The Spirit of Penn's Garden - February 22, 2017 by The Spirit

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WEEK FEBRUARY 22, 2017 VOL. 2 NO. 08

SPRING GARDEN SCHOOL RENOVATION Philadelphia Boys Choir donates funds from Holiday concert to adaptive reuse project. 4

YOUTHQUAKE The Monkey & the Elephant hosts night featuring Philadelphia’s young poets. 5

LOCALLY LGBT+ Local educators and activists join Mayor Kenney’s LGBT Commission. 6

ACCU-REGGIE 7-day weather forecast for the region. 3

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Events and happenings in our neighborhoods. 7

HOT OFF THE

PRESS

n February 15th, Temple University’s Africology and African-American Studies Department hosted its 14th annual Underground Railroad and Black History Conference. A Temple tradition since 2002, the conference is the only academic conference throughout the nation that specifically addresses the history of the Underground Railroad and the Civil war. The symposium has always been free and open to the public and this year, it was directed by Dr. Anthony Waskie and Dr. Nilgün Anadolu-Okur. The program featured two keynote speakers, Dr. Quito Swan from Howard University and Dr. Judith Giesberg from Villanova University. Amy Cohen and Timothy Welbeck, Esq., conducted a panel on Octavius Catto. The panel consisted of a slideshow and discussion on the African- American Army Major from the Civil War. Cohen discussed Catto’s life as a young African-American man born free in Charleston, South Carolina in 1839. “Black History is not only about slavery,” Cohen observed. Catto excelled academically and was assassinated at age 32 after a distinguished military career and years of work as a civil rights activist. His remains are interred in Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Delaware County. “This story of free black life is one that doesn’t get told a lot,” Cohen said. “Looking at slavery as the only experience of black people in this country really doesn’t do justice to the full experience.” Cohen added that Catto is relevant to today’s youth and should be recognized because he advocated heavily for academic achievement.

Catto was a top student at the Institute for Colored Youth, where he learned Latin and Greek, in addition to other academic subjects. Cohen drew parallels between Catto’s life and the Black Lives Matter movement today. She explained that the movement’s roots run deep in African-American history. Catto was assassinated by a man named Frank Kelly on a particularly violent election day on Oct. 10, 1871 in Philadelphia. The murder was racially charged as was that election day, with black voters being intimidated by white democrat voters who were trying to surpress the black Republican vote. Cohen drew a parallel between the racially-charged violence in America today that catalyzed the current Black Lives Matter movement. Kelly was acquitted of the murder despite all the witnesses, both black and white, who recognized him as the killer, Cohen said. Professor Judith Giesberg, a history professor at Villanova University, presented a pitch to involve students in building a digital archive of African-American history. Giesberg authored various books about women and the Civil War, including “Emilie Davis’s Civil War: The Diaries of Free Black Woman in Philadelphia”. With one of her classes at Villanova, Giesberg transcribed and annotated Continued on Page 2.

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

Continued from Page 1. Emilie Davis’s diaries. Davis was an African-American woman who lived in Philadelphia during the Civil War. Davis was born a free woman and attended the Institute for Colored Youth while working as a domestic, Giesberg told the audience. She only kept three diaries from the years 1863 to 1865 that document black Philadelphians celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation, her anxiety during the Battle of Gettysburg and her worries over Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Giesberg explained why transcribing Davis’s diaries was a priority. “We don’t have a whole lot of documents telling us about young women like her,” Giesberg said. “We don’t have a lot of diaries written by African-American women during this time period, much less someone like Emilie who’s underrepresented in many ways.” Davis was a working class, African American woman who worked her way through school during the Civil War. In her diary, readers can learn details about the Civil War that are not widely known, such as the experience of having refugees entering Philadelphia to escape the Confederate Army. This digital project can be viewed at davisdiaries.villanova.edu. A more recent project Giesberg has been working on is digitizing “Information Wanted” advertisements. These ads were placed in African-American newspapers by families who were looking for loved ones lost through slave sales during the Antebellum Period. Margaret Jerrido, the archivist of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, is working on the project with Giesberg. Giesberg and Jerrido are locating the ads from Accessible Archives and scanning them into a website they created called informationwanted.org. Giesberg hopes to receive funding to pay someone with web design experience to spruce up the website. The purpose of the project is to make this information more accessible, making sure to remove paywalls, and to tell family histories. She obtained the ads from a service called Accessible Archives, which Giesberg noted is very expensive. “These ads are extraordinary,” Giesberg said. “Each ad tells a family history.” Black history encompasses more than slavery and the African-American experience, as Dr. Quito Swan presented in his discussion on black communities fighting colonialism in the South Pacific, eventually leading to the Black Power Movement. Swan is a history professor at Howard University. His research and publications encompass topics such as transnational black protest and liberation struggles, Pan-African Movements, Black Power in the Caribbean and Garveyism and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Swan’s presentation took the audience to the South Pacific, a region he described as one of “the most invisible regions of the black world.” When Europeans began to colonize the South Pacific in the late 18th century, they brought African slaves to these islands. Those slaves and their descendants eventually formed their own distinct communities. While the Western world celebrated the end of World War II after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the South Pacific still continued to suffer under constant nuclear weapons testing from Western powers. “From an American context, we think of World War II as the end,” Swan said. “For the South Pacific, it’s just the beginning.” Pacific Islanders have a broader perspective of the connection to the black world, he said. When asked by a conference attendee if the position of black people in Australia was the same as that in the United States, Swan replied that it is. “Yes. They’ve both been oppressed by the same Fascist system.” •

