by KYW’s Karin Phillips
A South Philadelphia community activist, author, and grandmother of five says she wants home economics classes back in school.
Shahrazad Ali arrived in South Philadelphia in 1985 from Atlanta and has been working tirelessly for her adopted home ever since. Her latest campaign is to reinstate home economics classes in the Philadelphia school district.
According to Ali, the classes not only help kids (many of whom are raising kids themselves) take care of a home, but also teach life-management skills to survive in the real world:
“Put them in the kitchen. Let them bake and sew and cook. And learn how to do consumer shopping, work appliances, and use a measuring cup and a measuring spoon. And I thought it would just be so wonderful for our girls -- and our boys. Some of the best chefs in the world are men.”
Mrs. Ali is circulating petitions and gathering signatures to present to the School Reform Commission.
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