The Long and Winding Road of Inequality Cuts Straight Through Philadelphia
Documenting the shutdown on Germantown Avenue, which crosses three zip codes with deep economic divides
Philadelphia has long been considered one of the poorest big cities in America. As of March 6—before the coronavirus pandemic sent unemployment numbers skyrocketing—more than 7% of its residents were unemployed. Now, that number has swollen as more than 2 million residents lost their jobs in the wake of the crisis. Neighborhoods that were already struggling with deep poverty and institutional neglect have suffered badly, while in wealthier areas homeowners and business owners are anxious about the future but have had less difficulty in weathering the storm. After two months of stay-at-home orders and a broad economic shutdown, the city is on the brink of reopening, as tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest against police brutality in a city long marred by income inequality.
The Northwest Philadelphia neighborhoods that straddle Germantown Avenue are a microcosm of those experiences. Germantown has a rich history, and is one of the Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods; it was the site of a major Revolutionary War battle and holds the honor of bearing witness to the first anti-slavery petition in U.S…
