Haverford House

A couple weeks ago, Lizzy and I toured some social justice organizations in North Philly. Among them was the Church of the Advocate, a church that serves as a center for community organizing. While the church was designed and built by a famous architect, during the civil rights movement, the congregation recognized that the art throughout the building did not represent any African American history. In addition to serving as a center for civil rights organizing therefore, the church commissioned a series of murals that represent stories from the old testament with images of the civil rights movement.

www.churchoftheadvocate.org/

Last night I went to my first professional sporting event! I feel pretty lucky that for my first pro ball game I

1. Got to experience it with famously (some might say infamously) enthusiastic phans
2. Saw the home team win 2:4!
3. Had access to what Food Network has named the #1 ballpark food for vegetarians
4. Had an amazing view of the Philadephia skyline
5. (Despite the fact that I had a nosebleed seat) both felt like I had a good view of the game and had access to what the stadium’s website says is a video display “which is the largest in the National League and among the largest in the world.”
6. Was inspired me to look up fun facts about the Phillies. For instance, that for two seasons our mascot was the Blue Jay.

From my seat at the 8/24Phillies game against the Nationals

The summer internship program at the Center for Public Health Research drew to a close this July, and Haverford was well represented! Four generations of Haverford students were present at the interns’ poster session, including past and present Public Health Fellows Peter(s) Block and Sacci, summer interns Kate Donches and Hiba Dhanani, and founding Director Stan Miller. The presentations went well and lunch was provided, so it was an all around great day.

Left to right: Peter Block (’11), Kate Donches (’14), Dr. Stan Miller (’77), Hiba Dhanani (’14), and Peter Sacci (’12…that’s me)

It’s been almost a month since we’ve moved into Haverford House, and, after a valiant effort, I’m realizing that it is physically impossible to go to every market, march, and museum that happens on any given day in Philly. There are simply too many incredible things going on at once! Neverthless, the thought of missing any of them bothers me. So, until I can sit still and chill out about the fact that we live in the coolest neighborhood, one tool I’ve used in maximizing my ability to go everywhere and see everything is…biking!

I’ve always liked cycling, but, thanks in part to an awesome tour led by Chloe Tucker and Parker Snowe during our orientation week, that like has turned into a newfound love.

Just a few of the endless advantages to biking, in a nutshell:
1) I can get home from work around 5, buy my fresh produce in Clarke Park, my Q-tips at CVS, and the most delicious Baklava in the country from Manakeesh, all in under twenty minutes–which leaves enough time to catch an outdoor movie on the Schuylkill or grab a happy hour beer with some friends at Dock Street.
2) I can whiz over to the bike path near Cobbs Creek for a much-needed nature fix after a day spent in the office.
3) I can head east on Spruce and let the downhill breeze cure the near-permanent sweat stains that haunt almost anyone enduring the wrath of Philadelphia humidity.

A wishlist of destinations I’d like to bike to in the future:
1) Valley Forge
2) Over the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey
3) Bartram’s Garden

Suggestions for other places to visit by bike would be much appreciated!

Just had my 2-week check in meeting with the new fellows. The class of 2012 is a serious group, thoughtfully grappling with the practicalities of doing social justice work in Philly, from getting the hang of a 9 to 5 schedule, to encountering clients and communities facing serious challenges.

Anyone have some advice for college grads starting out in the non-profit world?

So living on a budget and having eating/drinking out be one of your favorite pastimes are not things I thought would be compatible for me in Philadelphia this year. And yes, I have definitely splurged on a particularly cool locally brewed beer or freshly baked cupcake a little too often. But something I have been pleasantly surprised with thus far is the number of otherwise pricey places that offer specials on a somewhat regular basis for the thriftier foodies out there.

Two of the great specials that some of my housemates and I have taken advantage of so far are Center City Sips and the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll.

Center City Sips is a happy hour (5-7pm) Wednesday night special during the summers where you can go to a participating Center City bar and get half priced appetizers, $3 beer, $4 wine, and $5 cocktails. This week a bunch of us went to 13 Restaurant where we had some delicious refreshments outside with live music.

The Dollar Stroll was really cool because it gave us the chance to try out a lot of restaurants that are really close to us for really cheap. Basically, during the Dollar Stroll you can walk down Baltimore and try some $1 specials at restaurants that you might not be able to afford to go to otherwise. My favorite specials? Probably the WHYY ice cream scoop from Milk and Honey Market and the vegan hot dog from Gold Standard Café.

Alas, my fellowship year has ended *sigh*. However, with my departure (along with my former housemates) comes the arrival of an entirely new, bright-eyed bunch of fellows! And I have the great pleasure of introducing them to the blogosphere!! Here they are:

Meg Bishop majored in psych at Haverford and will be working at Community Partnership School (CPS) this year. She hails from NYC.

