How Philly-born TV news harmed Black America | Morning Newsletter

Expect a chilly Tuesday in the 40s – which will still feel like a stark contrast to yesterday’s frigid weather.

On the heels of an examination of our own role in perpetuating systemic racism, today, as part of The Inquirer’s “A More Perfect Union” project, we examine how Philly-born TV news has depicted and disparaged Black Americans. 🔒

And we bring you the story of the Ukrainian Nationals, the Philly-area soccer organization with a storied history of success on the field and advocacy for its native homeland off of it. More than 50 years later, the team finds history repeating itself.

Also, local reactions to Will Smith’s Oscars slap heard around the world.

Just a reminder that 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.

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

That’s the headline of the second installment in “A More Perfect Union,” a special project from The Inquirer examining the roots of systemic racism in America through institutions founded in Philadelphia.

Our first installment took a look at The Inquirer’s past transgressions through a piece by Pulitzer prize-winning writer Wesley Lowery, called ”Black City, White Paper.”

And while the institution of local broadcast news is a younger one, it’s among the most ubiquitous. It’s a medium that has deepened racial tensions and reinforced racial stereotypes about communities of color.

Its birthplace? Philly. Starting with Eyewitness News in 1965, and Action News in 1970, these original broadcasts spread to stations across the country — and with them, negative narratives about neighborhoods that would effectively “other” certain groups based largely on race, class, and zip code.

Advertisements featuring affluent white people buying cars, getting home loans, and using cleaning products were interspersed between news reports, offering a stark contrast to the content of the 30-minute broadcasts.

Our reporter Layla A. Jones offers a look into the world of broadcast through the eyes of former reporters, anchors, and the people whose lives have been affected by its portrayal of communities of color.

After World War II, many Ukrainians found their way to our shores. Now tens of thousands call Philadelphia home.

That original community created a storied North Broad-based soccer club, the Ukrainian Nationals, whose historic success was a direct snub to Ukraine’s Soviet oppressors.

⚽ Who were the Nationals? In the 1960s, the Nationals, also known as “Tryzub” after the Ukrainian coat of arms, was a ragtag group that took the American soccer landscape by storm. They won almost everything, including national titles, and emerged as ambassadors of pride in an era when Ukrainian athletes could compete only under Soviet flags.

⚽ He said it: “It was a pride for Philadelphia, but also something that the Politburo in the Soviet Union had to read about,” said Eugene Luciw, a team historian and president of the local chapter of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. “They were trying to obliterate the Ukrainian national identity, but these darned Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals were champions of the United States.”

⚽ Where are they now? Though the club’s professional dominance has faded, the organization thrives through elite youth soccer programs, amateur clubs, and its men’s majors team now at Tryzub-Ukrainian American Sports Center, the club’s sprawling complex in North Wales.

⚽ Fighting for Ukraine, revisited: The Nationals have again become ambassadors, this time in the fight for the very survival of Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion, the club has partnered with the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, to direct humanitarian aid, medical supplies, clothing, and food. Many club families have offered to open their doors to refugees, according to Luciw.

Our reporter Mike Newall met with several club members to talk about their efforts and just how much history has apparently repeated itself.

If you’d like to support Ukraine, we have this rundown of a few organizations that would greatly appreciate your efforts.

As told by our food, our dialects and our neighborhoods, we know Philly is a diversity-rich city. However … today’s question: Where do most of Philadelphia’s immigrant residents come from? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. Latin America

b. Asia

c. Europe

d. Africa

😕 Explaining: What child pornography and QAnon had to do with Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

🏠 Reading: This photographic exploration of Philly neighborhoods as conveyed through its architecture, in a recent book called Philadelphia: A City of Homes.

🧺 Visiting: Black Soul Vintage, the secondhand shop expanding from online-only to a Germantown brick-and-mortar location.

With this frigid weather, a hearty bowl from this Camden-based company sounds really good right about now.

LOMA LEPP BUCS’S

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shoutout goes to Heljena McKenney of Feasterville who correctly guessed BETSY ROSS as Monday’s answer.

Catch you tomorrow, Philly. Enjoy today. 🌞