Opinion
146 results
Page 1
The Readers Decide Revenue Drive could mean a big move for BSR
BSR readers will decide if we expand our team in 2027
For more than 20 years, BSR has run entirely on the power of part-timers who have no training in fundraising. We want to change all of that, so we need to hire a revenue consultant, with our loyal readers' help.
Editorials
4 minute read
From El Paso to Philly, Vicky Díaz-Camacho chases the joy of creative expression
BSR’s new associate editor shares how the arts shape her life and work
After many wonderful years with Kyle V. Hiller, BSR is thrilled to welcome our new associate editor, Vicky Díaz-Camacho. She shares her path as a journalist and producer from El Paso to Kansas to Philly, and she has questions for you.
Editorials
5 minute read
An open letter to 2026 Philly Fringe artists
The path of most resistance
A message from editor Alaina Johns to this year’s Fringe artists, and anyone who values their work.
Editorials
4 minute read
It’s easier to demonize immigrants than it is to recognize we’re all in danger.
Empathy takes more than kindness. It takes courage.
Right-wing pundits talk about empathy as if it’s incompatible with justice. But justice does need empathy, and empathy takes courage that anti-immigrant “patriots” just don’t have. Alaina Johns considers.
Editorials
8 minute read
Saying goodbye to longtime BSR associate editor Kyle V. Hiller
Facing a new era at BSR
After more than seven years as an editor with BSR, Kyle is departing our team and heading into a new era. He has been instrumental at a time that was both formative and historic for us. Join Alaina Johns in appreciating him.
Editorials
6 minute read
The Trump administration’s overhaul of the President’s House memorial reveals other lies
The fight continues over the tragic subversion of a Philly historic site
Under the cover of darkness, the federal government has dismantled an exhibit about slavery with displays that deny its legacy while promoting the president’s other obsessions and lies. Alaina Johns considers.
Editorials
7 minute read
America at 250, in the eyes of a prisoner and an immigrant
“There is no country in the world like America.”
Kile Smith grew up loving his family’s all-American road trips, and on his own forays as an adult, he encountered two especially memorable immigrants who came to the US in very different ways.
Essays
8 minute read
As the Trump-era media dances to a new dictionary of falsehood, will we ever “hold these truths” again?
A lie by any other name
We grew up learning that Washington couldn’t tell a lie, but this tall tale pales in comparison to the firehose of falsehood from today’s White House. Anndee Hochman asks if there’ll ever be truths we can hold together again.
Essays
5 minute read
At Mister John’s Music in the Italian Market, I have just as much fun as my toddler
Purpose, presence, and bubbles
When Neil Bardhan started taking his toddler to music classes in the Italian Market, he didn’t realize he and the other parents would enjoy it as much as the kids do.
Essays
5 minute read
A remembrance of Martha Graham Cracker, in honor of Dito van Reigersberg
Philly grieves one our favorite artists
We on the BSR team were devastated to hear about the passing this week of Dito van Reigersberg, an innovative, big-hearted, one-of-a-kind Philly artist. Editor Alaina Johns shares a memory and revisits him in the pages of BSR.
Essays
4 minute read