Annual “Homecoming” Event, Festival Unbound

On October 2nd, Touchstone Theatre hosted their annual “Homecoming” event as part of Festival Unbound 2020. In some ways celebration, in other ways a touchpoint for resistance, this event highlighted local Black voices of the Lehigh Valley. The event included local musicians and artists, as well as poetry readings and opportunities to engage in activism…

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A Bethlehem Moment: June 22, 1969

Written by: Mary Foltz, Lehigh UniversitySusan Falciani Maldonado, Muhlenberg CollegeKristen Leipert, Muhlenberg College In this moment in Bethlehem history, Le-Hi-Ho, the first organized group for gays in the Lehigh Valley, held its first meeting As the Lehigh Valley concludes the celebration of Pride month and Allentown’s Pride Festival in August, the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community…

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New Bethany Ministries Takes on Covid-19

Like most organizations faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, New Bethany Ministries had to address the challenges of restructuring their day-to-day operations. However, because of the nature of their work, New Bethany also faced added pressure from the increasing need demonstrated by the community members that they serve. In this interview with J. Marc Rittle, the…

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Lehigh University Hosts Population Health Colloquium: “Health Inequities in Light of COVID-19”

*Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pexels The field of public health deserves a lot of attention right now as this field offers us answers for how we should address the risk factors for this recent pandemic. Importantly, conceptualizing racism and racial justice as a public health issue has also gained traction. Lehigh University’s College…

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Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley Fights Pandemic: An Interview with Victoria Montero

Victoria Montero is the director of the Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley (HCLV). The Hispanic Center has been a central leader in providing Latinx community members with support during the Covid-19 pandemic. Southsider interviewed Montero to learn about the important work of HCLV in rising to the challenges presented by the pandemic. HP: To…

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The Construction of Race and How Racism is Maintained: A Conversation Facilitated by Linda Wiggins-Chavis

On July 14th, BAPL began a series of workshops about race and racism facilitated by Linda Wiggins-Chavis. This series, called “Dialogues on Racial Justice: An Introductory Workshop Series on Issues of Systemic Racism in the United States,” continues the much needed work of grappling with racism in our communities in order to facilitate necessary institutional…

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A Celebration of Latinx Stories at Bethlehem Area Public Library: from 1976-Today

In 1976, Bethlehem Area Public Library’s (BAPL) South Side Branch became an intellectual haven for Bethlehem’s Latinx residents and a “fiesta para todos” would celebrate the library’s new multi-cultural vision and resources available for the Hispanic community. In 2019, through a Mellon Grant from Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium and in partnership with Lehigh University‘s…

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