Tanya T. Morris Champions Black Women’s Economic Liberation

Tanya T. Morris knows what it means to build something meaningful in the face of uncertainty. A mission-driven entrepreneur, she launched Mom Your Business not with a master plan, but with a single event and a calling to serve. Since then, she has navigated job loss, capital scarcity, and systemic roadblocks while staying grounded in her purpose: to support and elevate Black and Brown women entrepreneurs.

Filmmaker Kyree Terrell on Storytelling, Community, and Staying the Course

For over a decade, I’ve watched Kyree Terrell evolve from a party and event videographer into one of Philadelphia’s most prolific independent filmmakers. I remember when he launched My New Philly, a media platform dedicated to reshaping narratives about our city, capturing joy, possibility, and what was “new” and often overlooked. He led teams of young journalists and filmmakers through our neighborhoods with cameras and curiosity, documenting stories that uplifted and inspired.

Beyond Broadway, The Wiz as a Black Music Month Manifesto

There are moments in Black culture when time folds inward. When the past, present, and future meet in rhythm, harmony, and truth-telling. Last night, watching The Wiz, performed at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music and presented by Ensemble Arts, became such a moment. Staged during Black Music Month, this production reminded us why The Wiz, first introduced to Broadway in the 1970’s, remains one of the most potent cultural reimaginings in American performance history.

Sarah Mueller’s Community-Centered Film Revolution

Sarah Mueller’s Community-Centered Film Revolution Sarah Meuller for Love Now Magazine. Photo by Ronald Gray For this loving leader, love ripples through every frame of her work. Sarah Mueller leads with heart, hustle, and a deep belief in the power of community. As founder and executive director of cinéSPEAK, she’s spent over a decade creating […]

Philadelphians Find Nature On The Pathway To Healing From Gun Violence

The way survivors and co-survivors of gun violence are taught to heal from gun violence can be formulaic: talk to your loved ones, seek therapy, and take anti-anxiety medications. But the path to healing isn’t the same for everyone, and these solutions aren’t a fix-all. For many folks seeking a remedy to the emotional pain they have experienced, the key has been access to nature and green spaces.

AAries Rising: Healing In Perfect Harmony

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Philadelphia was the cradle of the Neo Soul Movement. More than a genre, a new group of homegrown musicians, sirens, and wordsmiths created a vibe and culture that was best experienced live in clubs, coffee shops, and basements. They blended the groove of Gamble & Huff with the grit of 90s Hip-Hop, the experimentation of Jazz with the spirit of a COGIC (Church of God and Christ) service, and the poetry of The Black Arts Movement with the fashion of Soul Train. In that moment, Philly birthed a n

Kristal Bush on Freedom and #FreeMyWeedman

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.

Singing From the Shadows at Philly Story Fest 2024

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.”

Power Up! Civic Awareness with the Free Library

This fall, the Free Library of Philadelphia is teaming up with Temple University’s Dr. Aaron Smith, an Assistant Professor of Africology and African American Studies, to present an enlightening six-part series titled “Power Up!”