How Do I Put This? J.D. Vance Thinks Amazon Funded the Black Lives Matter Movement. Esquire
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How Do I Put This? J.D. Vance Thinks Amazon Funded the Black Lives Matter Movement. - Esquire
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As a teenager he was surprised to discover that he was unwittingly following in the footsteps of Judith Jamison, a towering figure in Black dance who danced with and later ran Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She grew up in Mantua decades before Shaheed, on the same block.
There is a rich legacy of arts in Mantua but we dont hear those stories often, if at all, Shaheed said. Its my organizations mission and reason for being to make sure that we know that and celebrate that.
One of the groups participanting in Celebrate Mantua is the West Powelton Steppers and Drum Squad, one of the most prominent and oldest continually operating drumline and drill teams in the city. Formed in the neighborhood adjacent to Mantua, the 33 year-old percussion performance troupe was part of Iquails original Black Lives rally in the heat of the 2020 summer.
It was a humbling experience., said director Antoine Mapp. We got to see that we can come together. We can work together. We uplifted. You should have seen how many people was giving out water to each other. There were kids looking like they were about to pass out and everybody came to each others aid. Everybody was there to spread a message. It was a beautiful thing.
Four years later the event has changed its name, but to Mapp the message remains the same: to protect the fabric of the neighborhood, particularly from gentrification.
Were thankful that people are taking an interest in our community but we know what it really is: Its become a gold mine and everybody want a part of it, Mapp said. Im gonna appreciate it as its coming along, but a whole lot more work to be done. We are being taken away from our neighborhood. Yay! Its getting beautified, but theyre moving us out.
Shaheed invited performance companies from around the city, including hip hop, jazz, and modern dance troupes. His Dance Iquail! company will be offering ballet and modern classes during the event, as well as yoga and Pilates sessions.
Miles Mack playground has a football field, a basketball court, a playground with a water hose, he said. We are envisioning kids running around in the water while adults and maybe teenagers are taking classes and watching performances. Will also have bouncy castles and face painting, some cartoon avatars for the kids to engage with. Really a full-scale community arts festival.
What began four years ago as a protest directed, in part, at the depleted Philadelphia Cultural Fund budget, is now supported by that same fund as well as with state funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
With the help of community partners, Shaheed hopes Celebrate Mantua will become an annual summer event.
That is the goal, to keep it going, Shaheed said. And even figuring out ways it continues as I step away, so that it really is a community-lead event.
Celebrate Mantua happens from 11 a.m. p.m. on Saturday July 13, at the Miles Mack Playground at 36th and Aspen Street, near the Philadelphia Zoo.
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A 2020 Black Lives Matter protest is revived as a neighborhood celebration in Mantua - WHYY