It’s that time of year when we anticipate an end to the vacation days of summer and the resumption of the school year routine. As it draws to a close, this has been a summer for the history books in many ways. Severe weather crisscrossed the country devastating communities with unprecedented heat and flooding. After the COVID-19 induced hiatus, crowds flocked to movie theaters to view the “Barbenheimer” duo on the big screen in air-conditioned comfort. And in Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker became the first Black woman to win the Democratic nomination for mayor. Her Republican opponent in the November election, former Council Member David Oh, is the first Asian elected to Philadelphia City Council. Given the disparity between Democratic and Republican registered voters, former council member and majority leader Parker is likely to be the city’s next Mayor. But whichever of these civic-minded candidates prevail, the next mayor of Philadelphia will be breaking barriers. That is a tribute to the diversity in the home of the Liberty Bell—the “city that loves you back.”

Reprinted with permission from the August 10 2023  issue of  The Legal Intelligencer. © 2024 ALM Media Properties, LLC. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.