Jacen Bowman: Leading with Love and Pride
Jacen Bowman knows what it means to fight for love—beginning with himself. The lessons he has learned about self-love are the foundation for how he loves others today.
This activist, leader, and advocate channels his awareness into his work on behalf of intentionally marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQIA+ individuals, to ensure their visibility, amplify their voices, and validate their experiences.
Our Unbreakable Best: Healing Beyond the System
“I want my story to show others that healing is possible, no matter where you start.”
A profound statement, rooted in love and a deep belief in all things good, from educator and activist Victoria Best.
Now forty-five, Best was thrust into the Philadelphia foster care system after being separated from her biological mother at age 2. On a journey where resilience and survival became necessities, she quickly learned the difference between shelter and belonging after she and her brother were taken in by her uncle’s family.
Passing Down the Pen: 19th News Fellows Meet with Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
Like her ancestor, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah has connected the two Black Press traditions of informing and advocating.
Legacy & Love explores generational impact for Black History Month
Titled “Legacy & Love,” this new series runs in tune with the month’s theme—African Americans and Labor—and highlights four different businesses and celebrates the impact of their generational run.
How To: Heal Our Relationship to Intimacy
The painful, beautiful reality of intimacy is that it requires closeness with another being, achieved through mutual vulnerability. We share the ability to deeply wound each other and trust that we will not. Tim Kreider, essayist and cartoonist, sums it up best: “If we want the rewards of being loved, we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.”
Kuan Young Wants You to Incorporate Nature into Your Healing
Early on, Young noticed a disconnect between healing practices and feeling healed. He noticed individuals who were doing yoga every day but not feeling any better; to this, he maintains that “maybe [they] haven’t put the right things in [their] body,” or maybe their wellness journey should incorporate the novelty of nature.
A Home For Colored Girls
Vashti Dubois keeps this house because she wants Black women to visit and know
that someone is expecting them and has prepared a space for them to be comfortable. She said that in naming the museum, “the concept of ‘colored’ came from [the] ways in which the world just colors on Black women and girls; just takes out its crayon and colors us whatever the hell it wants… TCGM is my love letter to ordinary colored girls.”
Organizers Speak on the Importance of Solidarity and People Power Behind Saving Chinatown
In December, Philadelphia City Council voted 12-4 to approve 76 Place after arresting dozens of protesters. But as Debbie predicted, arena opponents vowed to continue the fight despite legislative approval. The very next day, a two-story banner proclaiming “76 Place Will Never Be Built: Stop Land Grabs, from Philly to Palestine” was deployed off of a downtown parking garage. Just over three weeks later, that declaration—and Debbie—would be proven true.
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter: A Portrait of a Saviour
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, also known as Isis Tha Savior, creates work that exemplifies the transformative power of art. Her commitment to confronting uncomfortable truths serves as a powerful reminder that the journey of healing, while often fraught with challenges, can lead to profound understanding. As she continues to amplify marginalized voices, she reminds us that art is not just a conversation starter; it’s a catalyst for action and a pathway to justice.
Love Now Live: A Night of Healing
This night not only highlighted the magazine’s theme of ‘Healing’ but also served as a reminder of the weight of nurturing our mental and emotional wellness. As Ayana and Ayinké harmonized to the digital scene of a strikingly orange moon, we reflected and reckoned with the challenges and triumphs of this past year.