- [Speaker 1] Needed to work is around 600,000.

(crosstalk) - [Speaker 2] The natural community of West Philadelphia.

- [Speaker 3] Some stories that had to tell about my community and my faith.

- [Speaker 4] People were saying I'm here, I'm alive, I exist.

- [Child 1] I live up there.

I live up there.

- [Child 2] I live up the street.

(rhythmic drumming) - [Child 3] I live right there.

- [Child 1] I live up there.

- [Child 2] I live up the street.

(basketball bouncing) (piano melody) ♪ No matter how long the days ♪ ♪ This here can't wait ♪ (people cheering) (birds chirping) - [Joel] We have been in the Rudolphy Mercy-Douglass building on Powelton Avenue since 2018.

It is a beautiful historic building that is the home of TechCORE2 and other nonprofits.

TechCORE2 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which offers technology training for youth as young as kindergarten all the way through high school, into college, into their first career start job.

The Rudolphy building was like a historical mystery.

So in the summer of 2023, our high school interns visited the Philadelphia Library Company to learn about the history.

Just a quick question.

- Yes.

- So what year was the women's building opened?

- [Ainsley] So that's a fun thing.

Come up and look.

Does anyone want to come up?

- [Joel] Sure.

- I won't bite.

I promise.

'Cause this is basically where UPenn is right now.

- Right.

- This Locust Street location.

They were like okay, let's raise a bunch of money to make a new building for the blind women.

And so it's not until 1880 that, you know, we see it - - [Joel] At its current address.

- [Ainsley] Exactly, yeah.

- Well currently, for Rudolphy Mercy-Douglass, I'm the property manager at this location.

Previously I've been the administrator and director of the Edith R. Rudolphy Residence for the Blind which I've been so for roughly 15 years.

But I've been with the company for over 30.

Edith R. Rudolphy's mission was always to provide a home for the visually impaired.

A lot of the visually impaired in history just sometimes get, so to speak, lost in the cracks in the system.

And Rudolphy's mission was to make sure that they had a home.

At one time it was catered to for white women, but it's been integrated now, and so it caters to just low income individuals.

Visually impaired as well.

In 19... '97 or 1998 is when I first was introduced to them, when they brought the idea of a joint venture that would be beneficial to both Mercy-Douglass, Edith R. Rudolphy Residence for the Blind, and as well as the visually impaired individuals in the city as well.

Coming into this building the first time in I believe it was 1980 or 1981 at eight years old, coming into the building and seeing the building kind of having an eerie feel to it.

Kind of feeling institutionalized in a sense.

And seeing the transformation from each tenant having just a one room place to stay.

And now having a one bedroom or a two bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, dining room, and they can choose to decorate the apartment the way that they feel, I feel that they can really truly live, so to speak, like everyone else and have a productive life, and I think Mercy-Douglass and Rudolphy, a joint venture together, I think it provided that for the tenants of the building.

- It is very awesome here at the home.

We have very sweet residents.

And the staff is second to none.

There is a group that comes on Saturdays called TechCORE2.

The program itself works in conjunction with our home in order to be able to hold programming here.

And we've been more than delighted to have them here.

They've been awesome.

- So Mercy-Douglass has, in their core, they've always been a company that is trying to provide services to the elderly community.

However, if you look at the original building that they built, Mercy-Douglass Human Services Center.

The core of their name is Human Services.

And during the '70s, '80s, a big part of human services was developing people so that they can sustain themselves.

And so right now.

In 2023.

One of the best ways to empower folks, young folks, so that they can sustain themselves, is through technology.

So TechCORE2 is a workforce development program.

We don't wait until you're like 25 and, you know, try to figure stuff out.

No, we go at kindergarten.

(laughs) So K to eighth grade, we are building skill sets.

By the time you get into high school, like we just concluded our ninth summer internship program for those high school students, it's a paid program.

They're getting paid to learn in the summertime.

And then several of those students from the summertime, now they're getting employed, they're getting part-time Saturday employment while they're still in high school.

And not only that, what is probably more significant is the young person has the confidence that they can do it.

In TechCORE2 gun violence started impacting us probably the summer of 2017.

Just from polling students in the program.

You know, I remember the first time I just asked, you know, just a general question, like hey, how many students in here have been impacted by gun violence?

And that first summer, half the hands went up.

As, you know, time went on, and summers went on, you know, asking that same question, the number of hands would go up even more.

We have to really bring the village aspect back, and we gotta reach out, so in TechCORE what I'm trying to do, in a lot of respects, TechCORE is almost what my parents did to me.

And I'm just doing it for other folks.

- Yeah, so this one just kind of goes to show that of course, outside of these homes, there were blind people in Philadelphia living their lives, working, raising children, vocalists, performers, inhabiting all aspects of life.

So it's really important, similar to what Joel was saying, you know, be cognizant when you're going into the Mercy-Douglass building because, you know, we all wouldn't be here right now without of course contributions to that building inside, but also so many of those who were working outside to make our society more accessible.

