Editorials

521 results
Page 4
View from the middle of a crowd of hundreds, facing forward with the crowd. They wave signs at the base of City Hall.

Philadelphia rally speakers warn that the battle for abortion rights is coming to Pennsylvania

Reproductive justice matters to our cultural sector

All eyes are on the Supreme Court this week, taking up cases including one that could overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. What does Philly think about that? Alaina Johns attended the rally.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
Kyle, a Black man, lies against large rocks in a river, looking up to the sunny sky while wearing sunglasses and swim trunks

After years of writing from trauma, I’m choosing joy

Why do you want to amplify my voice?

After two long summers and many challenging writing sessions in between, Kyle V. Hiller contemplates how trauma-inspired work is no longer his cup of tea.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 5 minute read
A photo from between two high bookshelves in The Strand, facing more bookshelves, and a rolling cart full of books.

After a summer of solo adventures, I learned how good it can be to go it alone

Why I’m not waiting for you

In a world that expects everyone to travel in pairs, going out alone is a refreshing and important way to reframe your relationship to yourself—and others. Alaina Johns wanders.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
The Walnut Street Theatre today. It has a gray exterior with columns and large windows. American flags fly on poles in front

As artists continue to rally against the Walnut, it’s time to ask: who is “America’s Oldest Theatre”?

Staging history

Most coverage of protests against the Walnut Street Theatre ignores a key fact: the building may be historic, but the theater company there started in the 1980s. Alaina Johns thinks that matters.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
Protesters at the Walnut Street Theatre on June 18 called for Bernard Havard’s departure. (Photo by Alaina Johns.)

What I learned about leadership as a Walnut Street Theatre apprentice

Time warp on Walnut Street

Alaina Johns is one of many Philadelphia professionals who got their start in the Walnut Street Theatre’s apprenticeship program, and the experience still influences her today.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
One year later, on a different stoop, and unsure if things have changed. (Photo by Holly Yokley.)

As normality attempts to return, mask-wearing arguments often miss the truth

Masking our problems

The past year has brought us a lifetime’s worth of pandemic anxiety and movements for justice, but it all seems to have boiled down to worries about masks. Kyle V. Hiller says something deeper is in play.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 5 minute read
The galleries at PAFA were one of my first post-vaccination outings. (Photo by Alaina Johns.)

BSR is resuming in-person and indoor coverage: what you need to know

The arts go back inside

Last summer, BSR committed to keeping our coverage all-digital or all-outdoors until we saw a significant reduction in Covid-19 risk. Now we’re ready for an update. Alaina Johns explains.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 3 minute read
2020 was a really hard year—we missed so many brunches! (Image via Wikimedia Commons.)

30 years in the future, one white woman honors her actions for social justice

Karen tells America

It’s Stacey Abrams Day 2051, and just like her forbears marched with Dr. King, Karen reminisces about the time she helped America finally change for the better. Kyle V. Hiller imagines.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 6 minute read

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For some people, troubling medical symptoms aren’t a temporary worry. (Photo by Alaina Johns.)

As we line up for Covid vaccines, can we better understand chronic illness?

An infinite ache

Some folks are worried about a day or two of vaccine side effects. Others handle symptoms like pain and fatigue for their whole lives. Alaina Johns considers how the vaccination line lets us reframe chronic illness.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
Martin Luther King Jr. speaking against the Vietnam War at the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota in 1967. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons.)

For MLK Day 2021, can we fight our history of miseducation in America?

The truth about unity

This MLK Day, Kyle V. Hiller considers what “unity” actually means, and the education that will get us there.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 7 minute read