Presentation on Octavius Catto / Ruthann Alexander

Judith Giesberg /Ruthann Alexander

South Pacific Black Power Movement /Ruthann Alexander South Pacific Slaves /Ruthann Alexander

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

FORECAST FOR PENN’S GARDEN

accu-reggie TWITTER: @ACCUREGGIE • FACEBOOK: ACCU-REGGIE

hat the heck! You call this Winter?! This is a joke and a disgrace to anything associated with “Winter.” Yea, that’s how I really feel. The blowtorch, snowless and pathetic Winter continues! This week will be nothing short of what we saw last week; crazy warmth for the first half and then cooler for the second half. The weekend is when the transition to cooler weather will occur. While we will probably see more snow before winter is officially over in March, the chances of a good storm are quickly fading away. Is this warmth because of Global Warming? Well, kind of. So while it’s hard to paint discrete events at the result

of global warming, the macro warming trends are pretty clear. What do I mean? The average temperature in February is warmer in Philadelphia than it was say 100 years ago. So while 70 degree warmth in February is nothing new, the warmth is more warm now and the cold is less cold - when averaged out this bumps the average temperature up for a given time period. So 100 years ago in the same pattern we would’ve gotten warm but maybe only to 68 on Sunday, now, since the earth is warmer, we made it to 70. So it’s not the fact that it got warm, but that it got warmer when it got warm. Wednesday and Thursday are warm Spring-like days.

Temps will be in the 60s and near 70 in some places. Friday is the warmest day of the week as temps scream past 70. We could see a early morning sprinkle in places. Saturday starts off very warm before thunderstorms arrive in the afternoon and we turn windy and cold! Sunday is a chilly day as seasonal temperatures return. It will feel much colder because we are used to extreme winter warmth. We could see some light snow and rain on Monday, followed up by a bigger storm on Tuesday that would start as snow and ice before changing to rain. Yes, Winter is going to make a comeback! •

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

WRITTEN BY RUTHANN ALEXANDER

Spring Garden School

P H I L A D E L P H I A B O Y S C H O I R D O N A T E S F U N D S F R O M H O L I D AY C O N C E R T T O A D A P T I V E R E U S E P R O J E C T

he Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale (PBCC) presented a check for funds raised from their annual Holiday concert ticket sale to HELP USA on February 7th. HELP USA is a New York-based charity that assists low-income people with temporary, transitional housing. In addition, HELP runs homelessness prevention programs and builds and operates affordable permanent rental apartments. The donation of $2500 will go toward HELP USA’s project to transform the Spring Garden School No. 1 building at 12th and Ogden into housing for low-income and homeless veterans. Those present at the event included PBCC Executive Director Stephan Stoekl, Artistic Director Jeffrey Smith, members of the choir, as well as two chorale members who are veterans. Senior Vice President David Cleghorn, the Spring Garden School Project Construction Team and representatives from the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) were also present. Stoekl said the money will be used by HELP USA to build a “Tribute Wall” in the tenant lobby of the old Spring Garden School building. The wall will tell the history of the neighborhood and the former school. Having recently relocated to North Philadelphia from Powelton Village, Stoekl said the PBCC wanted to contribute as a new neighbor. “We started out saying that we moved into this neighborhood not that long ago and we wanted to help out and be a part of things,” Stoekl said. “Spring Garden is important to us and it was a good cause.” The PBCC donated one dollar per ticket sold from their annual holiday concert series, totaling $2500, Stoekl said. When the choir presented the check to HELP USA, the boys, in their red jackets, wore red hard hats as they were given a tour of the construction area of the old school, Stoekl said. HELP USA and the PHA are collaborating on this project. Their plan for the space is to transform the classrooms into apartment units for residential use. Upon completion of the project, a total of 37 units of affordable housing for low-income seniors, 12 of which will be used for formerly homeless veterans, will be occupied. “We have all of these vets who defended our country, vets not being taken care of. It seemed like a good cause to us,” Stoekl said. HELP USA has been working in the region for 20 years. The school, which has been vacant for decades, will be the organization’s fifth site in Philadelphia. According to the organization’s website, HELP USA was founded in 1986 and has served more than 375,000 women, men and children throughout its history. Over the years, the agency has provided 3,500 units of permanent and transitional housing. According to the Inquirer, HELP USA began repurposing the old school building in August 2016. The Spring Garden School No. 1 building is located on 12th Street between Ogden and Parrish Streets and was designed by Irwin Thornton Catharine, who was chief architect of the Philadelphia public school system from 1920 to 1937. Featuring a limestone entrance, limestone parapet and decorative tile, the school was built from 1927-28. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The building is three stories, made of three-bay brick in the Moderne style. The PHA owns the building and is leasing it to HELP USA and providing Section 8 rental vouchers for all tenants. Additionally, low-income tax credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, $1.3 million in small grants, a $500,000 mortgage and $300,000 from HELP USA’s board members and others have contributed to the $13.6 million goal for the project. The historic building will not be demolished, Stoekl said. Instead, it will be preserved and adaptively reused. Construction is scheduled to be completed by September 2017. •

Spring Garden School No. 1 /Courtesy HELP USA

HELP USA President and CEO Tom Hameline accepts PBCC’s $2,500 check. /Courtesy HELP USA

Congressman Bob Brady, HELP USA President and CEO Tom Hameline, PHA President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah, and Council President Darrell L. Clarke break ground at the Spring Garden School No. 1 building. /Courtesy HELP USA

The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

WRITTEN BY SEAN KEARNEY

Youthquake

T H E M O N K E Y & T H E E L E P H A N T H O S T S N I G H T F E AT U R I N G P H I L A D E L P H I A’ S Y O U N G P O E T S

n the third Thursday of every month, young poets between the ages of 13 and 23 are welcomed to The Monkey & the Elephant Café (2831 W Girard Avenue) for Youthquake, one of Brewerytown Social’s longest standing events. Brewerytown Social is a group of businesses and artists in the neighborhood that have been organizing Brewerytown’s First Friday events since 2015. Unlike other groups that organize First Friday events, Brewerytown Social seeks to intertwine the fun of First Friday events with the important work of social activism. Youthquake starts with an open mic style sign up period where any of the young poets who are attending can sign up if they would like to read. After the open mic portion of the night, a predetermined feature youth poet takes the stage, headlining the night. February’s edition of Youthquake featured 4 young poets, 3 of which signed up for the open mic, and 1 feature. The poets were not shy to tackle subjects such as race, sexuality, loss, abuse and love. The mood is welcoming and inclusive, with the crowd snapping fingers in encouragement when a reader begins to stumble or freeze, and wooing loudly when a reader nails a line. When asked how old he is, Mount Airy native Lindo Jones simply replied, “I’m timeless. I’m secretly a man that’s lived a couple lifetimes.” Jones was one of the readers that night and it was his first Youthquake. “I’ve been hearing about the open mic for a minute and decided to come out finally and check it out,” Jones said. “What really kept me, because I came mad early, was just the vibe in here, they were playing hip-hop, the folks were really approachable and welcoming—and the corn muffins were really great. I ate like, 3 corn muffins while I was here!” What made an even bigger impression on Jones than the corn muffins was The Monkey & the Elephant’s business structure: a non-profit that employs youth that have “aged out” of the foster system. “Once they told us about why this space is here and who they are bringing into the community, and giving back, I was like, ‘alright, now this has got to be a spot I always go to.’ I’ll be back here more,” Jones said. Zillah Elcin, another one of the readers that night, explained that since poetry is sometimes made just to be performed, it makes it difficult for people’s work to get into the open world and out of the notebook or cell phone it was written on. “It’s not really a thing you get a lot of opportunities to do. So it’s just a good chance to stretch those muscles,” Elcin said. Featured poet Aliyah Palmer (@svpa.nova on Instagram) and her friend and fellow reader Kegan (@king.kegan), were also first timers of Youthquake. “I really like it, it’s really calm, down to earth,” Kegan said. “People were really supportive.” “It’s very nostalgic,” Palmer said. “They keep their cookies in mason jars!” While the energy in the room certainly helped, Palmer explained that reading work in front of a crowd, let alone being the feature poet, is a daunting task. “I was really nervous,” Palmer said, laughing. “But I like how everyone is so welcoming. It was really big. I was so nervous. All that pressure, like the feature is supposed to be really great.” Kegan and Palmer, both 18 and from the Oxford Circle neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, feel events like Youthquake are not only nice to have, but necessary. “We need more places like this in Philly,” Palmer said. “I’ll give advice for the youth, anything can happen. I was bullied and I never pictured myself being here.” When asked what she meant by “being here”, Kegan jumped in. “Being around so many new people. I was really introverted, plus I always bullied, so that didn’t help, but now I’m meeting all these new people and going to all these events — it’s crazy.” Palmer agreed. One of Kegan’s poems fittingly ends with the line, “Love is paramount in today’s youth.” As the readers finished performing, Maryan Captan, Youthquake’s MC and a founding member of Brewerytown Social, gave the young poets one last bit of advice: “Don’t. Ever. Give. Up. Writing!” Youthquake falls the third Thursday of every month at The Monkey & Elephant, 2831 W. Girard Avenue. You can find out more about Youthquake and other Brewerytown Social events at facebook.com/brewerytownsocial/ •

