Blog Author: curator, page 7

Many will recall the program series that launched The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia — the Greater Philadelphia Roundtable. This spring we are pleased to again invite you to a series of conversations about our region’s history and contemporary issues.

Sanctuaries: Past Into Present

Throughout American history, people have come to the Philadelphia region seeking opportunity, while others have been fleeing persecution, and still others have been forced here in chains. When have these migrants been granted the right to feel safe, and when have they been denied safety? How do we come to grips with our country’s contradictory history of celebrating the diversity these many migrations produced, while denying rights to many?

This spring, join friends and neighbors for a series of free public seminars across greater Philadelphia. Learn from local experts about Philadelphia’s immigration and migration history, hear from activists working in the region now, and grapple with how our complicated histories shape today’s social and political landscape.

In Search of the Underground Railroad: Connecting People, Places, and Things
April 2, 2019
Pop-Up Exhibits at 6 p.m., Lecture at 7 p.m.
Rutgers-Camden Campus Center
Featuring archaeologist Cheryl LaRoche and community partners.

Discover how historians and archaeologists connect people, places, and things to better understand the lives of enslaved people who sought sanctuary with the Underground Railroad. Link for further information and registration.

Sanctuary Now, Sanctuary When?
April 23, 2019, 6 p.m.
Arch Street Meeting House
320 Arch Street, Philadelphia
Featuring Domenic Vitiello (University of Pennsylvania) and Blanca Pacheco (New Sanctuary Movement)

Learn how the idea of “sanctuary” became part of immigration justice lexicon in the United States and what we can all learn from the experiences of refugees and activists, past and present. Link for further information and registration.

Sanctuary in Sickness, Sanctuary in Health
June 4, 2019, 6 p.m.
Philadelphia Lazaretto
Second Street and Wanamaker Avenue, Essington, Pa.
Featuring David Barnes (University of Pennsylvania)

Explore the Philadelphia Lazaretto, discover the critical role it played in Philadelphia’s immigration history, and contemplate the past, present, and future of health care for our most vulnerable. Link for further information and registration.

Sanctuaries: Past into Present is a Greater Philadelphia Roundtable program series of The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, produced at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers-Camden. “In Search of the Underground Railroad” is supported by the Office of the Chancellor at Rutgers-Camden and co-sponsored by the following departments and programs: History, Africana Studies, Liberal Studies, and Forensic Science.

The American Revolution in Delaware is the subject of a new book by Kim Rogers Burdick, who also is the author of the essay about the gunpowder industry in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.  According to the History Press, the publisher of Revolutionary Delaware: Independence in the First State:

In 1776, Delaware declared independence from both England and Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Three Lower Counties of Pennsylvania, the First State was instrumental in the fight to form a new republic. The Marquis de Lafayette, Nathanael Greene and George Washington all made trips to the state. Caesar Rodney’s ride and the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge are legendary, but the state has many unsung heroes. Citizens from every village, town, crossroads and marsh risked their lives to support their beliefs. Author Kim Burdick offers the carefully documented story of ordinary people coping with extraordinary circumstances.

Kim Burdick will speak and sign copies of her book on Saturday, December 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Kirkwood Library, 6000 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, Delaware.

On March 21 during Rutgers Giving Day, scholars, students, community members, and staff came together to support The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, produced by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers-Camden.

The dedication of all who donated and promoted our cause through social media is truly inspiring. Your generous contributions will be used to employ the students who help to make digital publication of The Encyclopedia possible. Keep an eye on our website or like us on Facebook to watch our essay collection grow!

We are so grateful for the opportunity to continue producing original scholarship and making it accessible to readers like you. Thank you!

P.S. Missed your chance to donate on Giving Day? Make a gift to support The Encyclopedia today!

The first event of the spring semester for Penn Urban Studies will feature a talk by Timothy P.R. Weaver, the author of the essay about Enterprise Zones and Empowerment Zones in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Weaver, who is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, will speak about his book, Blazing the Neoliberal Trail:  Urban Political Development in the United States and the United Kingdom (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015). His talk, titled “The Rise of the Market City: Unfettered Capitalism and Urban Transformation in the U.S. and the U.K.,” will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, at the Penn Bookstore, Thirty-Sixth and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia.

The most-visited topics for 2016 reflect the issues of the presidential year, topics of interest for students and teachers, and some perennial Philadelphia favorites.

The most-read topic of the year is:
Political Parties (Origins, 1790s)

2. City of Brotherly Love

3. Immigration and Migration (Colonial Era)

4. Native American-Pennsylvania Relations (1754-89)

5. Immigration (1870-1930)

6. Nativist Riots of 1844

7. Row Houses

8. Immigration (1790-1860)

9. Department Stores

10. Southwest Philadelphia

Watch for more new topics in the new year as we continue to expand The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Thank you for your support!