Emily Dix also majored in psych and will be working alongside Meg at CPS. She is originally from Austin, TX.

Molly Minden will be working at Community Legal Services this year. She majored in Political Science and hails from Madison, WI.

Peter Sacci majored in chemistry (and minored in Spanish) at Haverford. He’ll be taking on my former placement at the Center for Public Health Research at Lankenau Medical Center. He’s from Baltimore, MD

Bea Sanchez was an anthro major and will be working at the Center for Hunger-Free Communities. She’s originally from San Juan, PR

Lizzy Wingfield majored in Philosophy and wil be spending her fellowship year at Philadelphia Legal Assistance. She hails from Middleburgh, NY.

I got to hang out with all of them during their orientation week. So I can personally attest their individual — and collective — awesomeness. Moreover, during orientation we visited a number of great sites throughout Philadelphia, ate lots of delicious food, and met with community organizers. Here were some of the things we did, which are definitely worth doing/checking out (if you haven’t already):

Places to Visit

• Bartram’s Garden — The large estate of 18th Century botanist, John Bartram, is located along the Schuylkill River in West Philadelphia. With its meadows, parkland, gardens and newly budding orchard, the 45 acre property is an idyllic escape from city life. Bartram’s Garden hosts service-oriented and family-fun events throughout the year. Indeed, we helped clean the garden’s wetlands through an organized volunteer cleanup!
• Mural Arts Program — Philadelphia is a city of murals and some of its best are found within the city’s center. The Mural Arts Program commissions many of the murals, as well as hosts a plethora of themed tours. During our orientation, we went on the mile walking tour, which was incredible (despite the heat!).
• Paul Robeson House — Paul Robeson, a modern day Renaissance Man (he was an critically acclaimed performer, lawyer, NFL football player, and civil rights activist during the early to mid 20th Century) spent part of his life living, quite literally, a few blocks away from Haverford House. His house now holds lectures, art and music performances, and guided tours throughout the year. A few of the fellows stopped by the house on a bike tour of West Philly, which was led by Parker Snowe.

Places to Eat/Drink

Desi Village – delicious Indian food on 45th and Baltimore Ave

Dock Street Brewery – some of the best beer and pizza in Philadelphia. They also host really cool events throughout the year (like the Dock St. Beer Run). Located at 50th and Baltimore, it’s a two minute walk from Haverford House (so super convenient!)

Elena’s Soul Lounge —  Located between 49th and 50th and Baltimore, Elena’s has great food, drinks, music, and people. They also have free live jazz on the first Tuesday of every month — definitely worth checking out.

Vientiane — my favorite restaurant in West Philly. It’s a thai-fusion restaurant with a cozy atmosphere, delicious food for reasonable prices, and BYOB. It is, however, cash-only.

And with this final post my active involvement with the Haverford House program will come to an end. It’s been a great run. To the CPGC — thank you for defining my time at Haverford. To the new fellows: you, all of you, are such great people. I am excited to see how your respective years pan out.

Wishing you all the best,
Peter

The 52nd street corridor, which is a few blocks west of Haverford House, has long been known as a place fraught with crime, poverty, and fear. However, it wasn’t always that way. According to Shirely Randleman, a long-time west Philly resident and President of the 52nd Street Business Association, it was the place to be in the 1950s. Yet, shifting demographics devastated the area and the 52nd street corridor lost its commercial appeal.

But a return to form is already underway. Overcoming a crime-ridden stigma that has defined the strip for years, savvy business owners are reclaiming its history. Check out Hidden City’s recent article that details the rebirth of the 52nd street corridor through interviews with local business owners (including Ms. Randleman!): hiddencityphila.org/2012/04/the-skinny-and-everything-more-on-52nd-street/

Meet Adhanom Tesfamariam, owner of produce truck at 52nd & Cedar

I just returned from what was an INCREDIBLE experience. I was in Houston, TX for the Community-Campus Partnerships in Health‘s national conference. The conference shed light on the increasing number of collaborative efforts between community organizations and academic institutions that aim to promote social justice and health equity in their shared communities. Indeed, I presented the work of the multi-institutional coalition that was formed during my fellowship year between the tri-co, Drexel, Villanova, and Lankenau Medical Center.

The conference ran from April 18th to the 21st and was very much a working conference. The days began at 7 am and ended around 5 pm. Notably, I attended a workshop on geographic information systems (GIS) in community-based research, a “lessons-learned” lecture on a university-community partnership between UCSF and 12 neighboring organizations, and a networking event for conference attendees from the mid-atlantic region. While presentations and workshops filled the days, the conference hosts fed us well! Catered breakfast, lunch, and dinner was provided every day.

The weather in Houston was gorgeous– the temperature hovered between 60 – 80 degrees throughout the day and night with virtually no humidity. So  I simply couldn’t resist the chance to explore the city . My city adventures took me to galleries, parks, and eateries scattered throughout Houston’s multi-center cityscape.

