What if we used this holiday season to do something truly transformative and rooted in love? What if we pushed beyond surface-level pleasantries and tackled the conversations we usually avoid? This year, I’m inviting you to “hack” the holidays by leaning into one of the hardest—and most necessary topics— money.
In honor of the legendary Judith Jamison, we dedicate this article of remembrance to her legacy.
Amidst the puppets, art installations, and banners, the spirit of community love filled the park, casting a warm glow over the gathering. The air was alive with excitement, showcasing the unity and creativity of the Greater Philadelphia area.
Bush sees herself as a disrupter and change agent. “I create movement in community for people who are voiceless,” she says, “but it all comes from the grassroots.” For Bush, the ability to shift to fill the needs of those in her community is freedom. She believes that education and the respect it brings is freedom.
Auditing across the state helps to ensure our tax dollars are spent efficiently, an issue brought up by Philadelphia citizens in interviews outside City Hall by Love Now Media’s team of youth reporters. “I pay a lot of taxes,” said Raheem.
Together, they remind us that the best things in life come in their own time—love and success come with hard work. Tracey and Cheri Syphax do not take for granted that they get to enjoy the freedom they’ve earned along the way. Instead, like everything else, they share it.
A wise poet once wrote, “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” This could not be truer for a person who is justice-impacted. As a mother returning from incarceration, life is full of bumps, cracks, and splinters on stairs that bruise as they knock me down one step for every two steps that I climb. My journey from incarceration to stability has been a roller coaster ride since I returned to society nearly two decades ago.
Williams utilized his hardships as tools for success and grew a thriving social media platform known as Philly’s Motivation, posting 60-second videos that make people smile, whether through “a prayer or inspiring someone through grief, suicidal thoughts, or depression,” said Williams.
His messages were like little love notes to the community, spreading hope and optimism in challenging times.
In the titular role of Hamilton, Tyler Fauntleroy is a storyteller with a mission. “We’re all citizens going through this together. The cast feels it, too. We’re metabolizing what’s happening in the world, and that energy makes it into the performance.” In this, the production promises to be more than just an evening’s entertainment – it’s a chance to witness history and embody the joy, camaraderie, and collective power that live theater can offer its audiences.
For young people entering their first or second election cycle, it can be easy to miss the hard work being done to address the day-to-day issues Americans are facing when its opposite is dominating the media.The importance of optimism in young voters is not something that can be understated, arguably, because their support is some of the most needed.
Cvgebird takes social and systemic issues, and makes them sonically compelling, as well as being informed and interesting. Everything is intentional, whether it be for Selina, the listener, or both.
In partnership with Women’s Way, Love Now Media is proud to announce the launch of Beyond the Razor Wire Fence, now available across all podcast platforms.
Dana Johnson continues to offer herself to the world, despite the traumas she’s endured. She recognizes that she is an example for many who admire her and offers herself as a voice for those oppressed, ignored, and forgotten. DJ Showtyme reminds us that adversity shapes us, but doesn’t define who we are to ourselves or others.
On Saturday, October 12th, a rare comet will be at its most visible over Philadelphia – streaking through the sky and easily visible with a telescope or binoculars. Named “Tsuchinshan-Atlas”, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth for the next 80,000 years and promises to be the “comet of the century.”
As this is the final essay of a five-part series, I thought it appropriate to begin where we started. Although focused on artificial intelligence, love has always been the throughline intentionally guiding each piece.
So, what does it mean to be a Frontline Dad? Jones describes it as “exemplary manhood,” a recurring phrase taught to mentees. “You don’t have to be a biological father to be a dad,” he emphasizes. “We come from communities where we believe in taking a village to raise a child.”
When I ask Debbie if Parker’s recent endorsement means the fight to save Chinatown is lost, she looks up from her mapo tofu noodles and laughs. “Oh God, no,” she chuckles, reminding me that Mayor Street’s pet project was a proposal to put the Phillies stadium in Chinatown and Mayor Nutter eyed the neighborhood as the site for a casino. The community defeated both.
Today, the media company is best known for hosting storytelling “parties,” where journalists and reporters share compelling narratives in front of a live audience. These immersive events occur twice a year in cities like San Francisco, Detroit and our own, Philadelphia. One participant, who moved to Philly to escape the frantic pace of New York, captured the essence of this year’s festival: “It’s about feeling something profound—leaving different than when you arrived.”
This poem was compiled at the Fall 2024 Release Party for Love Now Magazine. Attendees were asked to write down their feelings and responses to various prompts, in haiku format, and submit them anonymously for publication. Following the event, the haikus were compiled by curator Kim Russell into a longer form poem, published above.
First initiated in 1984, World Peace Day is in its 40th year of celebration. This year’s theme was ‘Cultivate a Culture of Peace.’ Founded in 2012, Peace Day Philly continues this tradition by curating demonstrations of peace around the city of Philadelphia in the lead-up to International Peace Day, observed annually on September 21st.
In a recent StoryCorps interview with her cousin, Tenika Floyd, Dr. Green reflects on the profound influence that her aunt and uncle had on her early life. Their love became the driving force behind her unwavering quest for cancer treatment solutions.
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