This has been a busy week for the Parker Administration complete with exciting announcements and events! Check out a few key moments below.
Monday, June 24: Pennsylvania Press Club Luncheon
On Monday, Mayor Parker visited Harrisburg to attend the Pennsylvania Press Club Luncheon. While there, she described her One Philly vision in the state capital to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in America with economic opportunity for all.
Tuesday, June 25: Gaining Ground Film Screening
On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Parker attended a screening of “Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land,” a new documentary from Executive Producer Al Roker. The documentary focuses on the devastating effect that “Heir’s Property ” has had on Black land ownership. Mayor Parker addressed how similar this was to issues residents face locally in Philadelphia and discussed her goal to eliminate “Tangled Titles,” or when the deed to a property bears the name of someone other than the apparent owner.
Tuesday, June 25: Street Talk with Power 99 & 105.3 WDAS
After the screening, Mayor Parker then joined DJ Cosmic Kev of Power 99 and Loraine Ballard-Morill of 105.3 WDAS for the live on-air segment “Street Talk” on Tuesday evening. There, she discussed topics regarding her vision of improving public safety, her “Clean and Green” initiative, Kensington next steps and much more.
Wednesday, June 26: HUD Funding Press Conference
On Wednesday, Mayor Parker appeared and spoke at a news conference alongside United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. At this press conference, HUD awarded the City of Philadelphia with a $3.32 Million grant. The funding will be used to actively identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation throughout the city.
Thursday, June 27: Extended Day, Extended Year School Announcement
Thursday morning brought on the major announcement from Mayor Parker of a new “Extended Day, Extended Year” pilot school initiative in the City of Philadelphia. The Mayor, alongside Dr. Tony Watlington (Superintendent, School District of Philadelphia), Dr. Debora Carrera (Chief Education Officer, City of Philadelphia), Vanessa Garrett-Hartley (Chief Deputy Managing Director, Office of Children and Families), Dr. Penny Nixon (Superintendent and CEO Universal Charter Schools), and Dr. Michelina Serianni (Principal of Solis-Cohen School) announced the 25 pilot schools that will take part in Phase 1 of this initiative in the Fall, with the goal of closing the opportunity gap, and making sure Philadelphia students have enrichment opportunities and extended learning time to help prevent “Summer slide,” and keep students succeeding academically.
Mayor Parker emphasized that the Extended Day, Extended Year program will not change the school calendar, it will not be mandatory for students to participate, the city will not be asking anything more of the incredibly hard-working educators, and the program will be FREE!
