Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
On October 11th, the Kutztown Area Historical Society (KAHS) and Lehigh University’s South Side Initiative (SSI) unveiled a historical marker dedicated to Keith Haring, a renowned Neo-Pop artist and activist who grew up in Kutztown, PA. The historical marker program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which approved a marker to honor…
In reflecting on the Lehigh Valley’s community events of summer 2024, Southsider wanted to highlight the Juneteenth celebration that took place in Easton. The Juneteenth parade was celebratory and educational. It also brought together the entire Lehigh Valley community for an unforgettable day. On the afternoon of Sunday June 16th, the Juneteenth Lehigh Valley organization hosted…
On June 4th, the Bethlehem Area Public Library hosted a lecture on the long and complex history of Bethlehem Steel, which was led by Donald Young. Young, 87, worked in the steel industry for 56 years, mostly with Bethlehem Steel. The work meant so much to him that he devoted his life to it, both…
The Moravians and their faith community are part of the history of Bethlehem’s creation. Yet besides having seen the Moravian architecture that still survives, many Bethlehem residents don’t know all that much about the historic Moravian community or individuals who lived within it. As part of Women’s History Month, Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL) offered…
Myrna Rivera was born in Puerto Rico, but considers herself a native of Bethlehem, PA. At six months old, her mother and father brought her to Bethlehem, and she spent her entire life and career here. Rivera’s story, and her work at Bethlehem Steel, reveals the nuances of cultural expectations for women during the 1970s, as she was growing up and joining the workforce. Rivera remembers that, in 1972, when she was graduating high school, it was not a time when very many women went to college, and for her, that attitude was particularly entrenched in her family’s culture.
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…
Southsider’s series focused on the Women of Bethlehem Steel Collection from the Beyond Steel Archives gives our readers the opportunity to explore the stories of women in our community who worked in the steel industry. Each article in the series will feature an introduction to one oral history, a link that allows our readers to…
Later in life, Judy Hoffert would learn how dangerous her husband’s job was working the blast furnaces. The one time she was able to visit his work, she recalls the space being freezing cold and very dangerous. During his time at the Steel, there had been an explosion at the blast furnaces that killed two men, though Jeff had not been there at the time. Another time, Jeff had witnessed a man almost killed when he got run over by a truck. As more and more of these incidents happened, Judy says her husband became increasingly reticent, keeping these traumas to himself so that she did not have to worry about him, or ask him to change jobs.
Southsider’s series focused on the Women of Bethlehem Steel Collection from the Beyond Steel Archives, gives our readers the opportunity to explore the stories of women in our community who worked in the steel industry. Each article in the series will feature an introduction to one oral history, a link that allows our readers to…
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…