Young Philly voters work to gain power at at the polls
María Méndez was 16 years old when she discovered Juntos, Philadelphia’s long-running immigrant advocacy organization. Now 19, the South Philly native is coordinator of the organization’s new initiative, Juntos Podemos, which aims to engage young voters across the city — no matter who they are.
“A lot of youth, even myself, feel very belittled by many older adults because we don’t have a space to share our values,” Méndez told freelance reporter Nigel Thompson.
‘Jawn’ goes mainstream, and Philadelphians feel a way
Jawn, Philadelphia’s most malleable mouthful, is creeping closer and closer to the big time. Dictionary.com announced it’s adding a definition of the word to its popular online lookup tool.
Does “jawn” really need a definition? Jordan Levy asked Philadelphians what they think about the word’s popularity and inclusion in the official American lexicon.
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Gov. Shapiro came to Philly to tout his push to give more state contracts to small, person-of-color-, and women-owned businesses. [WHYY]
• As students at Penn notice an increase in COVID cases, some are criticizing the school’s testing and guidance efforts as lackluster. [Daily Pennsylvanian]
• Despite flooding that has repeatedly devastated residents of Manayunk’s Venice Island, and a national trend against building in floodplains, Philadelphia continues to allow new developments in the area. [Grid]
• Plans are in the works to renovate the historic Sedgwick Theater on Germantown Avenue, restoring its original Art Deco glory. [Hidden City]
• Pat’s King of Steaks is planning a second location — at Penn State. It’s in partnership with Rob Wasserman of Rouge and Snap Custom Pizza. [PhillyMag$]
• The dispute between James Harden and the 76ers has become a personal matter between the player and general manager Daryl Morey — an emotional conflict borne out of frustration and perceived wrongdoing by a man who had long been Harden’s champion. [ESPN]
MAYOR WATCH
Today through Saturday, Mayor Kenney is in San Diego for the U.S. Conference of Mayors fall leadership meeting.
ON THE CALENDAR
🎓 Billy Penn event: Campus Philly’s Collegefest block party takes over 19th and Race, and we’ll be there with BP Quizzo questions and stickers — for the 20k incoming students expected to attend, and for anyone else who wants to come through. (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9)
🍻 Throw back some beers back at the Nostalgia Fest Block Party in honor of Evil Genius Beer Company’s 12th birthday. Live music, food trucks, and more in Fishtown. (12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9)
🎶 Celebrate creatives from the Harlem Renaissance at this musical cabaret on South Street. Tickets start at $10. (Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 9-10)
📘 Billy Penn is proud to headline the inaugural Philly Story Fest, joining journalists from media outlets around Philadelphia to tell the city’s best stories on stage at the Bok. Tickets are $25. (7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5)
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