I was shocked to see that the much-treasured newspaper of my beloved Swarthmore would splash the washing of dirty linen, namely a personal dispute between two council members, on its front page.
All tagged 2021/01
The Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has invited proposals for discussion during an upcoming webinar on white supremacy. I was delighted to learn of this webinar, because I believe white supremacy is an existential issue for predominantly white Christian congregations as they struggle to recover from decades of declining membership.
I read with interest the January 15 editorial “What Bubble?” I found its essence in paragraph seven: “Closing our eyes to truth, turning away from each other, and being unable to imagine the experiences of people different from ourselves: Those are three of the failures that made January 6 possible.” I think people on both sides of the aisle can agree with the editor’s conclusion.
If not for Black support in the Democratic primaries, Joe Biden would not have won his party’s nomination. And, if not for overwhelming Black support in several key swing states during the presidential election, Donald Trump would have been sworn in for his second term, and Joe Biden would not be our new president. All Americans owe Black voters a debt of gratitude. It’s time to start repaying that debt.
Do we really need to change the school calendar?
Wallingford-Swarthmore School District recently announced a few proposed changes to the 2021-22 school calendar that I think should be highlighted because of their consequences for our community.
If a tree falls...
The large evergreen tree that fell several weeks ago in Umoja Park continues to spark a creative interest in all children (and many adults) who visit the space. I propose that we act on this enthusiasm for “natural playground equipment” by adding naturally occurring materials to the park to promote imaginative play.
A school for bicycles
I wonder if anyone besides me has had a problem just walking on any sidewalk in Swarthmore? I take daily walks at all times of the day and find that there are many more people using bikes than there used to be. It’s wonderful that we can use the great outdoors to break up the days spent in the house. But often the bikers come in swarms.
Catholic churches take on ‘most segregated hour’
In this time of terrible racial violence and social injustice, the upcoming birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should renew the call to each of us to identify our role in promoting racial healing and justice. To that end, our two Catholic parishes – one urban and predominantly Black, and one suburban and predominantly white – have joined together to address the sin of racism and prayerfully develop actions to build Dr. King’s “beloved community” in our own communities.
After the insurrection, we must restore our values
We write on behalf of our Quaker Meeting (Swarthmore Friends Meeting) to voice our deep concern for the future of our democracy, in light of the violent insurrection that the president of our nation inflamed with the support of other elected government officials last week. It was aimed at denying the valid certification of the votes from the states to confirm the election of Joe Biden as our 46th president and Kamala Harris as the vice president.
An appreciation – by accident
It was my misfortune to hit a large truck which was parked on the right side of Walnut Lane. It was mid-afternoon, and the bright sunlight caused me to not see the parked truck until it was too late to avoid it. The front of my car collided with the corner of its rear bumper.
Lions thank community
The Swarthmore Lions Club thanks all the families and friends in the Swarthmore community who helped make our annual holiday basket drive a welcome blessing to many needy families in Chester and elsewhere in our neighborhood.
Synagogue memories
When I read your report about the conservative Wallingford synagogue Ohev Shalom (December 18 edition), I was reminded of many stories.