I could keep rambling, but I’ll let my pictures do the talking:

The central meeting area was the Westin Galleria Hotel's ballroom! General lectures and meals were held here for the 500 attendees.

My poster and me! I presented a poster on the collaborative efforts between The Center for Public Health Research at Lankenau, the CPGC, and other nearby colleges. I received lots of great feedback at the conference!

This architectural feat was located right behind my hotel. The waterwall is a semi-circular waterfall that stands at 64 feet.

Houston does not have a subway or trolley system. Rather, they have one tram that runs up and down the central downtown area. However, the tram's tracks are lined with an exquisite garden and fountain! How lovely!

After walking all over Houston, I stumbled upon this tiny Mexican eatery. Super cheap and super delicious. I wish I remembered the name of the place, as their tacos were, perhaps, the best I've ever devoured.

The best art exhibit in the city: Project Row House (PRH). PRH is a neighborhood-based cultural epicenter in Houston's Third Ward. PRH repurposed 12 row homes that serve as exhibition spaces for resident artists to celebrate African American history and culture. For more info, visit their website: http://projectrowhouses.org/

Just south of the downtown area was Hermann Park. My favorite section was the wildlife preserve, which provided a striking contrast to the city's skyline.

Another amazing (and free) art space in Houston is the Station Museum. A huge warehouse dedicated to the contemporary and fine arts. Their current exhibitions depict the Occupy movement through photo and conceptual art installations. For more info on the museum: http://www.stationmuseum.com//index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

The BEST part of the conference was the community site visits. The conference had arranged for participants to sign up to tour different community organizations in Houston. I had the opportunity to visit The Baker-Ripley Community Center. The center is the flagship center of Neighborhood Centers, a nonprofit that works with communities to create safe and resource-rich areas in their communities. For more info on Neighborhood Centers: www.neighborhood-centers.org/en-us/default.aspx

The Baker-Ripley Center was, literally, a campus of buildings designed for and by the surrounding community. There were classrooms, a library, health and legal clinics, a credit union, and park. But the coolest building was the "Art Shop" shown above. The center hosted 3 resident artists each year to beautify the surrounding neighborhoods through workshops and larger art installations.

Did I mention the center houses a neighborhood elementary school? Yeah, well, they do! And we got to hang out with the first graders during their gardening class. During this time we learned how to seed different plants like basil, chamomile, etc. So much fun!

To celebrate my last night in Houston, I went out to the oldest bar in the city: La Carafe. Dimly let with candles and hanging red lights, the bar maintained a 19th century drinking cavern aesthetic. Note the two towering candles -- between them sits a crank cash register, which is still used. For better or worse, the place is cash only.

On April 6th, Dr. Tom Farley, the NYC Health Commissioner, visited the campuses of Haverford College and Lankenau Medical Center to give two captivating lectures on his current public health campaigns. His visit was jointly sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship and the Center for Public Health Research at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research.

Dr. Farley, a former graduate of Haverford College, persuasively argued that in order to promote the health of a society, health education simply will not suffice. To truly improve the public’s health, the landscape — or healthscape — of society must also be changed. He pointed to NYC’s Health Department, which has made remarkable strides in decreasing smoking among NYC residents. These changes, Dr. Farley noted, are due in large part to the environmental approaches enacted by the Health Department (i.e. hiked cigarette taxes, increased smoke-free areas, etc).

Perhaps the biggest battle his department has waged has been against (excessively) unhealthy eating, a topic that he dealt with at length in his presentations. Since 2011, Dr. Farley and the NYC Health Department have unleashed a plethora of progressive policies, counter-advertisements, and alterations in NYC’s physical environment to discourage residents from eating sugary, high fat foods and drinks. From proposed soda taxes to “making NYC your gym” to viral-videos about the health consequences of excessive sugary drink consumption, Dr. Farley’s work is receiving praise  and scorn from all corners of American society. Regardless, his message is being heard and, even more importantly, seems to be working. In the winter of 2011, the CDC reported that childhood obesity rates dropped 1.2% in NYC, which was the largest decline among all US cities.

Beyond showing the effectiveness of aggressive public health campaigns, Dr. Farley’s lectures resonated with my impression of our place in modern day America. How we act in the world is very much influenced by the world itself. The choices we make, the possibilities and limitations we face — indeed our very wellbeing — are in many ways contingent upon the things we are surrounded by.

Yet, while our built environments typically have every intention of promoting people’s wellbeing, there can be — and often are — negative repercussions. But insofar as our landscape has been built, perhaps it can also be changed. And indeed, Dr. Farley’s lectures demonstrated that “healthscaping” is not only possible, but already underway.

Dr. Farley has received a lot of criticism from the food industry for his aggressive policies, but he takes it in stride. Note the political cartoon in the background!