Each week, #PhillyMayorThisWeek recaps five moments from the past seven days you might’ve missed.
Take three minutes to get updated on what’s going on in your city!
1. Mayor Kenney celebrated with students, teachers, and City officials as students started their first day of school.
This week, students from kindergarten to 12th grade went back to school. Throughout the day, staff from the City’s Community Schools Initiative tweeted to chronicle the event. As he usually does, Mayor Kenney joined students at a school for lunch, this year at George Washington High School. The City just designated Washington as one of the newest community schools. Learn more about community schools from the Mayor’s Office of Education.
Happy to join students on the first day of school at one of our new #CommunitySchoolsPHL: George Washington High School! pic.twitter.com/NqdlxbJ6vA
— Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) September 5, 2017
2. The Mayor released a statement in support of Dreamers, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
In response to President Trump’s announcement through Attorney General Jeff Sessions that the federal government would end DACA, the Mayor signaled his support of DACA recipients, called Dreamers. The program, started under the Obama Administration, allows for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, often as infants, to remain in the country under certain conditions. DACA provides rolling deferrals from deportation and work permits. The City also updated its Immigration Action Guide to include a section on DACA and what program recipients need to know.
Ending the DACA program is cruel, detrimental to our health as a nation and inherently un-American. #defendDACA
Posted by Mayor Jim Kenney on Wednesday, September 6, 2017
3. Mayor Kenney joined City officials at a press conference explaining what Philadelphians are doing, and what they can do, to help those affected by recent hurricanes.
Recently, Hurricane Harvey caused devastation and flooding in and around Texas, and Hurricane Irma is now threatening Florida after having caused catastrophe in the Caribbean. This week, Mayor Kenney joined City officials to explain what Philadelphia is doing, including sending a contingent of Philadelphia Fire Department staff down south to help with search and rescue and other operations, as well as what Philadelphians can do to help.
The devastation after Hurricane Harvey is tragic. So many lives lost, including a police officer trying to do his job….
Posted by Mayor Jim Kenney on Wednesday, September 6, 2017
4. The Mayor welcomed attendees of the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference and helped raise the trans pride flag at City Hall.
This week, the Trans Health Conference takes place; it’s the largest meeting of its kind in the world. Joining Director of the Office of LGBT Affairs Amber Hikes, Mayor Kenney welcomed conference attendees, members of Philly’s transgender community, and allies. Together, they all raised the trans pride flag at City Hall. You can learn more about LGBTQ rights and protections, and how you can take action to support these rights, in the City’s LGBTQ Action Guide.
Philly is a city of activism, and trans people have always led that charge. Philly's @TransHealthConf is the largest in the world! #TransPHL pic.twitter.com/STGnXTUg8E
— Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) September 7, 2017
5. Mayor Kenney assured Philadelphia that the City was interested in and would bid on Amazon’s call for a host city for its new second headquarters.
With news that Amazon’s second headquarters would create as many as 50,000 jobs, the City expressed its intention to apply to the company’s open bid for HQ2’s location. Unable to resist a pun, the Mayor tweeted, “We think Philadelphia would be a PRIME location for Amazon that would make people SMILE! Look forward to submitting a proposal!”
Just sayin'!
Posted by Mayor Jim Kenney on Friday, September 8, 2017