 35,000 two years earlier.
The requirements to participate are daunting and expensive. They include a separate application, significant website changes, and a contract with a third-party process. Oh, and all of the relevant information is in English, which is a hurdle for many owners who are immigrants and speak English as a second language.
Reporter Lynette Hazelton details bodegas’ uphill battle.
What you should know today
Four visits among President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in seven days put Pennsylvania elections in the national spotlight. 🔑
University City Townhomes protesters representing residents facing eviction interrupted the University of Pennsylvania president’s speech at the convocation ceremony.
Manufacturing is at the forefront in a Lehigh Valley congressional race.
Made in America returns this week. Here’s a guide on all road closures and detours (you’re welcome).
The Eagles announces their initial 53-man roster.
The Satanic Temple will hold a fund-raiser in the Northern York School District after it denied its “After School Satan Club.”
Philadelphia has been a stronghold for the building trades since 1791, when a group of white carpenters organized the first recorded building trades’ strike in the country. The city has been a proving ground for class solidarity, but that didn’t transcend racial lines.
Black workers have been systemically locked out of the trade unions and never had equal access to opportunities promised by the unions representing building trades that include carpenters, plumbers, ironworkers, and other laborers.
Some historians argue the trades’ success was built on the exclusion of Black workers.
In the latest installment of A More Perfect Union, reporter Juliana Feliciano Reyes unveils the history of the trades and how exclusion remains entrenched in the industry.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Which Pennsylvania politician is pressing President Biden to decriminalize marijuana?
A. Attorney General Josh Shapiro
B. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman
C. State Sen. Nikil Saval
D. None of the above
Think you know? Find out if you know the answer.
What We’re ...
📰 Reading: The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine lawsuit has a Philadelphia backstory.
🍎 Sharing: Tips to manage back-to-school anxiety.
💭 Wondering: If it’s too early for pumpkin spice lattes.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: A recent Eagles release
AHARON HINTSYR
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Jan Dalina, who correctly guessed WallyGator as Tuesday’s answer.
Photo of the day
And that’s your Wednesday. I’m off for a morning walk (before the sun gets unbearable) ☀️. Thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer.