150 years of Chinatown’s resilience | Morning Newsletter

We’re in for another sunny day but make sure to wear some extra layers under your coat. It’ll be breezy and the temps will only reach the high 30s with gusts to 30 mph and wind chills in the 20s.

Since its founding 150 years ago, Philadelphia’s Chinatown has been a safe haven to Asian Americans. Immigrants and their descendants have upheld their heritage and continue to pass on centuries of tradition.

Our lead story explores the history of Chinatown and its storied record of resistance to displacement.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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🎤 And now, I’m passing the mic to reporter Massarah Mikati, who worked on the deep-dive of Chinatown’s history with fellow reporter Jasen Lo:

In May, the National Trust for Historic Preservation revealed their list of the 11 most endangered historic places across the country for 2023. On that list was Philadelphia Chinatown.

For over a year now, The Inquirer has been extensively covering Chinatown’s response to the proposed Sixers arena. But we wanted to take a step back to cover just Chinatown.

What is the history behind the neighborhood in the headlines? Why are community members fighting so hard to protect it? And how real is the threat of endangerment Chinatown faces?

Read on to look back on Chinatown’s extensive history of fighting to maintain their community.

Long before Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker won the Nov. 7 general election, she was vetting candidates to be the next police commissioner.

Over the summer, she met with contenders in her Mount Airy backyard. She had two former police commissioners conduct interviews. She gathered advice from a member of Congress and an out-of-state mayor. This was the process of how she narrowed a field of more than a half-dozen candidates to eventually land on Chief of School Safety Kevin J. Bethel as her pick.

Keep in mind: This could demonstrate how she’ll govern. Parker demands clear structure and wants input from as many stakeholders as possible.

Continue reading to find out what made Bethel stand out from the pack.

A Princess Diana Eagles jacket signed by Kylie Kelce was sold for how much at a charity auction?

A) $50,000

B) $75,000

C) $100,000

D) $125,000

Think you know? Check your answer.

📚 Reading: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

🎨 Admiring: A South Philly electrical warehouse has a huge mural featuring Philly sports greats: Joel Embiid; Bryce Harper; Jalen Hurts; and most recently, Jason Kelce.

Hint: Philly-based pharmacy

EDIT AIR

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Stacy Rysak, who correctly guessed Monday’s answer: Jack Skellington.

Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Let’s do it again tomorrow. 👋🏽