Aliyah Palmer /Sean Kearney

Kegan (also bottom right)/Sean Kearney

Zillah Elcin /Sean Kearney

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

W R I T T E N B Y S H E A LY N K I L R O Y

Locally LGBT+

L O C A L E D U C A T O R S A N D A C T I V I S T S J O I N M AY O R K E N N E Y ’ S L G B T C O M M I S S I O N

he City announced 23 new members for Mayor Jim Kenney’s Commission on LGBT Affairs on February 14th. The body is intended to advise Mayor Kenney on responsive policies that will best support the lives of LGBT+ Philadelphians. Three members of the board have Temple University ties and foster a strong commitment to North Philadelphia. Malcolm Kenyatta, Dr. Heath Fogg Davis and Dr. Leonore Carpenter plan to focus on LGBT+ rights locally. Malcolm Kenyatta, an alumnus of Temple University’s School of Media and Communication, joins the Commission with his own unique perspective and experiences, having grown up in North Philadelphia as a gay, African-American and Christian man. Kenyatta has activism in his blood — he’s the grandson of the late-Muhammad Kenyatta, a civil rights activist and educator. “The most important title I have is citizen [of North Philadelphia,]” Kenyatta told Spirit News. “We need to tell the true story of North Philly: a story of resilience and color.” Kenyatta has worn many hats: the youngest board member of Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club; a Delegate for the 2nd District at the Democratic National Convention; a featured face in Hillary Clinton’s national campaign ad. The list goes on, but Kenyatta has spent his time in those titles engaging the intersection of LGBT+ life and the North Philly community. As a member on the Mayor’s Commission, Kenyatta plans to expand on what he’s done already. He wants to tackle LGBT+ youth homelessness: 54 percent of Philadelphia’s homeless youth identify as LGBT+, according to a 2015 report by Valley Youth House, a non-profit that provides prevention and intervention services, counseling, life skills and behavioral health services to abused, neglected, and

homeless youth and their families. Kenyatta also wants root out discrimination against transgender people of color. According to the Center for American Progress, 15 percent of transgender people report making less than $10,000 per year. “If we’re not talking about jobs, we’re missing the point,” Kenyatta said. Heath Fogg Davis wants to talk about institutional discrimination for LGBT+ individuals. Davis serves as the Undergraduate Chair and Associate Professor of Temple University’s Political Science Department. From teaching courses on gender, sexuality and law to authoring his book “Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter?”, Davis constantly looks at the need for gender classification in society in his academic work. “I look forward to talking with other members of the Commission about ways in which we can nudge both city government, businesses and schools in our area to question their use of gender classification whether it’s in an application form or a bathroom situation,” Davis told Spirit News. Like Kenyatta’s wide-spanning approach to the Commission, Davis wants to be a “voice to those who maybe have felt marginalized in many different ways by race and socioeconomic class in the city.” In his advocacy, Davis has been an organizer of the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference and the Trans Masculine Advocacy Network. With a place on the Commission, Davis hopes to bring to light issues that those with intersecting social identities, like transgender women of color, face. Additionally, Davis will continue to work on issues trans people face in the public sector on the Commission. “Often, if you take the restroom issue, which is in the public conversation about trans inclusion right now. A lot

