Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia

Our registration for the May 11 Greater Philadelphia Roundtable, "Philadelphia's Black Attorneys," has reached the capacity of 200! Thanks to everyone, especially Michael Coard, Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Barristers for helping to spread the word. We encourage anyone who still wishes to attend this program to register for the waiting list at http://attorneys.eventbrite.com . Also, if you registered but will not attend, please let us know so that your place may be opened to someone on the waiting list. We look forward to seeing so many people next Tuesday evening! We will also post a summary of the program on the Encyclopedia's web site so it will be accessible to an even wider audience.

We have been thrilled with the interest in our April 22 roundtable, "Imagining Philadelphia's Future," at the Academy of Natural Sciences. For a brief time, we had reached the capacity of our room, but thanks to the generosity of the Academy we have moved the event into the auditorium there. Registration has been opened once again, so please invite friends and colleagues. Everyone on the waiting list should receive an email notice so they may confirm their registration. Thanks to Young Involved Philadelphia and all of our partners involved in organizing this very compelling program, which will help to shape the future content of The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.

Our new initiative for civic dialogue, the Greater Philadelphia Roundtable, began this week with a gathering at the William Way Community Center for a panel, "Striving for Equality: LGBT Activism in Greater Philadelphia." The discussion highlighted the generations of activism necessary to achieve goals such as the Philadelphia civil rights bill and the Pennsylvania hate crimes bill.  By understanding the connections that advocates for LGBT rights have forged between Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Washington, we gained insight into Philadelphia's impact in the state and nation.  We discussed the importance of visibility for LGBT people in Philadelphia's history and the prospects for continuing conversation and future collaborations with the Encyclopedia project. We thank the participants and many cosponsors of this event, especially facilitator Kathy Padilla for organizing the panel. Thanks also to Professor William Hewitt of West Chester University for stepping in as speaker to discuss the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin. Topics submitted on comment cards have been posted on our nominations page , and a more detailed summary of the event will be posted soon to allow the conversation to continue. The Greater Philadelphia Roundtable is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities We the People initiative for American history.