This might be the project, and the writing, I’m proudest of in my career thus far.
Find here the backstory, and an Inquirer op-ed here I wrote. Below find the words of a vision statement for Philadelphia 250 years from now, which has now inspired a mural by my friend Sean Martorana and Mural Arts Philadelphia.
Here it is:
We descend from those who first walked here and those who declared freedom here, those denied it, those who fought for it and those who defend it still.
Between two rivers, we remain a city of immigrants and makers, where plain dealing mixes with creativity, invention and love of neighbor. We honor no tool before the people it serves. Hoagies endure.
Come what may, Philadelphians still walk, sit on steps and solve more problems than we create. We build to last and put art on the walls.
They do not all love us, but they remember us. We will still boo you.