From Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
Bridge blocksa community conversation series hosted by WHYY and Free Library of Philadelphiaand continued this week at the Parkway Central Library, focusing on the impact of small businesses in Philadelphia.
Several special guests attended the Nov. 7 talk, including Bridging Blocks donors Fred and Barbara Sutherland.
Fred Sutherland, former executive vice president and CFO of Philadelphia-based food services company Aramark, joined the conversation as an observer and participant. He expressed that the “Bloc Bridge” is a useful tool to unite neighbors and communities.
“I think it’s important to try to bring people together,” Sutherland said of the program. “We’re so divided these days, people are going in a million different directions at once. We’ve lost over time. I think that sense of community is what we really need.”
Other guests included President Why and CEO Bill MarrazzoFree Library of Philadelphia President Kelly Richards and Head of Adult Services and Programs Veronica Brito and Thomas Ginsburg, a small business expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Before the group discussion, Brito and Ginsburg gave presentations. Brito provided an overview of the professional services the library currently offers, from the Business and Innovation Resource Center to financial literacy programs.
Ginsburg provided an overview of Pew’s work regarding small businesses in Philadelphia. According to Pew Research, self-employed ventures — also known as businesses without employees — accounted for more than 82% of all businesses in the city in 2021.
Additionally, the Pew Research Center reports that immigrants make up 24% of self-employed small businesses in America, more than double the population of the group.
This statistic sparked conversation among attendees, with some wondering how the demographics of small business owners will shift post-crisis Presidential elections 2024. Center City resident Perry Steindel worries about what free labor status will look like for immigrants under a second Trump administration.
“It’s all about what’s about to happen to us with Trump and the undocumented people… I’m worried about them,” Steindl said.