Category: Miscellaneous

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Frankford Marathoner

Nafisah Ali Lewis has been running since February of 2013 when she got involved with Black Girls Run.  I met her at an event that Spring and she talked my ear off on the pleasure it gave her.  She was on a mission that was fulfilled this year on November 20th when she completed the Philadelphia Marathon.

nafisa 2

26.2 miles is kind of like running from Frankford down to International Airport and back, so its no small matter.  What makes a person want to do that?  In her own words:

I started training for my full marathon January 2015 with my coach Catherine Williams – Frank. Running is more than just running, its mental discipline, hard work. What I like about our group is that we motivate each other. We help each other. We push each other. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people. I started running not just to get healthy but what I like about it, is helping other people get to their goals as well as helping myself in the process.

Nafisah is more then just a runner.  She also operates her own candle making business, Just Good Scents (Jgscents50@gmail.com) as well as participating in a host of civic duties, mostly behind the scenes.

Congratulations to our Frankford Champion.

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Judge Takes Witness Intimidation Seriously

Witness intimidation if Philadelphia is a big problem. The judge in this case thought so too.

The hearing began Tuesday with 16-year-old Tyquail Duffy confronted with the testimony of 15-year-old Sahmir Walker, both charged in April’s robbery and slaying in Crescentville of a deliveryman for a Chinese restaurant.

Source: Teen ordered to stand trial in deliveryman’s killing

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Frankford: A Community of Faith

Given recent world events, like the bombing in Paris and the retaliation by the French against ISIS, we often shake our heads and wonder what the world is coming to.

My husband, Bob and I, have lived in Frankford for all of our 42 married years. My great aunt, Pearl, would bring me over to Frankford when I was a kid to get my hair cut at LaCorte’s and for ice cream at Dairy Maid. I even remember the Horn and Hardart’s. Time passes and many things change.

What hasn’t changed and may even be stronger is that faith is flourishing in Frankford. We have the major religions (AME, Baptist, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Episcopal, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lutheran, Methodist, Orthodox Syrians (Indian and Oriental Christians), Presbyterians, Quakers and we have those who are in storefronts on the avenue and other places. Bob counted the Churches and there are over 50.

Two Roman Catholic Churches closed, a Jewish temple closed and we’ve never had a Buddhist Temple. The Catholics formed a nonprofit, Keep the Faith in Frankford, to keep doing the work of the Church without a Church. We were very kindly and warmly welcomed at St. Mark’s Church on Frankford Ave. (Dean Jon does not feel it necessary to always use “Episcopal” in the Church’s name as God’s Church is welcoming to all.)

This is one of the things about Frankford that makes me the proudest. We go about our daily business and our lives while we worship in many different ways but we practice what we preach and we are living together. Sure, we have many problems, but look at the power we have to solve them – the power of Allah, Christ, God, Jehovah, Jesus, Krishna, Yahweh – whatever name you give to the One, the Mighty. Let’s use that power to better our community and the world beyond Frankford.

Warsan Shire, a Kenyan-born author now living in London writes:

“later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole worldfaith graphic
and whispered
where does it hurt?

it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.”

We need to heal ourselves and our world. In Frankford, we have the faith we need.