Vindication!

It is a beautiful, blue-sky day in Philadelphia. Not spring here, mind you, but the sun is shining and the temperature is well above freezing. I think most people are exhaling a big sigh of relief.

I was listening to NPR (National Public Radio) this morning and heard a program about Philadelphia that made me want to leap out of my chair. Vindication!!! I have lived in Philadelphia for 5 months now and have struggled to nestle into this city, often feeling overwhelmed by the extreme poverty and violence that plagues the area. I have thought to myself, "Are you just grouchy because moving to a new place is always challenging and this winter has been especially cold?"

I moved to Philly during the World Series and I quickly discovered that Philadelphia HATES New York City. I was turned off immediately by my new neighbors who expressed, what seemed to me, inexplicable boisterous pride in their city. As I looked around I kept thinking, "What is so great about Philadelphia? Polluted rivers, high crime rates, very few accessible green spaces and parks..."

While I have come to find all kinds of charm in this new place, the radio program I heard offered a profile that helped make sense of my strong reaction. Let me give you a brief profile of Philly:

I moved to Philadelphia, a very poor city, in what has been the greatest recession since the Great Depression and since moving here I have only heard about State and City budget cuts for the poor.
- Only 66% of our high school students graduate
- The Philly School District averages 12,000 truancies a day
- 21% of our city budget is spent on prisons
- Last year there were 303 murders and 1400 shootings
- We are the third poorest urban area in the country (Detroit and Cleveland are the first and second)

It is no wonder that I have been overwhelmed by this place. There are parts of the city that are literally burned out and represent 50 years of specific choices: the choice to abandon, the choice to ignore, the choice to turn our back on the most vulnerable. I am not sure that I will ever grow to love this city, but at least I have a better understanding of its wounds. Perhaps a compassion will continue to grow as I do my best to help bring healing, even in small ways, in my work. I'm dreaming up a literacy program and look forward to partnering with the city in some good advocacy work. We shall see what comes.

I leave for South Africa and Zambia in two weeks! Hip hip hooray for a refreshing homecoming! The world is a big, beautiful place full of beautiful people. Excited to be reminded of that in new ways this month!