Sam Katz

I just got my first email from Sam Katz alerting me to the progress he’s making on his latest project - a documentary film series (a la Ken Burns) about the history of our fair city.

In the first issue of what seems like will be a montly update that includes preview of interviews and footage, the 3-time candidate for mayor says:

By the end of March 2009, we hope to have a terrific pilot episode, a “kickin” website, plans for civic engagement and educational programming and a detailed written proposal which collectively will make the case why the Remaking of America’s First City: Philadelphia should get the financial support it needs to get produced!

While we here at It’s Our City are mostly interested in looking at the future of Philadelphia (I, in particular am interested in the immediate future of Philadelphia’s baseball squad), we welcome the context that Sam’s project can give to our discussion.  After all, while the people who live in Philadelphia today are obviously different from those who punched a clock at the Stetson Hat factory a century ago, family ties and the attitudes passed from generation to generation run deep.

Only by learning about where we as a community have come from - including how we have welcomed newcomers in the past and our past choices for city leadership - can we plan out where we want to go.

I welcome anyone to chime in with your own stories about your family’s history and your own personal history in Philadelphia.  What do you think?  How has the city changed in the time you’ve known it and have those changes been for the better?