Programs for Feb 1-28

February 1, Zoom Quarterback Roundtable 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Roberta Kangilaski is our Quarterback.

February 4, Thursday Luncheon Roundtable on Zoom – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Speaker is Christopher Bartlett, executive director of an FIC neighbor, the William Way LGBT Center. His topic—Evolution of the Gayborhood.

The names Wash West, Midtown Village, the Gayborhood—all of them reflect views of our neighborhood over the past 30 years. The latter best expresses the contributions of LGBTQ Philadlelphians to its development and sustainability, and recognizes their efforts to maintain community anchors and culture in the face of impinging gentrification and development. (Naturally, Chris will speak about the controversy surrounding destruction of the Gloria Casarez mural on the former 12th Street Gym.)

During his time as director at William Way, Chris Bartlett has spearheaded the growth of the center’s archives and supervised major exhibitions on LGBT history at the National Constitution Center and Independence National Historical Park. He is now engaged in a major project to renovate the center’s building for the 21st Century. Chris has been an innovative figure locally and nationally for more than 30 years, directing the SafeGuards Gay Men’s Health Project here in the city from 1991 to 2001, and taking leadership in LGBT community organizing with Philadelphia’s LGBT Community Assessment and the national LGBT Leadership Initiative to address the need for strategic leadership. He serves on Mayor Kenney’s and Governor Wolf’s LGBT commissions and on the board of Centerlink, the international organization of LGBT community centers.

New Capability: To see a recording of this presentation, click on Play Event. Click on the play button at the bottom left of the screen that comes up to see the presentation. Put your computer into full screen mode to get the best image.

February 8, Zoom Quarterback Roundtable 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Dick Goldberg is our Quarterback.

February 11, Thursday Luncheon Roundtable on Zoom – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Speaker is Lynn Miller, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Temple University. His topic—Where France Meets Philadelphia.

Professor Miller’s latest book, Salut! (with coauthor Therese Dolan), turns a particular cultural lens on Philadelphia to create a magnifique historical portrait and a potpourri of all things French about the city. The authors chronicle the French influence here during colonial and revolutionary times. They highlight the contribu­tions of 19th-century French philanthropists such as Stephen Girard and the Dupont family. And they showcase works from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, and the Barnes Foundation. They also profile renowned chef Georg­es Perrier, whose revered Le Bec-Fin made Philadelphia a modern culinary destination.

Lynn Miller is currently vice-president of the board at Alliance Française de Philadelphie. His other books include Global Order: Values and Power in International Politics and the novel Crossing the Line. With James McClelland, he coauthored City in a Park: A History of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park System.

February 15, Zoom Quarterback Roundtable 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Matthew McGovern is our Quarterback.

February 18, Thursday Luncheon Roundtable on Zoom – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Speaker is Deborah Gross, CEO and president of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. Her topic—Pennsylvania HB 38: A Challenge to Judicial Independence.

Pennsylvania House Bill 38 is a proposed constitutional amendment enabling the legislature to draw districts for appellate court elections. Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts is a legal nonprofit advocating for judicial reforms that promote the rule of law and an inclusive, qualified, and independent judiciary. Deborah Gross will tackle the issues raised by HB 38. The amendment would change the way we vote for judges on our appellate courts—the Supreme Court, the Superior Court, and the Commonwealth Court. Candidates are now elected statewide by all voters. The amendment would limit their election to districts drawn by the legislature. Proponents say the change would promote diversity, making the courts more representative of voters. Opponents say it breaches the separation of powers giving the legislature too much control over the judiciary. If the bill passes this month, it will appear on our primary ballots in May, and the outcome of the vote means the Pennsylvania Constitution is amended, or not.

Before she joined PMC, Deborah was a litigator in private practice focusing on complex litigation across the country, a former chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, a former president of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation, and a board member at Drexel Kline School of Law and a number of nonprofits.  She has taught numerous courses on complex litigation and is an adjunct professor at Villanova University School of Law.  She is the mother of three adult children, and her husband is a practicing attorney in Pennsylvania.

New Capability: To see a recording of this presentation, click on Play Event. Click on the play button at the bottom left of the screen that comes up to see the presentation. Put your computer into full screen mode to get the best image.

February 22, Zoom Quarterback Roundtable – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Gresham Riley is our Quarterback.

February 25, Thursday Luncheon Roundtable on Zoom – 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

Innmate Dan Rottenberg is our speaker. His topic—Encouraged Memory.

Dan’s latest project is a book about encouraged memory, a rarely acknowledged phenomenon in which the myths propagated by prominent people are endorsed by ordinary folks who know the truth but would rather attach themselves to a heroic narrative than correct it. He will discuss the examples of Buffalo Bill Cody, the Quaker abolitionist Levi Coffin, Chicago Tribune publisher Robert R. McCormick, Albert M. Greenfield, Harry Belafonte, and Bill O’Reilly of Fox News.

An Innmate since 1993, Dan is the author of 11 books—most recently The Outsider: Albert M. Greenfield and the Fall of the Protestant Establishment. He has edited seven publications, including Broad Street Review, the arts and culture website he founded in 2005. He’s currently writing his memoirs.