Pennsylvania Partners

ACLU of Pennsylvania
Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is the nation's foremost guardian of liberty. The ACLU is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending and protecting our individual rights and personal freedoms. Through advocacy, education and litigation, our attorneys, advocates and volunteers work to preserve and promote civil liberties including the freedom of speech, the right to privacy, reproductive freedom and equal treatment under the law. We stand in defense of the rights of women and minorities, workers, students, immigrants, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and others who have seen bias and bigotry threaten the rights afforded to all of us in this country by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children about the Arabic language and culture through structured exposure to the language, arts, architecture, music, dance and natural environment of the Arab world. "Al-Bustan," Arabic for "The Garden," also strives to promote understanding and respect both within the diverse community of Arab American children and among children of various ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.

Allegheny General Hospital
Founded in 1885 on Pittsburgh's historic North Side, Allegheny General Hospital has earned an international reputation for excellence and innovation in the care of patients, medical education and research.

American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a practical expression of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Committed to the principles of nonviolence and justice, it seeks in its work and witness to draw on the transforming power of love, human and divine.

Amnesty International, University of PA Chapter
Amnesty International's local groups, student groups and action teams in the Philadelphia area work to keep local members and the public informed of current human rights issues and actions. They often initiate partnerships with other organizations in the area to work together toward shared goals.

Arts Greenhouse (Carnegie Mellon)
The Arts Greenhouse is a community outreach program sponsored by The Center for the Arts in Society at Carnegie Mellon University. Our program is open to all teenagers around Pittsburgh, but is aimed towards students who would not otherwise have an opportunity to take music lessons or record a CD.†Through a semester-long series of workshops, participants learn about the music business, how to make hip-hop beats, write lyrics or raps, be a producer and record a CD.†

Black Lily Film & Music Festival
Black Lily began as an artist development showcase that was established in 1999 and is known for developing and promoting cutting-edge women artists, of all races, nationalities, and backgrounds, whose voices have often been lost in the shuffle of our commercially dictated culture.

Black Student Union ñ Point Park University
The Black Student Union is a representation of the strength in striving for a better understanding of ourselves and those around us in order to achieve cultural and personal growth.

Building New Hope
Building New Hope is a volunteer driven organization based in Pittsburgh, PA and Granada, Nicaragua that has been supporting grassroots development projects in Central America since 1992. They actively assist communitiesóprimarily in El Salvador and Nicaraguaóby selling fairly traded organic coffee; operating career training centers; alternative schools and literacy programs for underserved and at-risk youth and funding income-generating projects for women and community organizing initiatives.

Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia (CAGP)
The Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, Inc. (CAGP) is a nonprofit agency formed in 1979. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for Cambodian Americans within the greater Philadelphia area by providing services, advocating and empowering communities to obtain equal access to social/economic development, as well as to quality healthcare and education. CAGP also seeks to promote racial harmony by fostering better communication, networking and promoting cultural awareness among neighbors.

Delaware Valley Justice Month
Justice Month is a 31-day festival of coordinated events aimed at increasing public awareness of the public safety, criminal justice and incarceration systems as they exist and alternatives to them. Individual groups present their own readings, film shows, forums, dramatic productions or informational presentations and all activities are promoted together in a common calendar with the aim of amplifying public attention to these issues.

Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange, founded in 1986, is the oldest and largest for-profit Fair Trade company in the U.S. Equal Exchange offers organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa and chocolate bars produced by democratically run farmer co-ops in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Equal Exchange's mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the contribution of worker co-operatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.

Freshout Media
The aim of Freshout Media is to provide original and intriguing music-related content through the mediums of print, audio, live events and the Web. Our absolute focus is on exposing art that is unique and of substance. Freshout Media is funded solely by its founder and, therefore, is not inclined to please anything outside of its core values.

