News Briefing

Church forum on racism, LGBT rights

Calvary United Methodist Church, 815 S. 48th St., will host the Rev. Gil Caldwell for “Racism & Heterosexism: Different, Yet the Same,” a community discussion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the church being designated as a Reconciling Congregation, a recognition of its LGBT-affirming status.

Caldwell, a retired United Methodist minister, has been a longtime ally of the LGBT community and has experienced a negative response from fellow black clergymembers because of his support for LGBT rights.

The discussion will take place at 11 a.m. May 23 at the church.

Libraries host forums on future

The Free Library of Philadelphia is launching a Libraries of the Future project, which will include a series of public forums that will allow city residents to contribute their thoughts on the development of the library system.

Participants will be asked to share why they use the library and what kind of changes they’d like to see in the future.

Meetings will be held May 20 at Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St.; May 26 at Enterprise Center, 4548 Market St.; June 2 at John M. Perzel Community Center, 2990 St. Vincent St.; and June 9 at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, 6100 Stenton Ave. All meetings will begin at 6:15 p.m.

Nominate your hero

The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund will host its fourth-annual HEROES celebration Sept. 24 at F.U.E.L. Collection Art Gallery to pay tribute to the community’s most dedicated leaders, and the nomination process to select this year’s heroes closes in just a few weeks.

Nominees can fall into one of three categories — individuals, nonprofit organizations or corporations — and a DVLF committee will review all submissions before making the final decisions.

Nominees should be those who have “bold ideas, act with selfless intention, are admired for their integrity and are regarded as courageous in advancing the equality of the LGBTI community in the Delaware Valley and beyond.”

Self-nominations are not permitted.

Nomination forms and additional information are at www.dvlf.org.

— Jen Colletta

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