0 Philly Basketball Players Come Back to Teach Life Skills

By: Marvin DeBose In Philadelphia, a city with a huge emphasis on athletics, it’s not too often that people see athletic skills and life skills taught in conjunction with one another. However, on Sunday, June 30th, at Finley Recreaction Center, about 20 Mt. Airy kids, ranging from ages 6-15, witnessed an exception to that rule, at the 3rd “Players Helping Players” free basketball clinic. The program was largely coordinated by William Logan, a Mt. Airy/West Oak Lane resident who grew up playing basketball at Finley Recreation Center. Logan played under the tutelage of Mt. Airy basketball coaches, Marvin DeBose Sr. and Bob...

0 An Open Letter to Morgan Freeman

By: Marvin DeBose Note: Regardless if Mr. Freeman ever reads this or not, this is a message which many people need to read. Dear Mr. Freeman, I hope that this message finds you in great health and high spirits. I think it goes without saying that you're undoubtedly one of the most talented actors that I've ever seen. Your movies are classics, and the word "iconic" is an understatement when it comes to describing some of the characters that you've played over the years. Not only do I respect you as an actor, I also respect your perspective and your opinion as an African-American man who grew up in the era of Jim Crow segregation. I'm...

2 What Happened to Reading?

By: Marvin DeBose I have a long history when it comes to reading. As a young child, my mother would buy me countless "Read Along" books that came with cassettes that I'd play on my Playskool tape recorder. My father also was a huge influence on my reading habits as well. He'd read newspapers daily as well as countless books on history, ranging from books on the Moors in Spain to the history of the mafia. As fate would have it, he eventually became a librarian for the Free Library of Philadelphia, one of the largest public library systems in the world. Needless to say, books have played and still play a tremendous role in my life. When...