Hip-Hop Speaks
At its core, Hip-Hop Speaksí program contents and methodology work together to encourage both teachers and students to see themselves as critical consumers and creators in a media-driven society. An integral part of every kaPow! program attempts to meet youth "where they are" by encouraging them to strengthen their core understanding of the world around them.

Independents Coffee Cooperative
Independents Coffee Cooperative started in 2003 when four independent, Fair Trade coffee shops in Philadelphia began sharing information and resources. Today, the co-op comprises eight member businesses.

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is the area's largest Mosque, providing services to Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia.

Israeli Film Festival of Greater Philadelphia
The Israeli Film Festival of Greater Philadelphia is a celebration of Israeli culture, with the aim of enriching the American vision of Israeli culture and society through film.

Just Pressin Buttons Records
JPB, INC is a woman owned hip-hop production company. Although all of its members are not women, the heart and soul of this company is. JPB, INC brings Real-hop music back into mainsteam alive. The mission with Real-hop music is very simple: DON'T HATE first and foremost. Secondly, we are gonna make it, promote it, showcase it and sell it.

Magee Rehabilitation
Magee, a founding member of the Jefferson Health System, is the Philadelphia Region's first rehabilitation hospital, opening its doors in 1958. Along with Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Magee is one of 14 federally designated model Regional Spinal Cord Injury Centers. Magee is also home to the nation's first brain injury rehabilitation program.

Media Tank
Media Tank is a non-profit organization working to develop new ways to open up debate and build public awareness around media issues in order to engage the public in creating a more democratic media system.

The Middle East Center at University of Pennsylvania
Since The Middle East Center (MEC) was founded in 1965, it has worked to bring the University of Pennsylvania's long-established programs in ancient and medieval languages and civilizations together with scholarship on modern Middle East politics and societies. The Middle East Center Outreach Program offers the academic community and the interested public access to the resources available at Penn. The Center strives to reflect the diverse nature of the region in its public programming and its efforts to strengthen Middle East studies on campus.

Muslim Students Association at University of Pennsylvania
The Muslim Student Associationís purpose is to be a haven for Islam on campus and cater to the spiritual needs of Muslim students. They are dedicated to nurturing the culture, heritage and religious practices, as well as combating common stereotypes and misunderstandings about Islam and Muslims. They wish to be a source of education to broaden people's perspectives and promote tolerance and understanding of the cultural and ethnic diversity that constitutes the heart of Islam.

National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution, its history and its contemporary relevance, through an interactive, interpretive facility within Independence National Historical Park and a program of national outreach, so that We the People may better secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.

Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC)
PICC represents the needs of immigrants, migrants, refugees and other new Americans to policymakers, public officials and the general public. Advocacy areas include increasing access to public services, improving law-enforcement relations, ensuring worker rights and expanding access to driver's licenses, Social Security numbers and other documentation. PICC also registers new voters.

Pennsylvania Prison Society
The Prison Society advocates on behalf of people in prison and their families. The Pennsylvania Prison Society is a membership organization.

Penn Arab Student Society
The goal of the University of Pennsylvania's Arab Student Society (PASS) is to provide the university with an organization geared towards exploring Arab heritage and culture. PASS provides a forum for Arab students and all interested in Arab culture to meet and discuss issues relevant to the Arab World and Arab communities in the United States. They achieve this through hosting seminars, student panels, guest speakers, dinners and social outings. They also seek to provide newly admitted and prospective Arab students with information to assist their transition to Penn.

Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Founded in 1997, Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty (PAUADP) has energized the movement to end capital punishment in Pennsylvania. By mobilizing a powerful network of individuals and groups, PAUADP has implemented a comprehensive strategy designed to put a stop to all executions, death warrants and death penalty prosecutions in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association (PIFVA)
The Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association (PIFVA) is a nonprofit organization, providing services to independent film, video and media makers working in all styles and at every level of experience. Membership is open to anyone interested in creating and supporting independent media.

