February 11, 2016

Dear Penn’s Villager,


Day-Day!


I am Uda., the new Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist (COES) just partnering part-time with Center City seniors' service and cultural organization, Penn's Village’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee.  I'm Black and joyful about that.  


Penn's Village’s vastly mostly White allies want to understand how to connect with Center City Black senior individuals and communities most usefully.  Starting with getting Black participants in Penn’s Village- talking with ourselves- about things- Senior and Black and Center City and Penn’s Village things.  


(Center City was always Blacker than most folks thought when I came here from NYC, about 34 years ago, and today, it is Blacker still…  By the way, Penn’s Village’s footprint is Girard Avenue to Washington Avenue, river to river- minus north of Vine Street east of 7th Street (Northern Liberties and Fishtown are mostly excluded.)) 


Penn’s Village knows that they have a lot to learn, and they also want to be of service to and with their Black neighbors. I am honored to help facilitate that conversation.  


Penn’s Village’s allies know that our families’ cultures can be different from U.S. majority culture and that some of us have societies and spiritual communities that can be vastly more supportive with seniors- or not.  They know that there are Black Center City Businesses, that they’d like to support, where they might expand their cultural and social and/or business horizons.   They know that there are parallel institutions with the ones in which they participate, which need to hear Black voices speak Black truths, human truths.


They want to invite and be invited respectfully and they want to know how, without useless assumptions.


So, I am inviting you, a Black Member or Volunteer or a Black Family-/Friend-Advocate of the above to a set of conversations, just us. (Although, with your permission, only, I’ll record our first face-to-face conversation- for my ears only- to better process your input accurately…  Please give me input on this matter of recording.)



The first gathering would be outdoors on Thursday, August 26th, 2021 in the afternoon, at the Art Sanctuary at 16th and Bainbridge Streets, in the Graduate Hospital/ South Street area.   We’d gather there at this African American Museum of Philadelphia/Smithsonian satellite site, share an afternoon snack (Suggestions for low-prep supermarket selections gladly solicited!  Savory tastes, sweet treats, soft drinks… ?), and share about being Black in Center City in 2021.  And your Penn’s Village entry and experiences.  And how that could relate to future Black-Penn’s Village experiences. 


We can meet face-to-face, outdoors, each participant assuring me in advance that each will be fully vaccinated, masked except during actively eating, and socially distancing as much as possible.  If weather is bad I'll confirm a Zoom meeting by Mon 8/23 5:00 PM.  


We may decide to share in Black Penn’s Village open Google Meet virtual rooms during/following publicly viewable cultural moments,  or just because it’s midday Friday…   


We may decide on a cultural or political event that we want to share with each other face-to-face and invite Black friends or family or organization members or leaders  - or not.  


Or ask Black folk and their Black-partnered friends - or not.  


Or we might take the initiative to invite White Penn’s Villagers to such an event as their hosts- or not.  


All this in the months of September, October, and November 2021, as we get to know one another, our stories, strengths and concerns, and those whom we know better, thus far.


In future months we can experiment with how Penn’s Village can collaborate with our Black community connections and in the future, the PV Inclusion and Diversity Committee seeks to work to also join more efforts with other People of Color. 


Are we on a useful track here?  


Any questions that we should be considering, especially, in this conversation?  


Concerns, comments, templates for discussions, suggestions, gratitudes, offerings of resources, accessibility issues, ways to involve friends, must-see/-hear/-taste experiences/events/persons?  


Sharings of your profile info or categories of what you have no current interest in sharing more broadly- just now- or ever?



I'll be reaching out to you and/receiving responses to the invitation for this small-small gathering on Fri 8/20 and Mon 8/23 from 1-6 PM.  If you need to connect with me at another time- please text me several other time windows for the next few days to 646.641.5827, and I'll respond as soon as possible.


That’s Uda.  (“Oooo’-dah”)  Braithwaite Bartholomew, and we’re here to pull a willing Penn’s Village into becoming a more welcoming, learning, sharing, cooperating, mutually empowering space for all of Center City’s seniors of every identification who want its connections, services, companionship in our times of aging together.


See you soon!


Uda. Braithwaite Bartholomew

Center City West Central