Keystone Crossroads

From the Statehouse to the streets, stories that connect Pennsylvanians. A collaboration of WHYY, WITF, WPSU and WESA.

[Avi Wolfman-Arent @Avi_WA]

60 years ago the Philadelphia Tribune ran this headline about an overcrowded, nearly all-Black school in Mt. Airy...Eleanor C. Emlen.

This headline nearly turned into a groundbreaking Civil Rights case.

But it didn't...#phled

[The Heinz Endowments @HeinzEndow]

Students of color 35.2% of 2019-20 student pop in Allegheny Co public schools & teachers of color comprise only 4.5% of county’s teacher workforce, key data in new report from @Research4Action, Allegheny Co Education Research & @PaCrossroads https://t.co/x1QMnod9nZ

[Sojourner Ahébée @SojournerAhebee]

The gap between students and teachers of color has been widening in Pennsylvania. Black students and families in one Delco district are the first to feel the impact. My latest for @WHYYNews & @PaCrossroads

https://t.co/8U2ARC5Ny2

[Liz Allen @lizeriepa]

Erie Times-News front page on @cnn right now. Great work on postal story, @ETNrink .

[Emily Rizzo @EmilyKRizzo]

I went inside one of Philly's 'access centers' last week.

Important to consider what these students and staff are facing, especially as the Philly school district plans to open in-person classes after Thanksgiving.

@PaCrossroads
https://t.co/r9Y7RIGFPW

[Keystone Crossroads @PaCrossroads]

As part of a one-time educational stimulus, Pa. Republicans want to give families $1,000 (per student) to cover things like tuition and tutoring.

But Governor Tom Wolf isn't a fan of the proposal.

@Avi_WA has the details:

https://t.co/kYqixWg2EB

[Kevin McCorry @byKevinMcCorry]

And @miles__bryan on the Chesco families fed up with virtual school.

“The fact is we pay for this school district...We aren’t getting our money’s worth … I am doing 50% of the teacher’s job in my household.”

https://t.co/BaH1oUOyXV

[Kevin McCorry @byKevinMcCorry]

3 years after Hurricane Maria, @alanna_s_elder profiles the PR community that resettled in Pa, and now has the chance to vote.

“To have the Puerto Rico that everyone deserves, we have to clean the house completely, but we need to clean it starting here."

https://t.co/Qx0MoKfwm3

[Kevin McCorry @byKevinMcCorry]

A trio of on-the-ground stories from @PaCrossroads today.

@Avi_WA went to Kutztown and found a borough grappling with its reliance on the university amid covid.

“We know we need the university. We survive without them. But it’s better with them.”

https://t.co/F5n2rScDTR

[Eugene Sonn @EugeneSonn]

Hotel workers in Philly trying to survive while waiting to get back to work. @LEBenshoff @PaCrossroads

https://t.co/jBy8esXJID

[Eugene Sonn @EugeneSonn]

Trump administration denies Pa. plan for extra food benefits - ⁦@ncannellf⁩ ⁦⁦@miles__bryan⁩ ⁦@PaCrossroads⁩ https://t.co/qMtCj39m2N

[Emily Rizzo @EmilyKRizzo]

Philly opened 31 learning centers this morning to supervise students during virtual schooling.

I talked with some working parents about what this new option means for them.

@WHYYNews @PaCrossroads

https://t.co/sikiqqwswq

[Miles Bryan @miles__bryan]

@PaCrossroads looked at census data on business closures in philly and found something astonishing:

The number of black-owned owners is dropping at 1.5 times the rate of white owned ones during the pandemic.

https://t.co/h9RoJNvY4v

[Avi Wolfman-Arent @Avi_WA]

The employees who organized this movement are all young -- 21 and under. They have platforms and vocabulary that their predecessors never had. And they aren't afraid to use that power.

Here's the story (via @PaCrossroads) . Hope you'll read:

https://t.co/WTsGJMBW1i

[Avi Wolfman-Arent @Avi_WA]

I won't spoil everything that happens.

But the story struck me as a reflection of what's happening in America right now -- and how the spirit of protest and racial reckoning isn't confined to BIG rallies or high-profile companies.

[Avi Wolfman-Arent @Avi_WA]

The workers say they've endured years of racist "jokes" and slights.

And spurred by the George Floyd protests, they start to demand change.

[Avi Wolfman-Arent @Avi_WA]

The story starts on a stormy day in early June. A brief exchange between two managers becomes the catalyst for several young, Black employees to start organizing.

[Avi Wolfman-Arent @Avi_WA]

You've heard about workplace turmoil and racism at ESPN, NYT, the Philly Inquirer...

But I'm hoping you'll take some time to learn about a worker movement organized -- with little fanfare -- by Chick-fil-A workers in Delco...

[Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang]

@Census2020Map 4. Heads up, central PA: If you live here & don't want a #2020Census worker at your door, your household has less than 2 weeks to go to https://t.co/wrfN45leQ2, call 1-844-330-2020 or mail a paper form if you haven't already (H/T @Census2020Map of State College ACO area)👇

[Kevin McCorry @byKevinMcCorry]

Much attention lately has been on big city policing. But small towns are also grappling with questions of police accountability.

@MinXianwpsu has this look at Bradford, Pa., where there's a groundswell to remove the local police chief. @Amplified2020

https://t.co/BoMviOWyWA