Philadelphia Film Society (PFS)
Formed in 2001, The Philadelphia Film Society is dedicated to the presentation of film and video in the Greater Philadelphia area as a powerful form of artistic expression and a unique force for cultural diversity and international understanding. Its mission is to engage the diverse communities of the region by producing major film events and other year-round programming. Among its most prominent activities are The Philadelphia Film Festival and the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
For over 200 years, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has been providing the people of Pittsburgh with breaking local news, sports, insightful editorials, national and global coverage, classifieds and countless helpful hints. Today, more people read the Post-Gazette than any other newspaper in Western Pennsylvania, over a million people each week.

Point Park University (Producing Partner)
Located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, Point Park is a small, private, accredited, liberal arts university with 3,200 students. An emphasis on career-based education provides Point Park University students with excellent opportunities for hands-on, real-world experiences.

The Rotunda
The Rotunda, maintained by The Foundation Community Arts Initiative, is a community gathering place for the promotion of arts and culture. This center seeks to bring together the Penn student community with the people of West Philadelphia and the greater Philadelphia area. They work from the belief that art is a catalyst for social change and that arts events can lead to the formation of meaningful Penn-West Philadelphia partnerships.

Scribe Video Center
Scribe Video Center, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization, was founded in 1982 as a place where people could work together and gain skills in media making. Scribe Video Center seeks to explore, develop and advance the use of video as an artistic medium and as a tool for progressive social change. "Scribe" is a metaphor for the use of video as a modern medium to record significant contemporary concerns and events.

The Society of Professional Journalists-Greater Philadelphia Chapter
The Society of Professional Journalists has roughly 300 members in the Greater Philadelphia area including southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. Members include reporters, editors, photographers, graphic artists, broadcasters and other media professionals. They sponsor several programs a year including panels on topics and workshops timely to the profession.

Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, Inc.
SEAMAAC was founded in 1984 to be an agency of service and advocacy for the Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia. It was created to be a dynamic coalition of several mutual assistance associations already serving those communities. SEAMAAC is a refugee and immigrant-operated organization that has helped to bring immigrant and refugee interests and issues to the collective agendas of agencies concerned with refugee resettlement, social services, employment and job training, health, education and culture.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Support Group of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
The Dystonia support group meets at the Paoli Memorial Hospital four times a year and provides an opportunity for individuals and families affected by dystonia to share companionship, valuable lessons and adaptive strategies. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.

TLA Video
An award-winning group of six video stores in Philadelphia and New York City, the stores are renowned for their vast and varied selection along with a knowledgeable and dedicated staff. In Philadelphia, where TLA operated the city's premiere repertory movie theatre from 1981-87, the name is synonymous with movies that are hip, foreign, alternative and otherwise not in the mainstream. Their stores serve thousands of people weekly in their quest for the perfect video, served up, of course, with a smile and a flair for the unconventional.

Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians connects newly arrived individuals from around the world with the economic opportunities that they need to succeed in the region. Since opening its doors in 2003, they have assisted more than 1,500 clients from 54 countries.

WHYY
WHYY TV12, serving the Delaware Valley for more than 30 years, broadcasts to more than 2.6 million households in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, which extends south to approximately Dover, Delaware; east to Atlantic City and northeast to New Brunswick, New Jersey; north to Bethlehem and west to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. WHYY also operates TV64 in Seaford, which transmits TV12 programming to southern Delaware.

Women in Thought at University of Pennsylvania
Women in Thought (WIT) is a group of Penn students, both male and female, who seek to expand discourse on the gender perspective in the Penn community. WIT is the only feminist group on campus aiming to address all women's issues in general and facilitate the free exchange of viewpoints.

WQED
Founded in 1954, WQED was the country's first community-owned television station and became a production center of national Founded in 1954, WQED was the country's first community-owned television station and became a production center of national programs for the Public Broadcasting Service. Over 1,000,000 households of viewers and listeners rely on WQED each week.

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