of the discussion in the city is accommodating trans people with a separate user bathroom,” Davis said. It does not totally alleviate the discrimination people that are gender variant face in the public sphere, so I’ll be pushing to consider building a restrooms in a different way so they’re not gendered in the first place.” Another Temple faculty member drafted on the Commission is Leonore Carpenter. Carpenter received her law degree from Temple’s Beasley School of Law and now serves as an Associate Professor of Law whose research often centers around LGBT+ rights and the LGBT+ movement. Prior to joining the Temple Law faculty, Carpenter was the Legal Director of Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, who provides legal services to LGBT+ Pennsylvanians. Noting the intersectionality and diversity of North Philadelphia, Carpenter claims that what the Commission pushes for these identities will have a tangible effect for the area. “North Philadelphia is a vibrant community with a diverse mix of students and long-term residents, plenty of whom identify as LGBT,” Carpenter said in an email response to Spirit News. “Because of the diversity of the population of this area of the city, it's likely that almost anything the Commission does will impact someone who lives, works, or studies here.” Kenyatta communicated his faith in Mayor Kenney and Amber Hikes, the newly-appointed LGBT Affairs Director, for what they have done thus far in their work for LGBT+ rights. With the body of leaders who make up the board, Kenyatta describes his faith in the Commission with an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” •

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

COMMUNITY

calendar N E W S @ S P I R I T N E W S . O R G • 1 4 2 8 E . S U S Q U E H A N N A AV E • 2 1 5 . 4 2 3 . 6 2 4 6 February 1-25 TWIST OF NATURE AT CERULEAN ARTS Cerulean Arts is pleased to present Twist of Nature, featuring mixed-media paintings by Caroline Furr and sculptures by Linda Brenner. The artists will talk about their work at 2PM February 12. For more information call (267) 514-8647 or visit ceruleanarts.com. February 1-28 ART EXHIBITION AT RYBREW Local artist Selene Nunez-Cruz is bringing her art exhibition, titled “Hipsturbia Food,” to Rybrew (2816 W. Girard Ave) for the month of February. According to Nunez-Cruz, the exhibit is based on Rybrew ideology: great atmosphere for urban-zen generation seeking out palatable alternatives and drinks in a laid back, retro and authentic place. FREE BIKE PICKUP AND DELIVERY FOR TUNEUPS FROM FAIRMOUNT BICYCLES Fairmount Bicycles is offering free Sunday afternoon pickup and delivery with purchase of full tuneup. Get your bike tuned up without leaving the house and help keep your local bike shop busy this winter! One week turnaround. Here's how it works: 1. Call Fairmount Bicycles to schedule at 267-507-9370 2. They’ll pick up your bike on Sunday 3. They’ll call with an estimate, tune up your bike, take payment, and then... 4. Your bike arrives back at your house the following Sunday! Offer good through the end of February. Delivery range within 2 mile radius of Fairmount Bicycles. February 23rd, 10AM-2PM PUBLIC SECTOR JOB FAIR State Representative Curtis Thomas of the 181st District and his staff will be hosting a public sector job fair at 900 Jefferson Street (formerly the Wakisha School). The event will feature workshops and attendees will be invited to meet public sector employees from the Department of Education, the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Revenue, the City of Philadelphia and more. For more information, contact Sharon Stocker at (215) 5603261 or SStocker@pahouse.net. February 24th, 8:30PM STAND-UP COMEDY SHOW On February 24th, Performance Garage (1515 Brandywine Street) is hosting a comedy show featuring headliner Shane Gillis. Gillis was named 2016 Philly’s Phunniest at Helium Comedy Club. In 2014 he was named Baltimore’s New Co-

median of the Year at Magoobys Joke House. Shane has worked at several clubs including The Stand in NYC, Caroline's on Broadway, Helium Philadelphia, Punchline Philadelphia, and many more. Other featured comics include Michael Adams, Matt McCusker, and Chanel Ali. Doors at 7:30PM. Tickets are available on gillis.brownpaperticket February 25th, 11AM AFRO AMERICAN HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MONTHLY MEETING How to Research African American Family History. Meetings are free and open to the public. Meeting will take place at Community College of Philadelphia, Northwest Campus, in room 244. Will begin promptly at 11AM. For more information call 215-747-2786. February 26th, 10AM REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SYMPOSIUM AT RODEPH SHALOM Rodeph Shalom will host a panel of top local, reproductive endocrinologists to discuss issues surrounding the difficulties of becoming pregnant and the tests and treatments currently available. Q. and A. to follow panel discussion. Free and open to the public.

