Philadelphia Celebrates Juneteenth 2024

A holiday with Philly roots includes some of the city's biggest events of the year, from Germantown to West Philadelphia to Southwest and Old City — and then some

By Abigail Chang and Lauren McCutcheon
Guest Commentary

The Watermelon and the Flag in Our Upside-Down World

On waving symbols, extreme national distress and the regressive swing of the pendulum

By James Peterson
Guest Commentary

50 Completely True Things About Israel and Palestine

In the wake of Citizen stories about the encampments at Penn, several readers forwarded a Palestinian-American’s Medium post about simple truths we would all be wise to remember

By Mo Husseini
Excerpt

“You’re In This Fight”

How a peaceful march, a misguided cop and a rubber bullet turned Canadian-born (by way of Kenya, South Africa and India) Ali Velshi into a true American. An excerpt from Small Acts of Courage, the MSNBC anchor and Citizen board member’s new memoir, launching May 7, in Philly

By Ali Velshi
Ideas We Should Steal

Climate Resilience Hubs

When government was slow to help Wilmington, DE residents hit by Hurricane Ida, one woman stepped up with a grassroots disaster response team that is now a permanent fixture. Could a similar program help underserved Philly communities at climate risk?

By Angie Bacha
Guest Commentary

Grow Your Own Black Teacher Pipeline

A donor helped fund a fellowship to bring new teachers of color to a suburban district. Here’s why a local educator thinks it’s an idea worth stealing

By Matt Reid
Citizen of the Week

Yvonne Hughes

A West Philly native turned a life-changing disability into a lifetime of advocacy, speaking up for Philadelphians in need — and encouraging others to speak up for themselves

By Lisa Bryant
Art for Change

A Grand and Gorgeous Abstraction

Odili Donald Odita draws on a unique combination of traditional African art, minimalism, and pop culture influences in his abstract paintings that respond to contemporary social issues. The latest in a series with Forman Arts Initiative

By RJ Rushmore
Listen

Ali Velshi on the Need for DEI in Medicine

The MSNBC anchor and Citizen Board member on why hospitals — and Congress — must address the health care crisis of Black Americans.

By Ali Velshi

A Healing Embrace

Homelessness can cut life expectancy by 20 years, in part because of health issues that particularly affect women. A new Project HOME safe haven offers women a place to heal

By Jessica Blatt Press