And to do justice for disabled people.

- I've seen a lot of changes in the community.

I've seen a lot of changes in the building.

I think it was all positive 'cause it definitely was needed.

And I'm glad that the tenants here have a place that they can call their own.

And most of the tenants here have been living here for a long time.

They do not want to move because they love the atmosphere, they love the building, they love the area, and I think that the staff and everyone involved makes it a better place and helps with the...

I guess the presentation of the building itself.

So yeah, I was very proud to be a part of the joint venture.

- So I guess it was about two years ago now, to this date, that I was just browsing my emails.

And checking for different information on grants because that's something that I was actively doing at the time.

So I came across the grant Precious Places.

And I read it over.

And it was centering a story behind a place or a location in your area.

So it just, you know, it occurred to me that the building that we were running, the TechCORE2 program, may be a good fit.

The Rudolphy building first was built as a residential home for visually impaired white women.

That was the only folks that could live there.

So they left out, you know, they left out black women.

They left out the black community, they left out everyone else.

Black folks in all diverse communities finally got the chance to live in this building.

Once Mercy-Douglass stepped in.

And took over as owners and managers of the building.

And so today, these 17 apartments which are dedicated for low income, visually impaired.

There's a diverse group of folks that live there, and they have a higher quality of life, in one of the premiere neighborhoods in the city of Philadelphia.

I am a computer consultant, I own my own firm.

And so the Rudolphy Mercy-Douglass Home, and the Mercy-Douglass Corporation, is actually one of my company's clients.

I knew they had space in there because of different things we did.

And they had a rather large suite that was not being used.

I was already running TechCore2.

And I was running it out of my office in Overbrook Park.

I ran out of space.

And so I needed a new place, so I came back with yet another pitch of I got this great nonprofit.

(laughs) There's kids.

We could really use this space.

And they finally got tired of me asking and let me move in.

(laughs) TechCORE2, we are - we're growing, we're growing.

Our premiere program is actually our summer high school internship program.

That program is led by our college students.

We were able to expand our high school internship, paid high school internship, to be a year-round program.

One of the big underlying problems that we have is the inequity that many Black and Brown families have as compared to other families.

And so we want to address that.

And I think we've tapped into a great way to do that for our young folks.

(remixed piano melody) (outdoor public chatter) - It was natural beauty before I knew what natural beauty was.

(dog barking) (chainsaw revving) Just very sad.

- Mmhm.

- They came in and felled a lot of trees, and then began creating this 40 foot dirt mound upon which soccer pitches are gonna eventually be placed.

And to see that kind of destruction from this green, lush, verdant area, to big piles of dirt.

Just fields of grass that had just been pulled up to expose.

Soil.

It's just been heartbreaking.

And now that's all just being destroyed, and I don't think enough people realize how much destruction is happening.

Come on this way, babe.

'Cause when you see it from the other side it's really devastating.

Like on this side, the trees, the growth, the gorgeous golden rod coming into bloom.

And then on this side.

It's just heartbreaking.

(birds chirping) Until you're able to get this kind of close.

And you see the height of this whole thing.

I don't think you get it.

(outdoor public chatter) Yeah.

It's just really sad.

- Because they have a legal document to say that they have the authorization to do this.

Just because it's legal don't make it right.

- To be honest, it's like a landmark to me.

You know, it's like it's a historical place for us.

Like, we've been here for 40 years, you know?

The best way to explain it, it's like the Italian market to Italians.

You know, like the ancestor been there for so long that they built their spot.

They feel like their heart and soul is a part of that community.

The point is the history of that, you know, the grandmother was there, you know?

She put her time, sweat, you know, and tears.

You know, into the business.

We bond with this park, you know?

That's why, like I said, like it's hard to get rid of us.

Because we've been here for so long.

And at the same time we see so many different like nationalities come here too now.

Like, it makes us proud because like we was the first to actually set that, you know, the foundation.

To let people know like hey, just come here too, you know?

It's a really comfortable spot.

It's welcome.

- Walking around, enjoy the nature around this park, it's just so special.

When you come over here, it just, you release all your black energy.

Your, you know, your bad feelings.

You come here just like you're sitting right now and, you know, the water here, all the...

There's nothing with you.

You feel good.

- [Interviewer] Right.

- And then you say you're safe.

It is safe.

You believe me, when you go back home.

You just like a hundred things going.

You don't know where it all came from.

- [Interviewer] But when you're here at the market you feel safe.

- I'm safe, I'm happy.

'Cause everything is just like God here waiting for us.

- [Interviewer] (laughs) Right.

- Yes, like He lifting up, here is my child, you know?

It's coming to me.

- [Interviewer] Right.

- It's just like here, it's around here, it's just like my God, all the angels and everything, just live off the tree to help us.

- Culturally, you know, FDR Park, it's Black to me.

It's a Black park, and we were always here.

And I remember seeing us, you know, picnicking in the park, church picnics, swimming in the park.

