Tubman Statue Quote Vote, ACA Drops & PHL Updates

Philadelphia is getting a Harriet Tubman statue at City Hall later this year, and right now, residents have a rare chance to shape what it says. The city is asking the public to weigh in on which quote will be inscribed on the statue’s base. The prompt guiding submissions: “What does it mean to walk in Harriet Tubman’s footsteps today?” Sculptor Alvin Pettit’s work depicts Tubman with hands folded in prayer or clenched, depending on how you read it. Either way, it’s a powerful image. The inscription vote is a chance for Philadelphians to put their values on record, literally in stone at City Hall.

On the health care front, the numbers coming out of Harrisburg are brutal. Some 120,000 Pennsylvanians have dropped their Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage, a direct result of lost federal subsidies, rising premiums, and a cost of living that keeps squeezing working families. Pennsylvania had been one of the states where ACA enrollment held relatively strong, but the subsidy cuts changed that math fast. If you know someone who went uninsured because the monthly cost got unmanageable, they are not alone and they are now part of a six-figure number that should be getting a lot more attention from Harrisburg.

Philadelphia International Airport is also back to full operational capacity. All three security checkpoints are open again, with Terminal F coming back online this morning after Terminals A West and C reopened last week. If your spring travel plans got complicated by the partial closures, that headache is over. PHL handles tens of millions of passengers a year, and running reduced checkpoint capacity creates ripple effects across connection times and wait lines. Good to have the full picture back in place heading into the warmer months.

A ballot question that would have let Pennsylvania lawmakers hold onto their legislative seats while running for state or federal office got pulled from May’s primary. That question will not appear on the ballot. The proposal had drawn criticism from people who argued it created an obvious conflict of interest, letting politicians essentially run a campaign on the public’s dime while still drawing a salary and holding office. The fact that it quietly disappeared from the ballot before most voters even knew it existed is its own kind of story.

A few other things worth your attention: Jezabel Careaga is making another run at opening a café in Fitler Square, nearly three years after neighborhood opposition killed her plans for a spot on Lombard Street. The Yiddish language is seeing a genuine grassroots revival in West Philadelphia, which is a fascinating cultural thread. And if you have spotted camera crews at local restaurants lately, there may be a reason. “Love Is Blind” is reportedly filming in Philly after holding a casting call last year.

Mayor Parker has a packed Tuesday. She speaks at the National Constitution Center this afternoon for the 2026 Philadelphia Tourism Outlook event, then heads to the Penn Political Union for a public safety and education discussion in the evening.

Additional details on several of these items came from Billy Penn.

The FIFA World Cup is coming to Philadelphia this summer. The cherry blossoms are peaking. There is a lot going on. Stay close.