Statement of Faye M. Anderson

Director, All That Philly Jazz before

City of Philadelphia Comcast Cable Franchise Renewal Public Forum Philadelphia City Institute Library

April 28, 2015 My name is Faye Anderson. I’m a resident of Yorktown. By way of introduction, I’m a former communications lawyer who was a member of the coalition that pushed for inclusion of the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries, the E-rate, in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. So when users access the Internet at the Free Library, they can thank me. I’m here today to speak up about Comcast’s community impact in my capacity as director of All That Philly Jazz, a public history project that is telling the story of Philadelphia’s rich jazz heritage from bebop to hip-hop. As reported in a recent Al Dia News cover story, we are mapping jazz-related cultural assets, including murals, Walk of Fame plaques and former jazz spots like the 2nd Fret, a legendary coffeehouse that was located at 19th and Sansom streets. In 2014, long before this week’s public forums were announced, the director of Comcast Local Media Development reached out to me because he recognized that every block tells a story about Philadelphia’s musical heritage. Thanks to the partnership with Comcast, the community now has a platform, PhillyJazz.us, which raises awareness that black culture matters and draws attention to the impact of gentrification and development on displacing our cultural heritage.

Philly’s jazz tradition is a source of local pride, but little has been done to preserve the history. Over the next few days, you’ll hear a lot about corporate citizenship and paying one’s fair share. As Philadelphia changes, developers like Pennrose and Dranoff are feeding at the public trough. In addition to not paying their fair share, they are erasing African Americans’ cultural heritage. By contrast, Comcast’s community and economic impact speaks for itself. Thank you. Faye M. Anderson Director All That Philly Jazz (215) 995-5028 http://phillyjazz.us phillyjazzapp@gmail.com @andersonatlarge | @PhillyJazzApp