Black men used to be down here fishing in the park.

These trees know their roots, but we don't.

It just bothers me because when I did look and learn about the history of why FDR Park even became a park, it was because of development of neighborhoods in South Philly that they even bought, they even developed this park.

This guy, who is a Quaker that I knew, a white guy, whose family is Swedish, he was the one who took me into the Swedish Museum for the first time.

And I walked around in there, it was after hours, and I learned a lot about Swedish culture, but also the fact that this has been here all my life.

And I never knew about it.

No one took us on school trips there and I went to school in South Philly.

I went to camps in South Philly.

No one talked about the American Swedish Museum to us.

And I think it's just because it's like why would you waste your time talking to young Black children about Swedish culture?

But because we're shut out so much, that we are represented, not just Italians, you know, and not just people who have connections to people in the city, but like grounds root people.

People who care for the land.

That they have a say in the development because development in the mouth of a person who's just bottom line business and about making money, it's not about caring for the land.

It's about how much profit I'm gonna get after I change the look of this place.

- Access has been one of the big things that's changed.

A lot of the trails that had been more maintained are no longer being maintained.

It's almost as if they have their plan for what they want to do with this space.

And now they're discouraging people from using the public space.

- The newness is also accompanied by losing access.

Like it's not, like people often talk about development like oh, what's the problem?

Like we're developing all of these new things and it's like yeah, but I don't have access to that space anymore.

You know, it's like building a really expensive condo.

It's like yeah, we have new homes, like that's what's up, but I can't afford to live there.

- [Interviewer] Right.

- So I don't have new homes, you know?

Yeah, maintain the space, make it beautiful.

Build beautiful structures.

But everybody has access to it.

So if I bring my little brothers, or people bring their kids to FDR Park, they have places to play.

Like nobody here is saying like no, we don't want a soccer field.

Don't ever bring a soccer field here.

It's I don't have access to the soccer field.

So the future ideally would be develop new things that are beautiful and like fun to do that everybody can have access to.

But we are definitely doing the complete opposite, you know?

If it is beautiful, and it's nice, and it's functional, you probably don't have access to it.

That's pretty much how development work here, man.

- [Interviewer] Right.

- I think it's important to save the meadows because this is one of Philadelphia's largest open public spaces.

And the public has a right to enjoy it.

And we've also aligned with some other groups like the Sunrise Movement here in Philadelphia, as well as UC Townhomes and other groups.

Even Save Chinatown.

And No Arenas in Chinatown because they understand that, you know, when they come for us, they come for all of us.

(outdoor public chatter) - Our oral history, our documentary film, is called "Vanishing Roots."

It documents sort of transitions, redevelopment, contentious political struggle over land in South Philadelphia.

FDR Park.

And to backtrack a little bit, I'm the co-founder of Philly Muslim Freedom Fund.

We convene the project, but this is a community film project.

We're a small bail fund, and part of our origin story is very much tied to the park itself.

So we can go all the way back to 2020.

Every year there's a 5K fundraiser specifically for political prisoners organized by Philly ABC.

And so we participated in 2020.

We raised about $1400 for a political prisoner, Russell Maroon Shoatz, that went to his commissary.

He's no longer in this terrestrial realm, but he guides our work.

And we've been a part of that 5K every year since then.

And that's, you know, it's a gathering place, and that land feels sacred in a way, you know, circumambulating that lake.

More recently we had started witnessing the deforestation, the ecological devastation that was transpiring around us, as well as the resistance against that sort of disaster.

I mean I guess eventually I put on the hat of a producer, if you will.

Largely a convener, a connector, between different organizations and individuals that were instrumental in the political struggles in that space.

But also just assembling the right team.

But I knew right away that I wanted Marcus Rivera on the project.

He's somebody that I've run with in the past.

He is a phenomenal professional photographer and videographer.

And we complement one another really well.

And we started putting the team together to document, you know, the oral history of this park.

Save the Meadows was instrumental early on in connecting us with some of our interviewees.

People that are on the ground and have been actively organizing and resisting with the ecological devastation that I mentioned.

Also folks that are somewhat apolitical, right?

All our interviewees, deeply grateful to all of them.

Folks that are active in the Southeast Asian market.

The individual vendors with whom we continue to have a relationship.

And were so generous with their time and energy.

A graduate student from over at Temple, Yaqeen Yamani, was very instrumental also early on with the creative direction of this project.

And then of course Scribe.

I mean if it weren't for these classes, the support that we got monetarily, and technologically, the technical expertise and support, this would not have been possible.

So deeply grateful for that as well.

I say ultimately this film is an educational tool.

To disseminate this story.

Beyond this region.

And a springboard, a launching board, to potentially revisit the film, to continue to document what's happening at FDR Park.

And to potentially utilize it as a tool for community organizing as well.

(rhythmic drumming) - [Child 1] I live up there.

(basketball bouncing) (piano melody) (people cheering) ♪ No matter how long the days ♪ ♪ This here can't wait ♪