Mondays, 6-8PM TOUR AMBASSADOR TRAINING PROJECT The Strawberry Civic Association is looking for young and young at heart folks to come out to Mander Rec Center (33rd and Diamond St.) to learn Philadelphia history, Fairmount Park history, museum and trail information, etc. Tourism is a lucrative industry…. Be prepared. For more info call 215-765-9500

Wednesdays, 5-8PM WEDNESDAY NIGHTS GAMEPLAY Every week there are different games to play in the galleries of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Play with friends or with fellow visitors in friendly competition provided by the Museum. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100. Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30PM MAKE STUFF A drop-in program to craft handmade objects or create art being surrounded by the art of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Activities include sketching, knitting, Lego fun or even creating a puzzle. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100 NETWORKING EVENTS 1st Tuesday of the Month, 6:30-8:30PM DIG - Philadelphia Commercial Sub Group Diversified Investors Group Meetup for London Grill 2301 Fairmount Avenue For more info, contact Joe Scorese 215-290-5108 jscorese@ firstrust.com ASK MAYOR KENNEY Have a question for Mayor Jim Kenney? Spirit News is giving you the opportunity to ask! Just email your question to news@spiritnews.org and in a few weeks we will be publishing the answers.

Tuesdays, 7-8:30PM SUPPORT GROUP FOR PARENTS Learn about substance use and mental health disorders every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at Rodeph Shalom (615 N Broad St). This group is for parents living with adolescent and adult children living with addiction and brain disease. Those affected can share experiences and resources as well as how to support their children anonymously. For further information contact Caron at 800-854-6023 or Rabbi Jill Maderer at (215)-627-6747 x216 or rabbimaderer@ rodephshalom.org. Tuesdays, 7-9PM OPEN MIC NIGHT Mugshots Coffeehouse (1925 Fairmount Ave.) hosts an open mic night every Tuesday. For more information visit Facebook.

Did you know that Spirit News has it’s own radio show? Tune into Spirit News Radio every Wednesday night on WPPM - FM 106.5 from 6-6:30PM. We discuss local news, arts and entertainment pertaining to the various neighborhoods we cover across Philadelphia. Can’t tune in live? You can download our radio show each week in podcast form on iTunes, SoundCloud and Google Play. Thanks for tuning in!

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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – February 22, 2017

WRITTEN BY DANIEL O’NIEL

movie reviews S H O R T R E V I E W S F O R F I L M S P L AY I N G A T 1 6 0 0 N . B R O A D S T R E E T

John Wick: Chapter 2 A few years after the events of the original John Wick, “Chapter 2” picks up with the notoriously deadly and secretive hitman known as John Wick (Keanu Reeves), who has made something of a nice and peaceful life for him and his new pooch. But Wick’s new life is threatened when a former confidante shows up on his door-step asking for him to do one final job for him. Wick is reluctant, but nonetheless agrees due to his obligation to the “organization”. From there on out, “Chapter 2” becomes an absolutely wild and insane ride with a ludicrous amount of violence, but it all works. Just like the original earned its reputation with amazing fight choreography and camera work, the sequel proves that there’s more to this character and to this universe. Fans of the original will love and adore this one, and even those who are looking for more of a smart, thought-provoking film will probably find themselves cheering for more by the end of John Wick: Chapter 2.

The LEGO Batman Movie Has Batman been done to death by now? According to LEGO, apparently not. In “The LEGO Batman Movie”, Batman is voiced by Will Arnett who plays the caped crusader as an egotistical, mean, arrogant and rude know-it-all. Now with the Joker (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) on the loose and causing all sorts of havoc, Batman will have to learn to love and accept people for who they are. It sounds simple and conventional, which it sort of is. What separates this from the other slew of animated films is it’s self-awareness. “The Lego Batman Movie” doesn’t simply give us a conventional Batman story, but instead, cracks jokes at the man himself – his story, his characters and most of all, just what it is about the character that so many people find appealing. It’s a fun movie that was made for kids, but there’s still plenty of fun jokes for adults to have a laugh at. •

North Broad AMC (1600 N. Broad St.)/Max Pulcini

Steel Work Strength