Background

Founded in 2009 by Professors Murali Balaji and Letrell Crittenden, Voices of Philadelphia is a nonprofit media organization dedicated to opening up the public sphere to marginalized populations in Philadelphia. VoP seeks to achieve this goal through media literacy and journalism trainings of citizens, through publication and aggregation of news and information dedicated to the interests of the marginalized, and by creating cohesive, lasting relationship between advocate within the academy and advocates at the grassroots level. VoP has a 501c3 sponsorship through Resources in Human Development. It is also affiliated with the Mass Communications Department at Lincoln University as an outreach of the department’s media literacy efforts.

Initially conceived as a news site, VoP has shifted its focus toward the training of citizens in the best practices of journalism. We offer directly, or through partnerships, training in print journalism, digital journalism and broadcast/documentary journalism. In addition, VoP trains citizens in media literacy, more specially how media systems operate in relation to marginalized communities. This dual emphasis produces citizens who are not only capable of producing news. This creates citizens journalists who are fully capable of understanding how the mainstream press operates – and how this impacts their communities and own efforts to inform their neighbors.

In 2011, VoP partnered with PhillyCAM and YESPhilly to produce “Pushouts,” a documentary put together by Philadelphia Public School “pushouts” that explains why so many young people are pushed out of high school. VoP has received funding from groups such as J-Lab/William Penn Foundation and the Henrietta Wurts Fund/Philadelphia Foundation.

Staff

Murali Balaji, executive director
Letrell D. Crittenden, editor and publisher

Interns (Summer 2012)