Philadelphia has a story to tell.
In Fall 2021, we launched a Philadelphia-specific fellowship with support from the Independence Public Media Foundation. Philadelphia is an epicenter of justice reform efforts nationwide; as such, we’ve piloted a practice of bringing our fellows into direct and intentional relationships with a group of 15 community stakeholders outside the context of a given piece of reporting. To us, it’s important to engage in storytelling projects with movement organizations that have been excluded from access to resources that amplify the voices of the community they serve.
Janna, a Philly fellow, shared, “I grew up heavily entrenched within the criminal punishment system, as my uncle/godfather was incarcerated since I was a child. Having concrete and traumatic experiences within this system of ‘corrections’ enabled me to understand how the prison industrial complex often operates invisibly for specific communities in America, such as upper-class and white communities. When President Barack Obama commuted my uncle in 2016, I knew I was in an especially unique place.”
Listening to stories by locals
-
Philly’s New Violence Intervention Program Focuses On Stability And Support
Based on a successful model in Chicago, Philadelphia’s new initiative will provide housing and other need-based services to individuals at risk for gun violence to reduce shootings and incarceration rates.
Written by Natalie Kerr, 2022 Philly Movement Media Fellow
-
‘We got to look at people more like human beings’: In conversation with Care, Not Control
Bre Stoves, a core youth leader at The Village of Arts & Humanities, and Jared Cooper, a youth leader at Youth Art and Self-empowerment Project, are working with the Care, Not Control campaign to end youth incarceration in Pennsylvania. Stoves’ and Cooper’s own experiences with the criminal justice system motivate them to create new systems that support youth and their freedom.
Written by Natalie Kerr, 2022 Philly Movement Media Fellow
-
‘The New Generation at the Forefront’: In Conversation with the Students for Preservation of Chinatown
Students for the Preservation of Chinatown (SPOC, @spocphilly) is a coalition of college students fighting against the predatory development of the 76ers arena in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, led by Kaia Chau and Taryn Flaherty, who grew up in the area.
Written by Elizabeth Nacion, 2022 Philly Movement Media Fellow
-
‘The system leaves us to fend for ourselves’: In Conversation with Joshua Garner
Joshua Garner is a Reentry Support Specialist with the Institute for Community Justice, ensuring that returning citizens and those affected by mass incarceration receive all the resources they will need to become successful in society. Garner is also the founder and lead Certified Paralegal of Right To Be Free, a board member of Helping The Homeless, and volunteers with the Free Tyree Wallace Campaign.
Written by Janna MacPherson, 2021 Philly Movement Media Fellow
-
‘We need to figure out better ways to be in community with each other’: In Conversation with A’Brianna Morgan
A’Brianna Morgan is a mass liberation organizer at Reclaim Philadelphia.
Written by Nadiyah Timmons, 2021 Philly Movement Media Fellow
-
Representing a ‘district that feels like my home’: In Conversation with Rep. Rick Krajewski
Rick Krawjewski currently serves in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 188th District in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
Written by Ketterick Wadell, 2021 Philly Movement Media Fellow