Finally, a History Tour Dedicated to Philly's Most Badass Women

The figures featured on your typical tour through Philly’s Historic District are predominantly men, from the Founding Fathers on down.

But what about the women who contributed so much to the history of the city and the nation? Even in times when they were afforded less power and fewer rights, female leaders were very active in Philadelphia. But other than Betsy Ross, their names have been elided from most tourist traipses through Old City — until now.

Thanks to Haverford grad Rebecca Laureanna Fisher, you can now take a tour that unearths the history of Philly’s most badass women — “cool colonial women, change makers, sex workers and more.”

When tours focus on white men, “what we’re saying ostensibly is that those are the people that matter,” Fisher said. “It’s not only historically inaccurate, but it also has consequences.”

To address the issue, the Abington Township native recently partnered with longtime friend Joey Leroux to launch a tour company called Beyond the Bell. The goal: to highlight the city’s less-celebrated constituencies.

CURO Wealth ManagementNovember 9, 2018Comment

How a Fishtown Cleaning Service Helps Women With Cancer

Raylene Arko, owner of a residential and commercial cleaning business in Fishtown, has had a fair share of experience with cancer. Her father died of lung cancer that metastasized to his brain. Her grandmother died of breast cancer. Her mother is a 13-year breast cancer survivor.

So Arko has seen the toll a cancer diagnosis can take on a family — how everyday tasks can become a burden.

"Seeing how sick my dad was and how my mom was taking care of him [and] taking him to his treatments, we had to focus on the doctors' appointments and his chemo appointments, so there wasn't much time left to make sure the house was clean," Arko said.

Danielle FinnertyNovember 9, 2018Comment